We know, it’s a little early to talk about Spooky Season. And this year, there’ll be one Naturally New Orleans attraction won’t be running in 2020.
According to Ghost Manor’s Facebook page, the animatronic light show won’t be running this year because of social distancing measures.
“We agonized over the decision for months,” the announcement read. “The show draws hundreds of people, and there’s no practical way to limit attendance or enforce social distancing or other measures on a public sidewalk. Accordingly, we feel the most responsible thing to do is to not run it this year.”
Though the show won’t go on in its usual capacity, the announcement said the home will still be decorated for Halloween “in the form of a more ‘static’ display.”
The Halloween show began in 2012 with one green ghost flying in the window.
“The first year I was inspired by the architecture of the house,” said owner David Gentry in a 2018 interview with us. “I wanted to do something fun, just to see if I could do it. The original ghost went from window to window and kind of on the side of the house, back and forth to make it look like there was really a ghost upstairs. It was something to try just for fun.”
Now, the Victorian mansion draws hundreds of people to the sidewalk on Magazine and Second streets. Animatronic skeletons sing along to “Thriller” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” as zombies and ghosts float through the upstairs windows.
“We’ve already been working on many new things over the past year, and now we have an additional year to devote to it,” the announcement read. “There will be new animated characters and special effects, new scenes, and we’ll be pushing the limits even further. Ghost Manor will return in 2021, better than ever, for our tenth season. We can’t wait!”
