Voodoo Music and Arts Experience 2018

City Park, NOLA

Tens of thousands gathered in City Park again this year for the 20th anniversary of what has become a Halloween weekend tradition for music lovers from across the country, and especially the gulf coast area. Some were in costumes, some were sporting their favorite artists' shirts and accessories, and all of them came to take part in a one of a kind music festival experience.

Voodoo is known for bringing together a wide variety of music genres, arts, delicious food and festivities for a weekend long celebration near the end of October, just as the New Orleans heat gives way to the slightly cooler fall air. The grounds occupy a large portion of the park, with five stages and multiple vendors, utilities and information booths forming the perimeter. When not busy enjoying one of the eighty scheduled acts, festivalgoers who explore the grounds a bit can find that there is no shortage of activities to keep the fun going.

The ferris wheel and "Rock It" - a ride that slings occupants into the air on a large swinging mechanical arm- can't be missed, as they occupy the space near the large food vendor area (which features a huge selection of festival standards and southern favorite dishes) and blast their waiting crowds with flashing lights and DJ music as they await their turns. Just beyond that, however, is a bit of a darker area, and the spooky heart of the festival grounds: The Mortuary. This haunted attraction has gotten more intricate and impressive every year, and featured a creepy outdoor graveyard and numerous outlying structures, costumed and mechanical creatures, and a terrifying animatronic, screeching witch that came to life as she was being burned at the stake. The main structure was a walk-through haunted house with dark passages, chainsaw-wielding shadow figures and well crafted monsters and horror imagery. The journey was capped off by a tilted room, which was dimly lit and aligned in such a way as to throw off your sense of balance as gravity pulled you toward the wall. It made for great fun as our party carefully tread through, only to be greeted by some sort of screaming beast in the exit room (I didn't get a good look at him, as everyone was moving quickly toward the door.) 

The Marketplace shops offered a variety of art, clothing, accessories and facepainting. We picked up a bit of incense from Global Scents after the smell enticed us to visit their tent. The House of Blues tent offered some giveaways to folks who came by  to spin the prize wheel and maybe answer a music trivia question or two. We managed to secure tickets to Third Eye Blind's House of Blues afterparty on night one, and caught the band both at the festival and at the venue downtown that night. Some custom printed socks and a bandana from the Toyota Music Den, where we caught French electronica artist CloZee's second performance, added to our festival swag. Add in the Casa Modelo viewing area, the JaM Cellars wine lounge, the two free water dispensing Hydration Stations, Toyota's Festivan Wonderland, the massive Brew Dat beer tent and many more... and  you have a weekend full of adventures awaiting. The more you explore the grounds, the more fun and interesting things you can find to get into, and that doesn't even include the VIP area.

Of course if you you just want to take a break from the excitement, that is no problem either. The park's natural beauty and hanging moss covered trees combine nicely with the festival's ambience, particularly after dark, and leaves plenty of opportunity for attendees to find a space to throw out a blanket away from the crowd and enjoy the vibe in peace. 

Environmental consciousness is a recurring theme at Voodoo Festival. The park itself took a beating on day one as the grounds were wet from previous rains, and the thousands of people treading around made for some exciting mud pit action, but that's just how music festivals go sometimes. Muddy as they were, the grounds were still clean thanks to the staff's efficiency and help from the festivalgoers themselves. I found myself wondering on day one why there were so many attendees filling up garbage bags, until we discovered the Rock and Recycle tent, which offered prizes to attendees who filled their green bags with recyclable material from the grounds. We decided to participate, spent a little time scooping up bottles and cans, and got ourselves some green commemorative Voodoo shirts and were entered in a raffle for a free bicycle and tickets to next year's festival. It was actually a fun little detour that did some good and contributed to the overall result of maintaining a clean, healthy park for everyone to enjoy. I could see this type of thing catching on at more events.

The main attraction of the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience is, of course, the music, and this year carried on the tradition of showcasing major artists of many styles. Rock, EDM, rap, jazz, indie and more are spread among the various stages, with several up and coming and New Orleans style artists thrown into the mix. Most everyone can find something on Voodoo's bill that they are into. There were a few hiccups with the lineup in the days before the festival, which often happens when this many acts are coordinating schedules, but the show made the necessary adjustments and went on. Travis Scott stepped in as the Saturday headliner after an unfortunate cancellation by Childish Gambino. The thousands of people who flocked to the Altar Stage to see Scott's performance seemed to be having a great time regardless. As a rocker, A Perfect Circle's performance was my personal favorite of the weekend, and their haunting, sometimes doomy vibe complemented the Halloween weekend festivities nicely, as did Marilyn Manson's appearance. Several artists played two sets throughout the weekend, often on one of the larger stages and then in the more intimate Toyota Music Den. "Ex's and Oh's" singer Elle King was one of these, warming up at Toyota early on Friday before moving to a larger slot on the Wisner stage in the evening. Chassity from Biloxi named King's second set as one of her personal highlights of the festival.

South Mississippians have been joining in the experience for years. Were you there? Tell us your festival stories at @coastobserverlive!

Voodoo Music + Arts Experience is confirmed for 2019, and this time will take place from the 1st through the 3rd of November, so save the dates. For even more photos, media and information, visit voodoofestival.com or their social media accounts. You can also view our previous years' coverage at coastobserverlive.com.

Get out there and catch a show!

Scott Keller

Coast Observer/ Coast Observer Live