There’s a frightful amount of fun on tap for the weekend around the Crescent City. Are you brave enough to try a few? From funk to frights, boos to brews, it’s getting rowdy up in here. And there are a couple of lagniappe listings as well.
NOLA FUNK FEST takes over Spanish Plaza through Sunday with a blazing list of musical acts, from Master P featuring the Soul Rebels to the Funky Meters 2.0, Galactic, Erica Falls and Friends, Big Sam’s Funky Nation with Jelly Joseph and Cyril Neville celebrating 50 years of the Wild Tchoupitoulas. The event is to kick off the public awareness of the planned Louisiana Music and Heritage Experience museum. The music starts at 1 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday and Sunday. Tickets start at $28. Get funky with the info here.
It’s a monster mashup of fun at City Park Friday through Sunday for GHOSTS IN THE OAKS, a ghoulishly good time in the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park. Unlimited rides on such attractions as the Lady Bug and the historic carousel, activities and live entertainment are matched by trick or treating on the new path. The fun runs Friday to Sunday starting at 5 p.m. for early admission. Tickets start at $22. Check out the frightfully fun times here.
Audubon Zoo has a frightfully good time in store Friday through Sunday for BOO AT THE ZOO, the dazzling daylight benefit for Manning Family Children’s and the zoo. Get into costume and head out for trick or treating, crafts, a haunted house and more at the 6500 Magazine St. zoological garden. Tickets are $38 and the hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with trick or treating for only the 12 and under. Get in on the ghoulish good times here.
Down by the riverside? How about, down by the bayou for PRAISE FEST 2025 “ON THE BAYOU,” the gospel music celebration. For three days, Bayou St. John at 500 N. Norman C. Francis Parkway will be celebrating 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Sunday with free fun, focusing on seniors Friday, career and health Saturday and a finale Sunday. There’s also food, fellowship and fun. Check out more on the event here.
LaPlace is the place and the smokey goodness is the flavor for the annual ANDOUILLE FESTIVAL (pronounced “ohn-DEW-ee”) this weekend. The savor goodness of this sausage permeates the air of St. John the Baptist Parish combined with live music, food, children’s activities, arts and crafts and royalty. Performers include Amanda Shaw, the Cute Guys, Shot Time, Hot 8 Brass Band and the Phunky Monkeys. The event is from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday at the Community Center, 2900 U.S. 51, in LaPlace. Daily admission is $5. Get a taste for what’s in store here.
The fun at Deutsches Haus continues this weekend for the second installment of OKTOBERFEST 4 p.m. Fridays and 1 p.m. Saturday until 11 p.m. through Oct. 25 at 1700 Moss St. Admission to the Crescent City observance of the Bavarian seasonal festivity is $10 at the gate. Enjoy traditional German foods like brats, pretzels and schnitzel, plus more than 20 Bavarian brews, nine wines and 20 schnapps. And don’t forget the chicken dance. Raise a stein here for more details.
And speaking of Alpine good times, Trinity Lutheran Church in Algiers has been honoring its German heritage with OKTOBERFEST for more than two dozen years with Bavarian treats like sauerkraut, bratwurst and strudel and German beer, and the 150-year-old church continues the celebration from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 438 Olivier St. on the point. Check out the information here.
“Saints and Sinners of Louisiana” is the theme for the GHOSTLY GALLIVANT, the Friends of the Cabildo spooktacular candlelit stroll through the historic building on Jackson Square. Staggered tours feature characters in costume, libations, music and a chance to scream a little Friday and Oct. 24. Tickets start at $30 and tours start at 5:30 p.m. Get in touch with the ghoulish good time here.
The LOUISIANA HOME SHOW is setting up shop from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday with information on home improvement, remodeling, landscaping and decorating in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center’s Hall I. From asphalt to windows and most things in between, experts will be on hand, as well as financial companies and insurance providers. Tickets are $10 at the door. lahomeshows-em.com.
Latin culture, cuisine and spirit is celebrated at the WEST BANK HISPANIC HERITAGE FESTIVAL at the University of Holy Cross, 4123 Woodland Drive, in Algiers. The school adopts a Latin flavor from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday with entertainment, culture, cuisine and handcrafted goods. The free event will also host Rumba Buena, Muevelo, Ballet Folklorico and more. Check out the fun times here.
Get ready to “paw-ty” with the pets from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the LOUISIANA SPCA CARNIVAL, 1700 Mardi Gras Blvd. Visit with adoptable pets at the fundraising event, and little ones can “Be a Vet for a Day” with a real veterinarian and “adopt” a plush pet. Music by the Lost Bayou Ramblers, the Original Pinettes and more will be joined by roving circus-themed performances. And don’t forget the yummy treats (for all). Tickets start at $25, $15 for pooches. The details on the “paw-ty” are right here.
Celebrating their 50th season, the NEW ORLEANS CONCERT BAND will perform Sunday at 6 p.m. at UNO’s Performing Arts Center on the lakefront campus. The all-volunteer ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Charles Taylor, will perform a variety of works by John Williams to John Philip Sousa at the free concert. Get more on the concert here.