Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Washington Blade - October 1, 2004
Van Gower
START MAKING PLANS NOW if you're thinking of following other people from across the country to the third largest gay attraction in New Orleans each year.
The Big Easy has long been one of the most popular destinations in the world for gay getaways. Combine the city's year-round party-hearty vibe with a love for costuming, and its one of the biggest gay soirees going on - "Halloween in New Orleans" - after Mardi Gras and Southern Decadence.
The annual event, set for Oct. 28-31, marks its 21st anniversary this year as a fund-raiser for Lazarus Project, an AIDS housing program.
The Halloween in New Orleans theme this year is "Freaks, Follies, & Sideshows," which should inspire creative and outrageous costumes on the thousands of gay party people expected to pack the city and, in particular, the French Quarter, says Bill McCarthy, a Halloween in New Orleans committee member.
"It should be a pretty broad stroke, with a real menagerie of people," he says.
This year's festivities are unique since Halloween falls on a Sunday.
Official events kick off with a buffet dinner and silent auction on Sept. 28. More than 200 items are set to be up for bid, including art, vacation packages, gift certificates and consumer services. The dinner and auction are more formal than the rest of the weekend's events, according to McCarthy.
On Friday night, a meet-and-greet social includes drinks and dancing to the sounds of DJ Reed McGowan from New York City. Following the meet-and-greet, the Bourbon Pub and Parade - a complex of two gay bars under one roof at the epicenter of New Orleans gay life on the corner of Bourbon and St. Ann streets - hosts the first of three official Halloween in New Orleans after-parties.
Bourbon Pub & Parade general manager Jonathan Bray says he's been in the Big Easy enough years that he's not easily surprised by any occurrence or costume. But given the gay penchant for over-the-top behavior and dress, especially with a "Freaks, Follies & Sideshow" theme, he says there's always an interesting sight to see.
"People will get dressed in everything from full blown Mardi Gras costumes that have tens of thousands of dollars of stuff on them," Bray says. "Or some people could wear a jockstrap, and that's their thing."
The weekend's main event, the official dance party "Freaks, Follies & Sideshow" costume extravaganza, takes place Saturday night with DJ Warren Gluck from New York City at the turntables. The event has a strictly enforced costume-mandatory policy. The annual dance typically draws the most people of the official events - 4,000 to 5,000, according to McCarthy.
A stage adjacent to the dance floor allows attendees to dance above the crowd and show off their costumes. Shortly after midnight, a choreographed show with some 40 costumed performers begins onstage.
Following the big bash, folks who still have the pep can head over to Bourbon Pub & Parade for an after-party featuring DJ Kimberly S.
Bray, who has supported Halloween in New Orleans for 12 years, thinks there's another reason for its popularity: Admission prices for each party include an open bar.
Some 300 hosts sponsor Halloween in New Orleans each year by donating funds to cover overhead costs, enabling 100 percent of monies collected to go directly to Lazarus House.
To date, McCarthy says Halloween in New Orleans has raised some $3 million for the organization.
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