Category: Festivals

Halloweeny

Working in the service industry can be pretty boring sometimes. The same ole everyone else having fun while you work. Halloween is one of those days that breaks up the boredom and monotony. Patrons parade in and out in some great costumes and generally that night draws a different crowd. Not the usual weekend partiers but those that only go out a few times a year as they grow older. Looking for fun and not afraid to splurge.

When I drove cab at night in New jersey it was actually kind of fun on Halloween. Always busy, good tips and a non-stop spectacle. Creative garb sometimes lampooning topical news stories, superheroes, sexy nurses or sexy cops with a sprinkling of drunken zombies. At the end of my night, I would vacuum up all of the feathers, sequins and props.

I never knew what to expect when the customer would walk towards my Crown Vic. I always kissed up by complementing their creativity. We had this one weekend regular who always took a cab to a local club “The Headliner” in Neptune NJ. Each year they had a massive costume contest with a $1,000 prize or something. Even though he was a regular and I heard his address dispatched countless times, this was the first night I actually had him as my passenger.

He exited his apartment (40-ish) wearing torn blue jeans, Converse high-tops, an AC/DC black T-shirt, leather biker jacket, baseball cap and the cheesiest shoulder length black wig. Totally nailed the Mike Myer’s “Wayne’s World” character. When he climbed in, I greeted him with “Hey, Wayne!” He responded with a “Huh?” I guess it didn’t register with him. As I dropped him off at The Headliner I said, “Good luck with the contest.” All though I knew there would be way better costumes than his.

A month or so later, dispatch radios me his address again going to the same place. A couple of minutes after being out front he exits the apartment wearing torn blue jeans, Converse high-tops, an AC/DC black T-shirt, leather biker jacket, baseball cap and the cheesy shoulder length black wig. That wasn’t a costume he was wearing on Halloween, it’s how he always dresses right down to the cheap wig. I mentioned this to the dispatcher back at the cab stand and he laughed “Not a costume, he’s been dressing like that for years!”

10 years later on Halloween I’m working as a dishwasher at a Sicilian restaurant in the French Quarter. The place had been slammed all night. It was close to closing and I was trying to keep caught up. I stuck my head out of the kitchen to see a table of 6 getting up to leave. I grab the plastic tub and start bussing the table as a couple stayed to take care of the tab. The two were maybe in their late 30’s, very professional looking with nice costumes. I can’t remember hers, but he was Kato from The Green Hornet. I mean every detail. The exact hat, mask and chauffeur suit. Neither of them seemed to be having a good night.

“Hey KATO! Did you enjoy your meal?”
His head snapped in my direction as he was paying the tab. “What did you call me?”
“Uhm, Kato? From the Green Hornet, right?”
“Thank fuckin god! Someone tonight knew who the fuck I am! You are the only one, THANK YOU!”
He pulls a $20 out of his wallet and tosses it on the table for me.
“Naw that’s ok man..”
“NO! You take it. You made my night that at least one person knew who Kato was!”
I glanced at his wife who was now kind of smirk-giggling. I guess she was relieved her husband was in a less pissy mood now.

So, this Halloween have fun, make money and keep guessing.

Swifties Are Always Welcome

Phenomenal seems to be the most frequently used word by French Quarter businesses to describe the past week of the “Swifties” invasion. Swiftie denotes a dedicated fan of singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, whose three nights of concerts at the Caesars Superdome flooded the French Quarter with her most diehard followers this past weekend. The Swifties quickly gained fans of their own among the local business community, not only for their patronage, but for just being courteous and downright nice people. If a business owner wasn’t a Taylor Swift fan prior to this week, they certainly are now.

Jaded service industry workers in the French Quarter are no stranger to large homogeneous groups and typically expect an aggravating work shift dealing with rude, entitled customers. Not so with Swift fans. In fact, the complete opposite seems to be true. I received nothing but compliments for the sequined customers, who were generally described as “very kind and spending lots of money.”

Cary Thompson, general manager at 13 on Frenchman Street had nothing but praise for the crowds of Swift fans this week. “They weren’t just trying to be kind; they were very genuine and engaged,” he said. “They all seemed very based, happy to be here and really vibing on each other’s fandom and positivity.”

Enormous peaceful crowds packed Bourbon Street for blocks singing Swift songs, dancing, and just being cool and loving. This is not exactly what we are used to seeing on Bourbon Street. There is clear evidence that this group of people seemed to have left the Quarter cleaner and in better shape than they found it.

One of Bourbon’s most hardened and renowned night club managers, Eddie O’Dwyer at The Frat House on Bourbon Street had this to say about this Swifty weekend: “If I could open a strictly Taylor Swift bar, I would. Great crowds and numbers since Thursday. No problems, no headaches, everyone nice and polite. I was like wtf?! I’ll take this 7 days a week, 365. I hope they come back next year!” Eddie added his security staff was extremely bored from all of the politeness.

One shop, Gimme at 713 Toulouse St., was elbow-to-elbow with Swifties for days. The shop, which features accessories best described as pink and glittery, has never seen crowds of customers like this since they opened about three years ago, or at any point in their entire retail experience in the French Quarter. Owner Jeff McCoy and his wife Nikki not only praised the quantity of customers, but the quality of customers.

The bright pink Gimme shop features fun quirky accessories and glittery makeup, a huge draw for Swifties. Several people asked what kind of a shop it is the rest of the year thinking it was Taylor Swift pop-up store here only during the concert. “Nope, this is us year-round,” Jeff McCoy responded.

Excessively polite and courteous patrons filed in and out of the shop as soon as the doors opened. McCoy recalled one incident. “We were just locking up and closing for the night when a couple of customers from earlier in the day started to tap on the window for our attention,” he said.

Somehow the customers had inadvertently received a pair of earrings in their purchase bag that they had not paid for. Since they were leaving the next day, they made a special trip back to the small shop that night to either return or pay for the merchandise.

Overwhelmed with such honesty, Nikki and Jeff said they refused payment for the earnings. “Please just keep them,” the McCoys told the group.

According to Jeff, that incident was the best example of the type of crowds they were serving this weekend.

Turtle Bay on Decatur Street had informally renamed the upstairs as “Taylor Bay” for the concert weekend and decorated wall-to-wall in bright, glittery tassels, just like the kind of dress Taylor Swift wears on stage (in fact, when I Googled the spelling of tassel, the search bar auto-populated with “tassel dress Taylor Swift”). Guests loved it and here’s what owner Steve Smith had to say on this weekend:

“I’ll start by saying, going into the weekend I wasn’t a Taylor Swift fan. Not a hater, just indifferent. As a 54-year-old guy, I wouldn’t have been able to name one Taylor Swift song. I’m sure I’ve heard some just as a member of society, but I couldn’t have told you what songs hers were when I heard them. My wife and I happened to be in Nashville last year when the Taylor Swift tour was in town. We saw how many people it brought there. So, when we found out the tour was stopping in New Orleans we knew it would be a busy weekend and wanted to take advantage.

“We decided to turn the upstairs room at our bar/grill into a Taylor Swift-themed room. We knew with three sold out shows in the Dome, New Orleans was going to get plenty of visitors this weekend. What we didn’t know, was the town was about to be consumed and completely taken over by a seemingly never-ending swarm of ‘Swifties.’

“Every bar, restaurant and shop was filled for three days giving businesses a much-needed shot in the arm after another long summer. But this group brought with it more than monetary gains to the city. They didn’t just spend money around town, they shared their fun loving, friendly, carefree attitude. Every one of the Swifties, young and old, came with excitement and a smile ear to ear. Their attitude was truly contagious. You could feel the excitement and buzz around the city from the tourist to the locals.

“I’ve been in this business for over 30 years in New Orleans and I can’t really remember an event like this not called Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest or French Quarter Fest that brought the same energy. That includes the many Super Bowls, college football championships, concerts, etc. I’ve witnessed. In a town that sees plenty of ups and downs from a very contentious political season, crime, poor infrastructure, and the rest. The Swiftie invasion and shared positive vibes was more than welcome. It was one of the best weekends for the city I can remember, certainly since covid. I know we have the Super Bowl coming in a few months and it will be great. But I would gladly take another Swiftie invasion weekend any day!!“

Thank you, Taylor Swift and your fans, not just for giving New Orleans the huge financial boost we knew we needed, but more importantly the emotional lift we didn’t know we needed.“
-Steve Smith, Turtle Bay.

Regardless of what someone’s opinion is of Taylor Swift’s music or politics, one cannot deny that she boosts the economy of any city she performs in. Not every event or festival here can say that. There have been large groups of fans for events that were way more trouble than they were worth and their return visits are always dreaded.

Summers are always slow and with the current economy, this visit has been a blessing. Jeff McCoy stated: “When she schedules her next tour, I’ll personally go to a council meeting and encourage the city to invite her back.”

Hell, when she comes back, I’ll spend the money and go to a show myself.

Red Dress Run 2023 (PHOTOS)

All photos by Eric T. Styles
Crowds of people wearing red dresses flooded Marigny, Bywater and the French Quarter on Saturday for the annual Red Dress Run. Usually held on the second weekend of August, it’s technically a race that you register for, with the proceeds going to support charity — although no registering doesn’t necessarily preclude participate.

Many just said “fuck it,” and decided to don a skimpy red garment and proceeded to get wasted early this morning. Were you one of those people? Let us know.

Vehicular traffic restricted in the Vieux Carre due to French Quarter Fest

French Quarter Fest opening day parade 2022. | Cedric Ellsworth
New Orleans has restricted vehicular traffic in the French Quarter due to the four-day French Quarter Festival

that kicked off Thursday, although residents can acquire access passes at the police department.

City officials said that the New Orleans Police Department will restrict traffic to ensure pedestrian safety and that intermittent street closures might be required as crowds get larger.

Closures include Bourbon Street, from Iberville to St. Ann streets, which will be closed to vehicular traffic from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Thursday, Friday Saturday and Sunday.

In addition, the following streets and intersections will be closed to traffic from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday:

  • Canal Street from Chartres to Burgundy streets 
  • North Rampart Street from Iberville to St. Ann streets 
  • Decatur Street from Conti to Dumaine streets 
  • Intersection of North Peters Street and Canal Street 

All vehicular traffic will be blocked for on-street stages on Saturday and Sunday, located at 1000, 500 and 400 blocks of Royal Street, and the 600 and 700 blocks of Bourbon Street.

A full “Mardi Gras” closure will be in effect Friday to Sunday. Public safety officials will screen vehicles entering the French Quarter’s perimeter on Iberville, Decatur, Dumaine and North Rampart streets. Only residents, employees, hotel guests and taxis/ride hailing services will be allowed to drive vehicles into the French Quarter, according to New Orleans officials.

No on-street parking or vehicular traffic into the French Quarter will be allowed between Iberville, North Rampart, Dumaine and Decatur streets, except vehicles that have permits. Permits are available at the NOPD’s Eighth District Station at 300 Royal St.

FQMD seeks post-French Quarter Fest clean-up volunteers

FQMD seeks post-French Quarter Fest clean-up volunteers

The French Quarter Management District is looking for clean-up volunteers needed after the conclusion of French Quarter Fest on April 16.

The FQMD’s effort is part of its Keep the Quarter Clean program and Love the Boot Week, a state-wide litter removal and beautification campaign running from April 17-23.

Volunteers will be assigned to the French Quarter Festival’s Green Team, who are also volunteers that will be at the festival to “to guide the public in the use of recycling and composting stations.” French Quarter Fest runs from April 13-16.

Volunteers can sign up to work on a four-hour shift either from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. or from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The FQMD asked volunteers to indicate if they prefer to be scheduled with specific friends or neighbors.

To sign up, email Karley Frankic at kfrankic@fqmd.org or call the FQMD at 504-323-5801.

FQMD launches program encouraging people to not litter in the French Quarter