While I’ve been to concerts before, I’ve never gotten the opportunity to attend a music festival.
So, when I found out I’d be going to Voodoo Music and Art Experience, I was ecstatic.
Day one was packed with attendees dressed in their finest Halloween ensembles. Costumes varied from TV characters to superheroes to bananas. However, the costume that stood out the most was the skeleton, or sugar skull. Men and women had their faces painted in skull makeup, and some paired it with a matching skeleton costume while others opted for a black dress and fishnets.
As for Voodoo itself, the day included musical performances from a variation of different artists and genres.
Early in the day, the four different stages were filled with younger or smaller artists. Things didn’t really begin to kick off until Royal Teeth performed at 3 p.m. on the Ritual stage.
The New Orleans-native band seemed at home on stage, performing some older music, newer music and a cover of “Love Is A Battlefield.” The band sounded amazing live, with the male and female vocalists blending well, and had a good energy on stage, keeping the crowd involved throughout the performance.
Twenty One Pilots performed on the Ritual stage after Royal Teeth at 4:30 p.m.
If you’ve never listened to these guys, I suggest you add them to your Spotify playlist immediately. I love their recorded work, so I was more than pleased with their live performance. Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun are the band’s two members and are known for outfits that cover their faces. The two opened with “Guns For Hands” in full-body black suits.
The performance included multiple outfit and accessory changes including full-body skull suits and a floral button up paired with all black underneath.  
Along with looking great, these two put on a great show.
You could tell Twenty One Pilots was creating photography gold with their stage flips, crowd surfing and, at the end of their set, running and climbing a Voodoo camera area. For the band’s first New Orleans show, it was a sight to see.
Jack Antonoff’s band, Bleachers, performed at 5:45 p.m. on the Carnival stage.
Antonoff is adorable to watch perform and loved interacting with fans, asking the crowd about their Halloween costumes. During the performance, he said he loved performing in New Orleans and it showed through his great set.

Rapper Action Bronson also fed off of fan energy during his set. He was even called back to the Carnival stage for an encore.
The final highlight of the day had to be the final performance, Outkast.
Outkast is celebrating over 20 years of producing and performing. Andre 3000 thanked fans for sticking with them for so long, but he really didn’t need to since the performance was thanks enough.
The group’s Ritual stage set included it all: a big band, a light show and a changing backdrop. The performance almost felt like a play; everything in planned acts and flowing together flawlessly. The crowd couldn’t get enough of the band, enjoying every song Andre 3000 and Big Boi fed them. Whether it was an oldie or a hit, the crowd was asking for more.
All in all, day one of Voodoo didn’t disappoint.  
For someone who’s never been to a music festival, today was a playground full of music and sights. Hopefully the next two days follow suit.