In two months, one of the biggest yearly music festivals in New Orleans will take place at the City Park.
The 5th Annual Voodoo Music Experience, or simply Voodoo Fest, will be a three-day festival on Friday, Oct. 31 though Sunday, Nov. 2.
Last year’s one-day event featured 21 artists such as No Doubt, 311, Garbage, Nappy Roots and Jurassic Five.
Two extra days means more music and more acts. At the time of print, 45 artists have signed on to play the event, and around 35 more are to be announced.
More than 90 hours of music will reverberate from three stages Halloween weekend.
This year’s event features artists like Staind, Godsmack, 50 Cent, Ludacris, Mos Def, A Perfect Circle, Queens of the Stone Age and Fuel.
Also playing are local favorites Cowboy Mouth, Better Than Ezra, Galactic and Supagroup.
Tickets for all three days cost $80. Single-day passes are currently unavailable, but they may become available as Voodoo Fest nears.
In a recent press release, Steve Rehage, president of Rehage Entertainment, Inc. said, “Our weekend lineup showcases some of the best talent in today’s industry and allows us to pepper the weekend with some of music’s rising starts.”
The first Voodoo Fest was held in 1999 and had 15 acts including Moby, Train, Ben Folds Five and Wyclef Jean. More than 250,000 people have experienced Voodoo Fest over the past four years, according to a press release.
Previous Voodoo talent included Eminem, Snoop Dogg, John Mayer, Stone Temple Pilots, Live and Tool.
“We are thrilled that premier events like … the newly expanded Voodoo in the fall help to enhance the internationally recognized New Orleans brand and attract new visitors to our city year after year,” said New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin in a press release.
LSU students have mixed reactions toward this year’s festival.
“I probably wouldn’t go,” said Leigh Anna Watson, a marketing sophomore. “I’ve heard some of these groups, but not their music.”
Brent Rhodes, a kinesiology senior, thinks differently.
“It would be cool seeing Better Than Ezra and Cowboy Mouth,” Rhodes said. “They got a variety of bands and music that I wouldn’t be able to see in one spot. $80 is a cool deal.”
The added two days and the big-name artists already committed to playing the festival make this year’s Voodoo Fest biggest to date.
“Last year’s event deemed us as a Halloween tradition,” Rehage said in the press release. “This year’s event will solidify us as a three-day world class music experience not to miss.”
Three-day passes will only be available in advance and not during the festival weekend. You can purchase tickets online at the official Voodoo website, www.voodoomusicfest.com or by phone at 1-800-594-8499.