Mark your calendar and save the date, the Voodoo Experience is returning to Halloween Weekend this year - October 30th to November 1st!
Friday October 30
What can I bring into the festival? Can I camp there? Where is the Festival located? Where do I park? Can children come to Voodoo Festival? Find out all you need to know about the 11th Ritual: Voodoo Music Experience 2009!
Since its 1999 debut, the VOODOO EXPERIENCE has called New Orleans home. Voodoo had humble beginnings as a one day festival in Tad Gormley Stadium with artists including Wyclef Jean, Ben Folds, Dr. John, and more. The following year expanded to 2 days and drew attention with a performance by Eminem, who’s fame exploded just before the festival, and brought Voodoo to the attention of music fans from around the world to worship the music. The wide-ranging line-up of talent each year reflects the multitude of cultures that define New Orleans. In its nine-year run, the VOODOO EXPERIENCE has featured more than 450 performers and close to a million fans.
Voodoo, The Practice
So you've got your mojo workin', but really, what is this voodoo religion/practice/tourist trap thing all about?
Voodoo Defined
A West Indian (especially Haiti) religion made up of a combination of African religions and Catholicism; its ceremonies center on rituals developed to please the Iwa (spirits). Many claim that its history can be traced even further to African roots.
Voodoo practitioners believe in the existence of one supreme God. Below God, spirits rule over the world's affairs in matters of family, love, happiness, justice, health, wealth, work the harvest or the hunt etc. Offerings are made to the appropriate spirit to ensure success in those areas. Each spirit has its preferred fruits or vegetables, color, number, day of the week, etc. The spirits also manifest through elements of nature such as the wind and rain, lightning and thunder, the rivers, the ocean, springs and lakes, the sky, the sun, certain animals, trees and stones. Learn more about the history and culture of voodoo at New Orleans Voodoo Crossroads.