In anticipation of Halloween, Tulane students, New Orleans locals, and visitors alike gather together for Voodoo, an eccentric music festival in City Park. This year, buzz-worthy performances include Odesza, Ty Dolla $ign, Martin Garrix, Janelle Monae, and 21 Savage. Originally, Childish Gambino was set to headline, but backed out at the last minute due to an injury. However, Travis Scott filled in Childish’s space, and did not disappoint.
Day 1 marked the beginning of the festivities, and was a quieter but nonetheless exciting start to the weekend. Gryffin entertained his audience with his DJ set, which included a mix of original mashups and popular EDM tracks. Another enticing electronic act was Rufus Du Sol, a trio from Sydney, Australia. Rufus Du Sol played enticing tracks that created a very chill atmosphere for its audience. To finish off the first night, Mumford and Sons took the stage and performed acoustic tracks that festival-goers happily sang along to. However, one surprise in store for attendees was the excessive amount of mud on the ground in City Park. Festival goers left the festival with their feet drenched in mud, and I returned home to find a myriad of muddy shoes aligned down my hallway.
Day 2, however, was when the festival really took off and stirred up lots of hype. Many people started to go all out with their costumes, and there was a nice mix of festival attire (glitter, spacebuns, metallic bodysuits) and Halloween costumes. Voodoo is particularly special as people are allowed to go all out and express themselves through extravagant and vibrant costumes. As for the music, Janelle Monae’s set was very well-received, as audiences members felt extremely empowered during her performance. Odesza, a popular festival act, took festival goers to another dimension with its transformative and moving beats. Something unique about Odesza is that its set includes singers, a drumline, and a trumpet player, all of which add to a very powerful, flawless performance. Everyone crowded around the Altar stage at 9:45 when Travis Scott took stage. While the area was extremely crowded, his performance didn’t fail to energize the crowd. People sang and danced along to his performance, and everyone lost their minds during “Sicko Mode”, his final number.
For this being my first Voodoo fest, I can say that it met my expectations and was a truly enjoyable time. In my opinion, music festivals can either be a hit or miss, but Voodoo, with its impressive lineup and vivid ambiance, delivered a wonderful festival experience. That being said, I am already planning my outfits for next year and predicting future headliners.