The BOO Effect: How Halloween Boosts the NOLA Economy

🧟‍♂️ Because Fear Pays the Bills (and Buys a Lot of Beignets)

In most cities, Halloween is a one-night stand with candy. In New Orleans, it’s a full-blown, costumed love affair that lasts all October—and maybe even a little into November if the hangover’s big enough.

But Halloween in the Crescent City isn’t just about scares and sequins—it’s a serious economic engine that pumps life (and dollars) into the heart of the city. From costume shops and cocktail bars to makeup artists and float builders, the Krewe of BOO! and its haunted entourage are putting locals to work, one zombie at a time.

Let’s break down The BOO Effect—how Halloween helps New Orleans thrive while scaring the pants off tourists.

🪡 1. Costumes, Creators & Creepy Couture

Local costume designers, wig stylists, tailors, prop makers, and face-painting phenoms get a major Halloween boost. Forget big-box store getups—this is NOLA, baby. We go big, bold, and handmade.

Whether you’re dressing as a swamp demon, a ghostly jazz man, or a gator glamazon, chances are you’re paying a local artist to make it happen. And with events like the Zombie Run, Krewe of BOO! parade, and Monster Mash after-party, people need multiple looks. (Because outfit repeating? That’s the real horror.)

🎨 2. Floats, Fabrication & Frighteningly Good Art

Behind every ghoulish float and fog machine is a crew of local craftsmen, welders, painters, carpenters, and lighting pros who bring these monstrous visions to life.

Krewe of BOO! provides paid work and commissions to float builders, sculptors, and visual artists—many of whom also work Mardi Gras and other seasonal festivals. Halloween gives them another creative outlet and paycheck between carnival seasons.

🍸 3. Bars, Restaurants & Haunted Hospitality

October is one of the busiest months for local bars, venues, and restaurants, especially those along the parade route.

• Bars create Halloween cocktail menus and host spooky happy hours.

• Restaurants serve up themed dishes and pre-parade prix fixes.

• Venues book live music, DJs, and costume contests nearly every weekend.

Even your neighborhood dive bar gets a haunted facelift—and more business.

And let’s not forget the food trucks, pop-up vendors, and caterers who feed the BOO-hungry masses.

🎭 4. Entertainment Industry & Gig Economy Wins

DJs, emcees, drag performers, fire dancers, stilt walkers, brass bands, aerialists, and all the glorious weirdos of the New Orleans entertainment world find steady gigs throughout Halloween season.

Krewe of BOO! alone features dozens of local performers and marching groups, while the Monster Mash party books multiple acts, tech crews, and production teams—all locally sourced.

And don’t forget photographers, videographers, and social media managers capturing every scream and sparkle.

🛍️ 5. Small Shops, Big Impact

Halloween lovers need:

• Wigs

• Makeup

• Fangs

• Corsets

• Skeleton gloves

• Voodoo dolls

• Glitter (so much glitter)

That means they’re shopping at independent boutiques, artist markets, vintage stores, and costume emporiums across the city. Businesses like Fifi Mahony’s, Southern Costume Company, and countless French Quarter shops see their October sales soar like a vampire at midnight.

🧟 6. Tourism & Hotel Bookings Go Bump in the Night

With the rise of “Halloween tourism,” visitors are now booking trips to New Orleans just to experience October magic. Hotels sell out for Krewe of BOO! weekend. Ghost tours double their schedules. Visitors spend on local eats, drinks, tours, and shopping.

One haunted weekend brings in thousands of visitors and hundreds of thousands of dollars—and most of it lands in the hands of locals.

💀 Final Thoughts: Scaring Up Local Love

Halloween in New Orleans isn’t just a party. It’s a lifeline for artists, a paycheck for performers, a boost for small businesses, and a celebration of everything this city does best—creativity, community, and a whole lot of pageantry.

So when you show up to the Krewe of BOO! in your best bone-rattling costume and sip a pumpkin-spiced cocktail while catching beads from a haunted float… know that every scream and laugh is keeping New Orleans’ creative soul thriving.

Support Local. Get Scared. Spend Like a Ghoul. That’s The BOO Effect. 🧛‍♂️💸