New Orleans may be known for its wild nights and haunted happenings, but Halloween weekend with the Krewe of BOO! isn’t just for the grown-up ghouls—it’s a family-friendly fright fest from start to finish. With dancing skeletons, spooky swag, costumed crowds, and candy galore, it’s a weekend your little monsters won’t forget (and neither will you).

If it’s your first time at Krewe of BOO!, welcome to the wildest, weirdest, most undead fabulous parade you’ll ever attend. But if you want to do it right—like really right—you need wisdom from those who’ve been BOO’ing for years. We asked our most seasoned paradegoers to spill their secrets. Here are their best tips, tricks, and Halloween hacks for making the most out of your Krewe of BOO! experience. Take notes… or just carve them into a pumpkin.

You can’t throw a plastic alligator in Louisiana without hitting a great story. Ghosts in the sugarcane. Monsters in the swamp. Spells in the gumbo. And when it comes to Halloween in New Orleans, we don’t just celebrate the spooky—we celebrate the South. The Krewe of BOO! isn’t just a parade—it’s a rolling love letter to Louisiana’s culture, with floats and costumes that honor our Cajun, Creole, and swampy heritage in gloriously ghoulish style.