Voodoo Music + Art Experience is canceling its 2022 edition, shattering hopes that it would return this Halloween after skipping 2020 and 2021. Organizers announced on Friday that the festival “will take a pause in 2022.”
“Take care of your krewe and follow along on social media for updates,”
organizers wrote.
No other details were provided. Set at City Park in New Orleans, Voodoo had cemented itself as one of the biggest Halloween events over the years. It describes itself as a “musical gumbo stirring together music, art, community, cuisine and all the mystery and adventure that Halloween weekend in New Orleans conjures up.”
The lineup for its last edition, in 2019, had various DJs in the mix with rock bands and hip hop artists. They included Bassnectar, Rezz, ZHU, Jai Wolf, Big Gigantic and Elohim. Unfortunately, its 2020 edition was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers at the time said “we look forward to returning in full force on October 29-31, 2021.” They allowed the 2020 tickets to be valid for 2021 with added perks, or offered full refunds.
But in June 2021, organizers announced that the festival that year would take a pause and return in 2022. “As our city reopens with an abundance of events to reconnect with, we look forward to holding our reunion when we can fully embrace the Voodoo experience,” organizers wrote at the time. Ticketholders were again given the option of rolling over their passes to 2022 or requesting refunds. That was actually the event’s last Instagram post before Friday’s pausing the 2022 edition.
Most music festivals returned from the pandemic shutdown either in the latter part of 2021 or this year. Voodoo organizers’ post did not offer the option to roll over tickets to 2023, unlike the past two canceled years. That leaves Voodoo fans wondering if their beloved Halloween event will make a comeback at all.
“I’m not going to say Voodoo is fully in the festival graveyard yet…but they have the hole dug, and one foot in,” the Festive Owl opined.
Watch for updates from Voodoo Music + Art Experience on its Facebook and Instagram.
