This past Halloween weekend, I had the pleasure to attend Voodoo Festival at City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana with my fiancé. I have been to concerts before while living in Michigan, but never experienced a festival devoted to worshiping music. After living in Louisiana for the past five months, I have noticed several cultural differences. Some of these differences people from Louisiana might take for granted, or didn’t know how good they have it.

For one, Michigan simply does not have festivals or concerts outside. The only festivals I’ve attended have been the Cherry Festival and Holiday parades, and these do not compare to the festivals in Louisiana. Michigan state law prohibits open containers of alcohol and the ability to buy alcohol is noticeably stricter compared to Louisiana. I found it easier to buy alcohol in Louisiana then in Michigan because at the festival I didn’t have to show my driver’s license once and I was able to walk around freely with a mixed cocktail in my hand. At first, I thought was very strange to be walking around outside with an alcoholic beverage, but after a while it wasn’t strange anymore.

Another cultural difference, I’ve noticed since moving to Louisiana is the weather. Compared to Michigan, as a child it would get so cold outside trick or treating that my parents made sure my brother’s and my Halloween costumes kept us warm enough in the 30 degree weather. For example, one year it started snowing on Halloween and we wore our snow pants underneath our costume. Halloween is completely different in Louisiana. It was a warm 75-80 degrees outside, and we were able to wear shorts and a t-shirt. It was almost warm enough to sit outside and tan. We didn’t have to worry about wearing a winter jacket or bring a hat and gloves.

The most noticeable difference moving from Michigan to Louisiana is the Cajun food. The only access to Cajun food in Michigan is Zataran’s rice meals at the supermarket. The access to Cajun food in Louisiana is plentiful and it was everywhere at Voodoo Fest. At the NOLA food stands they had sausage po-boys, boudin, fried alligator, catfish, jambalaya, seafood gumbo, cracklin’ and food I couldn’t even pronounce. I was brave enough to try a catfish po-boy, and it was delicious. I can’t wait for the chance try more Cajun food.

All in all, this past Halloween was a weekend to remember. I was able to see a 62-year old Ozzy Osbourne, the Prince of Darkness, perform possibly one of his last concerts as an artist. Muse, Weezer, and Cage the Elephant were all very exciting to watch.  We also saw bands that we had never heard before and are now one of our favorites, like Ponderosa, Jonathan Tyler and Northern Lights, and Florence + the Machine. We enjoyed Voodoo Fest so much that we are looking into attending next year’s concert. Anyone who enjoys music should not miss out on one of the best concerts in the world.