We’ve got your weekend: Art, music, food, and festivals

Lina Iris Viktor, Yaa Asantewaa, 2016, Pure 24-karat gold, acrylic, gouache, print on matte canvas, 52 x 40 inches, Courtesy the Artist and Mariane Ibrahim Gallery

Thursday, October 4/The Historic New Orleans Collection (533 Royal Street): With Halloween approaching, The Historic New Orleans Collection will resurrect its special Halloween-themed tour of its Louisiana History Galleries October 2–31 with “Danse Macabre: The Nightmare of History.” This dance of death, is a ritualized march to the grave—a sober reminder of life’s finality cloaked in wicked mirth. In a similar spirit, THNOC’s “Danse Macabre: The Nightmare of History” will lead visitors through darker aspects of New Orleans lore. It’s on display all month starting October 2, so go and get your scary on. 

Thursday, October 4/The Roosevelt Hotel (130 Roosevelt Way): Pop-ups are popping up all over the city, and as part of its 125^th anniversary celebration, The Roosevelt New Orleans, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel is welcoming local pop-up chefs to their rooftop deck every Thursday evening from 5:30 PM until 7:30 PM, starting this Thursday, October 4. That’s right, pools and pop-ups are coming together! There is a full list of which chefs will be popping up pool side for each Thursday, so if you want to check out that list, you can see it here. This Thursday is Chef Erica Buher of Just Delights serving Homemade Ice Cream because we all know it’s still ice cream weather here in New Orleans. 

Friday, October 5/Entrance in between 3014 and 3020 St. Claude: With an address like that, how can you not be intrigued? It’s that time of year again: time to get super competitive about Bingo while eating delicious food, drinking tasty beverages, winning great prizes, bidding in a live auction, listening to Ian Hoch call the numbers, and…playing Bingo! All proceeds from this family-friendly night of Bingo go to support Goat in the Road’s ’10 for 10′ campaign, raising money for their educational programming and original theater work. Tickets run between $23-$45, and you can purchase them here. For more information about this event, check out their event page. 

Friday, October 5/Cafe Istanbul (2372 St. Claude): Music will be bursting from the doors of Cafe Istanbul on Friday night (as well as Saturday, Sunday, and the following weekend). Based on a true story, I Wrote a Song is a musical comedy-drama that follows one Southern Baptist minister’s coming-out journey from his conservative upbringing to the scandal that upends his world. Now, his secrets bared, he finds himself on a poetic and chaotic path to discover the truth about who he is. The drama and music starts at 7:30 PM, tickets will cost you $25+ which you can purchase here, and for more information on the show and performances, visit their event page. 

Friday, October 5/New Orleans Museum of Art (1 Collins Diboll Circle) : The Great Hall is calling you. The Great Hall of the New Orleans Museum of Art. Starting Friday, they will be exhibiting Lina Iris Viktor: A Haven. A Hell. A Dream Deferred, the first major museum presentation of the work of Lina Iris Viktor. Viktor has created a new body of work that explores the factual and fantastical narratives surrounding America’s involvement in the founding of the West African nation of Liberia. Remember, NOMA is free for Louisiana residents on Wednesday, so go walk that Great Hall for some great art and new knowledge. 

Saturday, October 6/Deutsches Haus (1700 Moss Street): Ahh, can you feel that crisp air of October that begs you to sit outside and have a beer? Actually, let’s edit that. Can you imagine that crisp air of October that begs you to sit outside and have a beer? Well, we can’t promise crisp air, but there will be beer at the Deutsches Haus Oktoberfest. The festival kicks off with the traditional ceremonial “Tapping of the First Keg” on Friday at 6:00 PM by Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. This year they have even more beers on tap than previous years with over 25 selections including traditional imported favorites from Warsteiner, Paulaner, Späten, Franziskaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Köstritzerand Bitburger, as well as local craft beers brewed in the German style, including a Festbier by Urban South. This is the first of three weekends they will be celebrating Oktoberfest, so you can find all the details here. 

Saturday, October 6/City Park Festival Grounds: It’s time for a little (actually, a lot) of sugar (and more) in your life. The 3rd Annual Beignet Fest is set for Saturday, October 6, 2018 from 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM. From traditional sweet treats covered in powdered sugar to savory options bursting with seafood, cheese and more, Beignet Fest will feature more than 30 beignet dishes from some of New Orleans’ best restaurants and food trucks. In true NOLA style, the free festival also features live, local music performances, a Kid’s Village, Artist Market and VIP Experience. Proceeds from Beignet Fest benefit the Tres Doux Foundation, which makes grants to nonprofits serving children with developmental delays. For more information about the fest, you can check out their event page here. 

Tuesday, October 9/Broad Street Cider and Ale (2723 S. Broad Street): Suddenly Seymour is standing beside me (until he gets eaten by his Venus fly trap). If you want to see Seymour battle the plant he loves and Steve Martin use gas on his dental patients, then get on over to Broad Street Cider and Ale on Tuesday night at 7:30 PM. There will be cider and ale (obviously), they are showing Little Shop of Horrors (we hope that was obvious), and there may also be some delights to eat. The screening is free, so you just have to pay for what you want to put in your belly (said in the voice of the Venus flytrap from the movie). For full details about the screening, you can check out the event here.