NEW ORLEANS – This Halloween, JAMNOLA will launche a brand-new celebration that redefines New Orleans Halloween. The cultural funhouse debuts The Rouxgarou, its first new large-scale interactive installation since opening on Frenchmen Street, alongside 3I/ATLAS: Visitors from the Dark Forest—an immersive parade and afterparty experience created with DJ and producer hollagraham.
Together, these unveilings mark the launch of a new annual Halloween experience designed to capture New Orleans’ creative spirit — part art happening, part street parade, part cosmic dance ritual.
“Halloween has always been one of New Orleans’ most imaginative holidays and Frenchmen street is the epicenter,” said Jonny Liss, founder of JAMNOLA. “We wanted to create something that celebrates that magic — a living, breathing art experience that brings people together through curiosity, play, and creativity.”
PART I: THE RISE OF THE ROUXGAROU
This fall, JAMNOLA hosted Daniel Pilkington, an Icelandic puppeteer and visual artist, through the Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI) Fellowship Program. JAMNOLA, home to 29 immersive installations by over 100 local artists, tasked Pilkington with creating the 30th installation—a new piece that would expand the story and spirit of the space.
Pilkington collaborated closely with Walker Babington, JAMNOLA’s lead artist and fabricator, to design and build The Rouxgarou—a spectacular reimagining of Louisiana’s legendary swamp werewolf. But this is not the Rougarou of folklore—it’s the Rouxgarou, born from the base of a gumbo: a creature of flavor, folklore, and fantasy.
Emerging from the wall of JAMNOLA’s City of Dreams room, this monumental puppet comes alive through interaction. Visitors use a ladle to stir the creature’s pot, and the entire sculpture moves in response.
“The Rouxgarou is about connection—between Louisiana and Iceland, between myth and meal, between performance and participation,” said Liss. “It’s a symbol of how creativity and community feed each other.”
PART II: 3I/ATLAS — VISITORS FROM THE DARK FOREST
Called 3I/ATLAS — Visitors from the Dark Forest, this Halloween collaboration between JAMNOLA and hollagraham transforms Frenchmen Street and JAMNOLA into New Orleans’ latest close encounter—where art, music, and conspiracy theory collide.
Inspired by a real interstellar object currently slipping through our solar system, 3I/ATLAS sets the stage for New Orleans to do what it does best: throw a parade about something no one fully understands. The night begins at 7:30 p.m. with a walking procession led by hollagraham’s DJ Trike, turning Frenchmen into a dance floor for believers, skeptics and anyone still deciding, as the city celebrates the real 3I/ATLAS reaching its closest point to the Sun before disappearing behind it for several days.
“My friends and I have been rolling our DJ setups down Frenchmen on Halloween for years… it’s always a joyful kind of chaos,” said Graham Holly. “This year, teaming up with JAMNOLA for 3I/ATLAS lets us make it a bit more official—same energy, new dimension, and good causes to dance for.”
SUPPORTING LOCAL NONPROFITS
A portion of proceeds from the event will benefit local nonprofits that embody the same creative spirit, including Climate Culture, Mondo Bizarro, Safe Bar Network, and Turning Tables—each led by New Orleanians working to care for people and planet alike, keeping the city’s spirit of hospitality, creativity, and safety alive for whoever—or whatever—shows up next.
The 2025 beneficiaries include:
- Climate Culture – Empowering communities to fight climate change through creativity and education.
- Mondo Bizarro – A performance ensemble amplifying local stories through innovative art and theater.
- Safe Bar Network – Training and connecting hospitality venues to prevent sexual violence and promote safer nightlife.
- Turning Tables – Providing mentorship and leadership opportunities for BIPOC hospitality professionals across New Orleans.
Event: 3I/ATLAS — Visitors from the Dark Forest Experience (Parade + Party)
Date: Thursday, Oct. 31
Time: Parade line up at 7:30 p.m. for participants (must be on time), Parade begins at 8PM, followed by the party at JAMNOLA starting at 9 p.m. – 2 a.m.
Parade Location: The parade will line up at approximately 405 Frenchmen St., riverside of the fire station between Esplanade Avenue and Decatur Street.
Party Location: JAMNOLA, 940 Frenchmen St.
Ticket Cost: GA $25.99-35.99 / VIP $65.99-75.99 (with express check in & open bar)
Featuring: hollagraham, Dirty South House and special guests, performing beneath The Rouxgarou
For Tickets click here