The Voodoo Music + Arts Experience (formerly The Voodoo Music Experience), commonly referred to as Voodoo or Voodoo Fest, was a multi-day music and arts festival held in City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana. First started in 1999, it was last held in October 2019, after being canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and canceled in 2022 without explanation.

The Voodoo Experience has hosted a wide variety of artists, and has had as many as 180,000 festival-goers in 2018. Voodoo is owned by Live Nation Entertainment, which acquired a majority stake in 2013, and was produced by its Austin-based subsidiary C3 Presents after being acquired. Don Kelly, Voodoo's former General Counsel and COO, is Festival Director has overseen the event.

The Voodoo Experience is known for including national artists from all genres, such as Stone Temple Pilots, Foo Fighters, Marilyn Manson, Pearl Jam, Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, Muse, Eminem, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Arcade Fire, Tiësto, Nine Inch Nails, Kiss, R.E.M., Modest Mouse, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Calvin Harris, The Weeknd, Deadmau5, The Black Keys, Neil Young, Green Day, Snoop Dogg, Duran Duran, Porcupine Tree, The Smashing Pumpkins, My Chemical Romance, 50 Cent, and 311 as well as local Louisiana musicians such as Cowboy Mouth, The Original Meters, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Rebirth Brass Band, and Dr. John.

History

From its 1999 Halloween weekend debut, until the last event in 2019, the annual event was a Halloween tradition for music fans, both locally and others who travel from around the world. Throughout Voodoo’s 21-year run, more than one million festival-goers gathered to see performances from roughly 2,000 artists. The event was twice nominated for Pollstar's Music Festival of the Year, and in 2005, Voodoo founder Stephen Rehage and his team were presented with a key to the city, following the Voodoo 2005 post-Katrina event.

Creation and growth

Voodoo was first held as a single-day event on October 30, 1999, at Tad Gormley Stadium in City Park. Planned and executed by Stephen Rehage, CEO of Rehage Entertainment, the festival consisted of three stages and a mix of local and national acts including headliners Wyclef Jean and Moby. As the U.S. festival market swelled, Voodoo continued its growth, increasing both the festival site and musically expanding with the addition of stages and performers.

During its second year in 2000, Voodoo became a two-day event, and garnered international attention with a headlining performance from Eminem in support of his debut album, The Slim Shady LP. In 2007, Voodoo expanded to a three-day event.

Hurricane Katrina

Originally scheduled for Halloween weekend of 2005 in New Orleans’ City Park, the Voodoo Music Experience was displaced by the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. While plans were in full swing to relocate to Memphis, Voodoo founder Stephen Rehage met with community leaders in New Orleans about the opportunity to move the event back home for one of its two days—as a tribute event for relief workers. Festival organizers and Memphis representatives agreed this was an amazing opportunity to increase the scope of the event.

New Orleans event

On October 29, 2005, an invitation-only celebration (previous ticket holders exempt) for police, firefighters, National Guard, military and countless others who had aided in the recovery efforts of the city was staged at the fly in Audubon Park in New Orleans, one of the few public spaces in the city not damaged in the recent federal levee failure disaster. Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, the Secret Machines, the New York Dolls, and Kermit Ruffins were among the artists who came together in celebration of a city they love.

It marked the first major multi-musical performance in the two months since Hurricane Katrina’s effects were felt in the city.

Memphis event

Voodoo in Memphis included a fundraiser for victims of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in AutoZone Park.

2006–2015

The 2006 Voodoo Music Experience saw the debut of three distinct areas on six stages within the festival's landscape: Le Ritual, Le Flambeau and Le Carnival. Each of these areas was designed to uniquely showcase different sides of the personality of the festival and its New Orleans home: "Le Flambeau" featured music and sounds consistent with the style of The Big Easy; "Le Ritual" featured more mainstream music; and finally "Le Carnival" featured indie bands, burlesque and circus acts.

In 2007, Voodoo expanded to three days and broke all previous attendance records with an estimated 100,000+ fans in attendance.

In April 2013, the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience announced an initial 15 acts to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Voodoo. The initial 15 acts include Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, Calvin Harris, Bassnectar, Paramore, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Afrojack, Boys Noize, The Gaslight Anthem, Big Gigantic, How To Destroy Angels, Cults, Alkaline Trio, Desaparecidos and Robert DeLong. The 15th anniversary Voodoo celebration also marked the debut of City Park’s Festival Grounds, a new permanent home for Voodoo. Home to Voodoo since its 1999 debut—with the exception of Voodoo 2005, which was displaced by the city’s hurricane damage—New Orleans’ 1,300-acre City Park is the region’s principal recreation site that attracts over seven million visitors each year.

In October 2013, a controlling stake in the festival was sold to Live Nation Entertainment, amid growing financial issues. Rehage retained a 49% stake in the event, and became Live Nation's President of North American Festivals.

The final day of the 2015 edition was canceled due to inclement weather.

2016–2022

In 2016, operations for the festival were taken over by Live Nation subsidiary C3 Presents, organizers of Lollapalooza and the Austin City Limits Music Festival, with Sig Greenebaum and Don Kelly promoted to co-directors in place of Rehage. With the new management, the festival underwent changes to its stage layout and infrastructure. Attendance peaked at around 150,000. The 2019 festival was hampered by Tropical Storm Olga, which brought extensive rain to the New Orleans area.

The 2020 festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although it announced plans to return in 2021, Voodoo announced in June 2021 that the festival had been cancelled and would not be held again until 2022, with no reason given. In June 2022, it was announced that the 2022 festival would not be held.

Line-ups

1999

The 1999 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held on October 31, 1999.

2000

The 2000 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held October 27–29, 2000.

2001

The 2001 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held October 26–28, 2001.

  • Tool
  • Snoop Dogg
  • The Black Crowes
  • Bush
  • Gov't Mule
  • Karl Denson
  • John Mayer
  • Missy Elliott
  • Penelope Tuesdae
  • Will Hoge
  • Brand New Immortals
  • Tricky
  • G. Love and Special Sauce
  • Better Than Ezra
  • Dan Dyer
  • Spooks
  • Karl Denson's Tiny Universe
  • Brint Anderson
  • Treme Brass Band
  • Bamboula
  • Lil Rascals Brass Band
  • Anders Osborne
  • Marva Wright
  • Matt Nyce
  • Indieo
  • Julius Papp
  • A-Trak
  • DJ Craze
  • Stryfe
  • Rah Smoove

2002

The 2002 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held October 25–27, 2002.

2003

The 2003 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 31 to November 1, 2003.

2004

The 2004 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held October 29–31, 2004.

2005

The 2005 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held October 29–30, 2005 in New Orleans and Memphis.

2006

The 2006 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held October 28–29, 2006.

2007

The 2007 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held October 26–28, 2007.

2008

The 2008 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held October 24–26, 2008.

2009

The 2009 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 30 to November 1, 2009.

Artists and art installations

  • Mark Griffin "Ladder"
  • Deirdre Sargent "Picnic Table Project"
  • Eyetrap/Benson Trent "Illusion"
  • Elliott Coon "Watch Your Eye", "Parlor"
  • Hans Sachs
  • Manuel Kretzer "Cone v2"
  • Molly Gochman "Welcome"
  • Mathias Gmachl
  • Rachel Wingfield "Pavilion of the Four Winds"
  • Jen Lewin "Light Harp"
  • Generic Art Solutions "O.K."
  • Daphane Park "Hammock Mother"
  • Stefan Beese "Passage"
  • Munz "Hot Shot The Robot"
  • Andrew Slaughter
  • Jeff Matson
  • Thaddeus Zarse
  • Joseph Keppel
  • Mantis
  • Mini Man
  • TungstenMonkey Collective
  • Tora Lopez
  • Emiliano Maggi
  • Mickey Sumner
  • John Oles
  • William Murphy
  • Kristian P. Hansen
  • Lisa Lozano

2010

The 2010 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held October 29–31, 2010.

Artists and art installations

  • Photonic Bliss "Galactivation Station"
  • Dave Rhodes "Paper Airplane"
  • Munz, d6, Intruder Alert "Hotshot the Robot/ hugo3"
  • James Michalopoulos "Sparkie TouT Taux"
  • Program12 & Susie Kim "The Vaudeville Theater"
  • Thomas Rush "Swell Holding"
  • Hans Sachs
  • Manuel Kretzer "Cone v2"
  • Munz "Hotshot Robot"
  • Stefan Beese "Arachnid"
  • Charles Lumar & Lauren Domino "SOUSAPHORESCENCE"
  • Munz/ D6 "Robotronia"

2011

The 2011 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held October 28–30, 2011.

Artists and art installations

  • Richie Jordan "Fountain De Lis"
  • Emilie Lejeune, Mike Landry and Matt Decotiis "Ephemeral Ambiance"
  • Hans Sachs
  • Manuel Kretzer "Cone v2"
  • "Live Mural Wall"
  • James Michalopoulos "Sparkie TouT Taux"
  • Christian Ristow "Fledging"
  • Doron Gazit "Color & Air"
  • Jamin Murphy "Tensile"
  • Jerry Therio "Tree of Words"
  • Thom Rush "Swell Holding"
  • Christian Van Heusen & Jerry Therio "Neon Garden"
  • Buch Kanter "Mushroom Patch"
  • Delaney McGuinness & Johnston Burkhard "Pinwheel Garden"
  • Christiana Sporrong "Heron"

2012

The 2012 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held October 26–28, 2012.

Artists and art installations

  • Christina Sporrong and Christian Ristow "Sliver Claw"
  • Program12 & Susie Kim "The Vaudeville Theater"
  • Delaney McGuinness & Johnston Burkhard "Pinwheel Garden"
  • RE:BE Art Department "Artist Bar"
  • Christian Ristow "Face Forward"
  • Marcus Brown "Way"
  • Dave Rhodes "Doors of Perception"
  • Andrew Graham "Movement"
  • Hans Sachs
  • Manuel Kretzer "Cone v2"

2013

The 2013 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from November 1–3, 2013.

2014

The 2014 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 31 to November 2, 2014.

2015

The 2015 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 30 to November 1, 2015.

Friday Florence + The Machine Jack Ü Modest Mouse Alesso Girl Talk All Day Jason Isbell Gerard Way Yelawolf Destructo Joey Bada$$ and the Soul Rebels The Joy Formidable Ryan Bingham Jauz Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls Salva Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas Wax Motif Hundred Waters Grizfolk Flow Tribe Dan Dyer Hello Negro St. Cecilia's Asylum Chorus BloodstacheSaturday Ozzy Osbourne featuring Geezer Butler, Tom Morello and Slash Jane's Addiction Santigold Duke Dumont Giorgio Moroder Clutch Zhu Django Django Lettuce The Growlers Babes in Toyland Jacob Plant Terence Blanchard featuring The E-Collective Nina Las Vegas Fantastic Negrito Joywave The Struts The Suffers The Wans Veridia Mike Dillon's Punk Rock Percussion Consortium Mississippi Rail Company Carmine P. Filthy & A Boy Named Ruth Kompression with Unicorn Fukr and Herb ChristopherSunday Zac Brown Band Deadmau5 Chance The Rapper Eric Prydz Slightly Stoopid Third Eye Blind The Cult (The Cult cancelled) Tchami Bro Safari Fishbone Title Fight Dumpstaphunk Elliphant Mija The Temperance Movement Here Come the Mummies July Talk Rozzi Crane Quickie Mart Tysson Baby Bee The Ludlow Thieves Babygirl

2016

The 2016 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held October 28–30, 2016. During their Sunday headlining set, Arcade Fire recorded the audience singing a melody for an unreleased song for its upcoming album, which later became "Everything Now".

Friday The Weeknd G-Eazy Porter Robinson Rae Sremmurd Carnage Foals Tory Lanez Mayer Hawthorne What So Not Slander Wild Belle Chairlift Lost Kings NF Bear Hands Lunice Cheat Codes Seratones Sonny Alven The Breton Sound Babygirl Active Bird CommunitySaturday Tool Cage The Elephant Die Antwoord Rebelution Excision Ghost The Claypool Lennon Delirium Alison Wonderland DJ Mustard Melanie Martinez Shakey Graves Snakehips Bully Nothing But Thieves Oh Wonder Saint Motel The Pretty Wreckless Black Tiger Sex Machine All Them Witches Léon Cakes Da Killa Sexual Thunder Carmine P. Filthy Kidd LoveSunday Arcade Fire The Chainsmokers Band of Horses Gramatik STS9 Puscifer Beats Antique Snails Anderson. Paak & The Free Nationals Preservation Hall Jazz Band Bob Moses Morning 40 Federation Party Favor Lookas 4B Sir The Baptist The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers The Shelters Little Scream Unicorn Fukr Herb Christopher

2017

The 2017 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held October 27–29, 2017.

Friday Kendrick Lamar LCD Soundsystem Galantis Kehlani Prophets of Rage Yellow Claw The Afghan Whigs Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness Marian Hill Nghtmare Gnash Bibi Bourelly Benjamin Booker Chicano Batman Autograf Joyride Flow Tribe Mondo Cozmo Tokimonsta Saint Jhn Durand Jones & the Indications Public Access TV DJ Mel Alfred Banks Free SwimSaturday Foo Fighters DJ Snake Brand New RL Grime Crystal Castles Superduperkyle Live K Flay Illenium Whitney The Black Angels Vintage Trouble Hayley Kiyoko Rich Chigga The Record Company Colony House Boombox Cartel Pell CID Black Pistol Fire Flint Eastwood Tim Gunter DJ Gracie Carmine P Filthy OttoSunday The Killers Dillon Francis The Head & The Heart Post Malone Miguel Cold War Kids Louis the Child The James Hunter Six Amine G Jones Mija Strand of Oaks Snbrn Sam Dew Pham La Femme Ron Gallo Mannequin Pussy Bleached Malik Ninety Five Unicorn Fukr Herb Christopher SKB & Yrstrly Werd2jah Zander

2018

The 2018 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held October 26–28, 2018.

Friday Mumford & Sons A Perfect Circle The Revivalists Zeds Dead Third Eye Blind Rüfüs Du Sol Rainbow Kitten Surprise Gryffin Goldlink Elle King Kayzo Ravyn Lenae Albert Hammond Jr. Shiba San Claptone White Reaper Dorothy Mt. Joy Caamp Brother Sundance GG Magree Young Bombs Swaylo Unicorn FukrSaturday Travis Scott Odesza Martin Garrix Marilyn Manson Janelle Monae Ty Dolla $ign Highly Suspect Hippe Sabotage Tom Misch Lizzo Sofi Tukker Big Thief Frenship Wallows Anna Lunoe Nora En Pure Droeloe Starcrawler The Coronas Loudpvck Motel Radio Cray Jack Harlow Carmine P FilthySunday Arctic Monkeys Modest Mouse 21 Savage Tipper Judah & The Lion AJR TroyBoi Lettuce Tinashe Boogie T. Rio Poppy The Suffers Space Jesus Sunflower Bean Clozee Eprom Thunderpussy The O'My's Dirtwire Otto

2019

The 2019 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held October 25–27, 2019.

Friday Guns N' Roses Brandi Carlile Interpol Big Gigantic Bishop Briggs Snails Moon Taxi Hobo Johnson & The Lovemakers Bea Miller Peakaboo Still Woozy Dr. Fresch Grandson Cray Ducky Magic City Hippies Njomza Memba Templo Liily Des Rocs DJ Nice RackSaturday Beck Bassnectar The National Zhu Young the Giant Clairo The Glitch Mob Jai Wolf Denzel Curry Japanese Breakfast Elohim Pink Sweat$ Medasin Shaed Whipped Cream Flamingosis Brutus Seratones Mattiel Iglooghost Hello Yello Sun Seeker Paz Carmine P FilthySunday Post Malone Rezz Bring Me the Horizon Sheck Wes Hippo Campus Big Wild Opiuo Missio Danileigh Temples K?D Ashe The Ghost of Paul Revere Phantoms Duncan Fellows Willaris. K Mobley Maggie Lindemann Tristan Dufrene

2022

On June 10, 2022, festival organizers confirmed in an announcement on social media and the festival’s website that the event won't happen this year, calling it a “pause.”

See also

External links