Halloween Party: Voodoo On The Bayou

Appetizer portions of classic New Orleans foods and easy-to-create Voodoo On The Bayou decor set the stage for a memorable, grownup Halloween party.

Our Voodoo on the Bayou-themed Halloween party marries Cajun cuisine with a spooky Louisiana swamp setting and a few voodoo elements. The menu focuses on classic New Orleans dishes served up in appetizer-sized portions.

Voodoo-Themed Party Decor

Hanging Spanish moss, cattails, alligator head, owl and green mood lighting
Black cheesecloth table covers and draping
Vintage plantation shutter and window with “eyes” peering in
Dripping wax candles in wine bottles
Skull bamboo picks
Moss-covered skull with a voodoo-inspired top hat
Bird cage filled with Spanish moss and skeleton hand

Halloween Party for Grownups Voodoo On The Bayou

The Swamp

To create the swamp scene, we made use of critters you’d find in the bayou (an owl and a gator head), along with cattails and Spanish moss – all bathed in green light to set the mood.

The table was draped in black cheesecloth and had a backdrop of a vintage, weathered plantation shutter and window. To create the eerie eyes peeking in, we used orange string lights poked through black foam board and set the board behind the window.

For the candles, we recycled empty wine bottles (with the labels removed) and added white taper candles. We wanted a spooky effect, so we used inexpensive candles (not the dripless kind) and burned them for a while in front of a fan, which helped the wax to drip as it melted.

A Little About Voodoo

The moss-covered skull was purchased as-is from a party store, but we added a top hat that we decorated to resemble Baron Samedi, one of the Loa (spirits) of Haitian Voodoo. He is often depicted with a top hat (even as the character of the same name in the James Bond film Live and Let Die), and he is a Loa of the dead, so we incorporated a skull and skeleton motif. Baron Samedi has been considered one of the patron loa of New Orleans.

We purchased a black top hat and used a hot glue gun to add skull beads, peacock feathers, and pheasant feathers. We used the leftover skull beads on bamboo party picks to garnish the cocktails!

The menu for this grown-up Halloween bash for twelve includes themed versions of classic cocktails and appetizers, as well as New Orleans classics like gumbo, po’boys, and muffaletta.

Everything is done is small portions so your guests can have a little taste of everything.