New Orleans & Company projects rising hotel occupancy for Halloween

New Orleans is heading into Halloween weekend with hotel occupancy figures climbing steadily past last year’s performance, according to projections released by New Orleans & Company on October 28, 2026. The holiday period brings visitors into the city to experience its above-ground cemeteries, haunted history, vampire and voodoo lore, alongside local restaurants, nightlife, and cultural events.

This projected surge builds on a strong fourth quarter for the local hospitality industry, anchored by heavy activity in the meetings and conventions market. Between September and the end of the year, the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is welcoming at least 225,000 attendees from more than 60 countries across 14 major conventions, conferences, and meetings. Hundreds of additional gatherings are taking place in hotels and venues citywide over the same span.

The weekend’s lineup features Freaky Deaky at Mardi Gras World on October 30 and 31, accompanied by costume celebrations, haunted tours, and live music across the French Quarter and Frenchmen Street.

Halloween week draws crowds as New Orleans gears up for a busy stretch of events

Comparative tracking shows how this year’s hotel bookings stack up against final figures from Halloween weekend in 2025:

Halloween Weekend	2025 FINAL Hotel Occupancy	2026 PROJECTED Hotel Occupancy
Thursday	65%	65%
Friday	79%	81%
Saturday	80%	88%
Sunday	56%	56%

The steady pace of leisure travel over the holiday follows earlier large-scale events in October. The Krewe of BOO! parade on Saturday, October 24, coincided with the primary arrival day for the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Conference, an event that accounted for approximately 24,000 total room nights during its stay in the city.

Orleans ernest n morial convention center

Final hotel occupancy numbers for the weekend will be available from neworleans.com after the holiday concludes. Further details regarding the fourth-quarter performance of the local tourism and hospitality sector are available through New Orleans & Company.