VIP tents

VIP DJ Booth

If you’re an avid festival-goer, you’ve camped out at Bonnaroo and Red Rocks, pretending for one weekend that real life no longer applies. This year some Voodoo festers get in on the pitch, packing their overnight bags and a cooler full of Bud Light and setting up shop just minutes from their favorite artists.

Located just past the overpass in City Park, the campsite is a short walk from all the action. Food trucks, vendors and port-o-potties, however, are all stationed around the area so people can replenish without walking to far. Just this morning Frencheeze was parked next to the campsite, waiting for the rush of hungry campers to swarm in. Campers mark their 12 by 12 space by posting up colorful tents or even flags and decorations. Each campsite comes with two or three weekend pass wristbands.  Be warned though, once you pull that caravan into a spot on the grass, you can’t leave.  

In New Orleans, a city not known for their camping, there’s always more than one way to party. If getting down and dirty on the ground isn’t your style, Voodoo’s Loa Grand VIP tents offer a much more luxurious camping experience.      

“All the tents are carpeted and have mattresses, really nice design with furniture and you’re looking over this beautiful lake with ducks and alligators,” says VIP camper Peter Vickery. 

He and his friends sit comfortably in a tent with a bar, free wi-fi, and plenty of plugs to recharge their ipads, iphones and laptops.  A DJ booth sits in the corner, presumably waiting for some late night jamming.    

“I think it’s beautiful, I feel like they’ve really done a great job setting up these really wonderful tents by Contentment [Camping] from Buffalo NY,” he says, noting he might be biased because his friend helped set up the tents.  

Biased or not it would be difficult to find fault with this VIP service.  The white tents sit very picturesque next to the water overlooking the Le Carnival stage.  Along with free food and drinks, the king of New Orleans jazz, Kermit Ruffins is scheduled to show off his BBQ skills for VIP campers.  This afternoon the up-and-coming indie band, The Avett Brothers, will pair up with Spotify to play a special VIP show.  

“It really feels like you’re in another world over here.  It doesn’t feel like you’re in the center of the city or the smaller city that’s the music festival; you really feel like you’re separated [and] comfortable with breathing room,” says Vickery.  

Vickery’s only complaint is that the festival has not provided an itinerary for their VIP experience.  

For a pretty a penny ($2,500, but currently sold out), campers can indulge in all the comfy VIP perks without foregoing the classic festival experience.  One VIP tent includes two people and artist passes that allow campers backstage.  For perhaps a more reasonable rate ($150), however, non-VIP campers rough it in the wilds of City Park, many of them too inebriated to know the difference anyway.