St. John's Eve
June 23 at Funny Library Coffee Shop
7 pm - 9 pm
Join Virgin Hotels for a rare cultural experience honoring St. John's Eve, one of New Orleans' most significant spiritual traditions. Celebrated in alignment with the Summer Solstice, the evening marks a time of renewal, blessing, cleansing, and community.
Led by renowned New Orleans Voodoo Queen Kalindah Laveaux, guests will explore the history and cultural significance of Voodoo before experiencing the tradition through music, drumming, dance, ritual, and storytelling.
The evening's blessing ceremony will feature live drumming and dance performances, altar installations, traditional songs, spiritual cleansing with sound, sage, and floral waters, anointing with blessing oils, and audience participation throughout the experience. Guests will also witness a traditional snake dance featuring Ayida, Kalindah's beloved carpet python.
Thoughtfully designed to be engaging, respectful, and rooted in local culture, this complimentary experience offers a unique glimpse into one of New Orleans' most enduring traditions.
About Voodoo Queen Kalindah Laveaux:
Voodoo Queen Kalindah Laveaux is a priestess, multidisciplinary artist, historian, and cultural bearer dedicated to preserving and sharing the traditions of Louisiana Voodoo. Through music, dance, visual art, and ceremony, she creates immersive experiences that honor the spiritual and cultural legacy of New Orleans. Laveaux inherited the tradition, spiritual gifts, and extensive herbal knowledge from both sides of her family.
She is the caretaker of Lamézon Laveaux, an active Voodoo temple in Tremé, where she conducts regular ceremonies and community gatherings. Her work encompasses ritual practice, divination, spiritual counseling, healing modalities, and cultural preservation. In 2015, she founded the Voodoo Conjure Festival™ to provide authentic educational experiences rooted in the history and practice of Louisiana Voodoo. She is also the founder and leader of the Mystic Seven Sisters™ and the 6th Ward Konjurers™, who are known for their annual sunrise appearance in Tremé on Carnival morning. Additionally, Voodoo Queen Kalindah Laveaux has participated in New Orleans’ Black Carnival masking traditions for more than fourteen years.
Laveaux has been featured in American Horror Story, Tremé, and VOGUE magazine in recognition of her contributions to the understanding and preservation of Voodoo culture in New Orleans. She remains committed to safeguarding and perpetuating the traditions of Louisiana Voodoo, ensuring its rightful place within the broader narrative of world history and culture.
Today, Voodoo Queen Kalindah Laveaux can often be found throughout the city—dancing in second lines, leading private cultural tours, tending the ancestral shrine in Congo Square, and guiding public ceremonies that connect residents and visitors alike to one of New Orleans’ most enduring spiritual traditions.