Lafayette, Louisiana
The Festival International de Louisiane April 27 – May 1, 2011
…bigger than Mardi Gras, with the French accent of southwest Louisiana stamped all over it.
If you want a colossal helping of Louisiana’s version of the cultural melting pot, this is the place for you. If you can’t make it, pt at large is here for you. Stay tuned for dispatches and photos.
The Festival International de Louisiane is an annual five-day festival held during the last full week of April. The community of Lafayette, Louisiana, joins hands to transform their historic downtown district into an entertainment complex with six music stages, food court areas, street musicians, arts and crafts boutiques, art galleries, food and beverage stands, cultural workshops, international cooking demonstrations and a world music store.
The festival celebrates the cultural heritage of southwest Louisiana, referred to around here as Acadiana, and reflects the French, African, Caribbean, and Hispanic influences that are part of that heritage. The emphasis is on connecting Lafayette’s ties with the Francophone world. The event will draw over 100,000 people to Lafayette.
Louisiana Cajun and zydeco musicians Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, Steve Riley and The Mamou Playboys, Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys, Feufollet and many other bands will share the stages with performers from the ‘world music’ scene.
The world flavor includes bands and singers like the Remesha Master Drummers of Burundi, JJ Grey & Mofro Rootz Underground, Soul Rebels Brass Band, Balkan Beat Box, Umalali, Ngabo, Elage Diouf, and Locos Por Juana. The five day lineup is spectacular.
The festival was the brainchild of the citizens of Lafayette. What they began as a modest vision in 1986 has become a world-class event. The festival is free, family friendly (La Place des Enfants), and shows off two aspects that make southwest Louisiana special: food and music. There will be over 100 free concerts over the five-day festival. Over 1500 volunteers and scores of community enterprises help to make the event work.
The whole gig is FREE. People like pt at large help keep the festival free by showing up, buying festival pins, posters, paraphernalia and spending dough for food, and beverages. Did I mention shopping?
There are two huge outdoor markets. The Marché des Arts showcases over 90 artists and craftspeople from Louisiana to Maine. This is where the good stuff will be - ceramics, pottery, jewelry, sculpture made by hand by working artisans.
Want to get going on your holiday shopping? The Marché du Monde will have a whopping 109 commercial, import, and arts vendors selling sculptures, African art, clothing, jewelry, ceramics, paintings, photography, baskets, and instruments.
Ahh, yes… and food everywhere. Twenty-six vendors tickling your taste buds with everything from vegetarian to seafood. Local restaurants will host free cooking demonstrations in their premises and in festival sites. Personally, I’m on the lookout for an Alligator Shake at the LUS (Lafayette Utility System) Pavilion de Cuisine.
Stay tuned for pt at large’ s dispatches and photos or hop on a plane and c’mon down.
Sounds like a lot of Fun!
Posted by: Gerard M. McMahon | April 27, 2011 at 07:37 AM
great I have CDs from Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, Steve Riley and The Mamou Playboys, Jeffery Broussard - look forward to your posts
Posted by: Bill Ives | April 27, 2011 at 10:44 AM
Welcome back!
Posted by: Linda Weaver | April 27, 2011 at 10:45 AM
Paul,
You make me want to be there! Have a ball!
Neal
Visit my mobile photo gallery at www.squirtgunimages.com
Posted by: Neal Skorka | April 27, 2011 at 10:50 AM
Lookin' good!
Posted by: Susaan Straus | April 27, 2011 at 10:55 AM
Thanks, Neal
PS The "These are two of my favorite peeps" photo in your www.squirtgunimages.com was perfect for Easter.
Posted by: Paul aka pt at large | April 27, 2011 at 11:02 AM
Been there, done that and loved every minute of it. Had Tom, then a sultry BHS sophomore with me, and even he had a great time despite himself. Envy, envy. Chris
Posted by: Chris McCardle | April 27, 2011 at 01:13 PM
Chris, you, Tom, and your family are quite the rolling stones. Once again, you're a step ahead of me...but I'm catching up!
Posted by: Paul aka pt at large | April 27, 2011 at 01:17 PM