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Festival International de Louisiane
Lafayette, LA
Hard as it is for most New Orleanians to believe, there is life outside
of Jazz Fest the last weekend in April. In fact, the huge Festival
International de Louisiane draws over 100,000 loyal attendees from around
the country who choose to bypass New Orleans for a trip to Lafayette. Festival
International's premise has always been a celebration of music from French-influenced
cultures, bringing "performers who are very well known in their country
but with whom people might not be familiar".
Historic downtown Lafayette, Louisiana, is transformed into an entertainment
complex featuring six music stages, food court areas, street musicians
and animators, arts and crafts boutiques, art galleries, beverage stands,
cultural workshops, international cooking demonstrations and a world music
store.
Phenomenal acts have included the Blind Boys
of Alabama with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band Horns, Burning Spear,
Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, Babylon Circus, Habib Koïte, and The
Duhks. In little 'ole Lafayette you'll have the chance to see international
musicians such as Javier Garcia of Spain/Cuba, Etran Finatawa of Niger,
Samarabalouf of France, Rafaél Teixido of Teatro Alpargata of Argentina)
and Menwar of Mauritius. Louisiana is well represented with performances
by such regional greats as Geno Delafose, Warren Storm, Willie Tee & Cypress, Ann Savoy & Her Sleepless Knights, Hot 8 Brass Band, and New Orleans Bingo!
Show.
In the Marche du Monde, you can browse through 100 commercial, import,
and fine arts vendors where you'll find treasures from California to Thailand. You'll
also find sculptures, African art, clothing, jewelry, ceramics, paintings,
photography, baskets, instruments and so much more.
The stages are placed in about a five block area throughout the closed-off
downtown of this college town. As you make your way from one venue
to the next, you'll find dozens of food booths operated by some of the
best local restaurateurs and chefs. You can expect local favorites like
Jambalaya, Boudin, Gumbo, Crawfish Étouffee and Catfish plates,
but you'll also find plenty of ethic, gourmet dishes such as Spinach & Feta
Pastry, Samosas/Pakoras, and Seared Tuna Salad.
Immensely popular, Festival International de Louisiane takes place in
Lafayette the same weekend as the first weekend of Jazz Fest. Life
is so hard in this state - you actually have to choose which incredible
music festival to see the last weekend in April. Both?! And
by the way, the cost of admission to Festival International is free. With
close to 100 musical acts, this is truly an international event.
For more information, visit www.festivalinternational.com or call 337-232-8086
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