This week is all about Festival International de Louisiane, the annual event that overtakes downtown Lafayette every year with music from around the world. In addition to the festival’s lineup, this year, there are various festival-related art exhibitions, specials at local restaurants, and activities throughout Lafayette. I’ve compiled a list of things to see, eat and drink that are special to festival season! Enjoy.
- Wednesday: Festival International Kick-off Party, Wurst Biergarten, 9 p.m.: The official kick-off for Festival International will feature prominent local Cajun/honky-tonk/string band Feufollet and the Underhill Family Orchestra, an Appalachia-inspired Alabama band. Underhill Family Orchestra’s performance will also feature Brass Bed’s Christiaan Mader.
- Wednesday-Saturday: Tina Girouard: Parts Known and Unknown, Acadiana Center for the Arts: DeQuincy Native Tina Girouard composes pieces that superimpose unexpected pieces together. She began her career within the ‘70s and ‘80s avant-garde scene, then came back to Louisiana to found the Artists’ Alliance. Her work with Festival International inspired her to travel to Haiti, where she created a series of sequin pieces. Her work has been displayed in Documenta 6, the Venice Biennale, the Paris Biennale, and at the Museo Rufino Tamayo in Mexico City.
- Thursday: Lost Bayou Ramblers with Special Guest Lisa LeBlanc, 11 p.m.: Recent Grammy winners and local favorites Lost Bayou Ramblers will take the Blue Moon Stage Thursday at the Blue Moon Saloon with New Brunswick singer Lisa LeBlanc. LBR is known for its progressive take on Cajun music, and singer-songwriter LeBlanc draws comparisons to both Courtney Barnett and Dolly Parton.
- Friday: Pre-Festival Friday Happy Hour, Saint Street Inn, 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.: The Saint Street Inn will host its own happy hour for festival-goers Friday night, featuring items from its small plate menu and house wine specials. Acoustic singer-songwriter Chas Justus & Runaway Fiddle will play at 3 p.m., and ambient folk act Shrugs will play at 5 p.m.
- Friday: Apres Festival – Latin Night with Latino Pulse and DJ Chilly, The Omni Center, 10 p.m.: Alliance Française de Lafayette will host Latino Pulse and DJ Chily at the Omni Center. Live salsa music starts at 10 p.m. followed by Latin hits. This event is also associated with the Asociacion Cultural Latino-Acadiana, or ACLA.
