Peace Fest

This year’s World Peace Day is focused on making yoga, acupuncture, massage and other holistic practices available to the Baton Rouge community to the background of live local music and art work. 

“Our goal is to demystify these practices so people can add them to their own self-care,” says Festival Director Beth Zagurski. “They can be used alongside allopathic methods as well. For instance, if you’re a cancer patient going through chemotherapy, you can participate in gentle yoga.” 

Over 30 art vendors will be present for festivalgoers to peruse, many of whom will display eco-friendly and sustainable art. 

Peace Fest was originally scheduled for the Fall of 2016, but got pushed back because of the Great Flood of 2016. The rescheduled event will take place on the levy between the USS Kidd and the Louisiana Art and Science Museum. 

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Throughout the day, there will be free meditations, massages, movement exercises and a chance to engage with others in hopes that it will help to spark healing in the community.

Peace Fest

“One thing we added, especially because of the heightened political climate and the things that have transpired in Baton Rouge, is called the Connect Space,” says Zagurski. “You can work on a mosaic piece where you use words or images to depict what peace would look like on canvas, or take part in the community sculpture table where everyone is committing to the same landscape.”

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Throughout the year, Red Stick Peacemakers, the organization responsible for putting on the festival, works hard to bring healing and balancing practices to the community and especially to those who may not normally have access to them. 

“The festival is about reaching out to people who aren’t getting these types of services,” says Zagurski. “We’ve been talking to the Komen Foundation about going out with them to underserved communities to teach women how they can prevent breast cancer. We want to reach out to those who don’t have access to these services.” 

Peace Fest

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Other yoga outreach sites the organization has visited have included community centers, churches, libraries and schools.

Throughout the day, there will be 30-minute demonstration on breathing techniques that can help with anything from anxiety, to helping you go to sleep, to raising your energy levels and increasing your focus.

The event is specifically designed for people who may be curious about yoga, breath work, healing touch, meditation and therapeutic arts, to try them out in a safe, controlled environment.

“This event is for people who aren’t doing yoga or meditating, but maybe they’re curious about it,” says Zagurski. “This gives them the opportunity to do it in a festival environment that’s family friendly and allows them to get information about it and experience it.” 

Plant based food will be sold at the festival, there will be a kids area with yoga, arts and crafts and other activities and there will be a main stage with local entertainment and performances.

Peace Fest

Artists performing throughout the day will include Pacifico, a Baton Rouge Indie band, Fufu All-Stars from New Orleans, AF the Naysayer and the Airseekers, who will perform a collaborative piece to the background of live music from Neon Mountain.

Festivalgoers will be able to do everything from hula hooping, to acro-yoga, to belly dancing, to enjoying local tunes in the amphitheatre.

ATS Belly Dancing will be present to give demonstrations, Partner, Yin, Vinyasa and Buti Yoga will be offered throughout the day, along with Capoeira demonstrations and meditation and breathing techniques to help relieve stress.

For more information about Peace Fest or to see a schedule of events visit worldpeacedaybr.com or the event page

 


Upcoming Events 

Come enjoy the laugh riot of Nunsense at Acadiana Center for the Arts. Doors open at 6 p.m. with food and drink in the Cite lobby followed by the show at 7:30 p.m. All proceeds go back into supporting local theater in Acadiana.

For tickets, visit acadianacenterforthearts.org/tickets.

 

Come out to the Feed & Seed for a night of entertainment by several local bands, including Oh! Kelly, who recently release of their first full band album “The Only Sane Person I Know.”

 

The event is designed to increase public knowledge and appreciation of the arts in the community of Carencro and the surrounding area.

At the event, you can find original works of art, homemade jams, baked goods, soaps and other Louisiana made and grown items while strolling down the streets of downtown Carencro.

 

Stop by Sloppy’s in Downtown Lake Charles to learn some Zydeco. The class is $30 per person and includes a meal from Sloppy’s. 

Reserve your spot at www.sloppysdowntown.com or call 337-602-6365.

 

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