A Festival Internationale in Lafayette

Each year in Lafayette, Louisiana, the city becomes the place to be for music, food, and entertainment, during the Festival Internationale de Louisiane.  Begun in 1987, this annual event has become a popular celebration of music, craftsmen and artistry.  Now in its 24th year, the 2010 event will occur from April 21st to the 25th, and may well draw together three hundred thousand people. 
 
In the past, there’s a whole host of great performers and entertainers from around the world.  Here’s a list of just a few of them: from Brazil, Cyro Baptista; from Cuba, Yerba Buena; from Belgium, Mousta Largo; from Mali, Tinariwen; from the United States, Steve Riley and the mamou Playboys; from Sweden, Vasen; from France, Le Trou Normand and Les Yeux Noirs, and from South Africa, Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
 
This year’s performers include Steel Pulse, Seira Leone’s Refugee All Stars, Lunasa, Sonny Landreth, Keith Frank & the Soileau Zydeco Band, Mucca Pazza, Taj Weekes & Adowa, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Donna the Buffalo, Henry Gray and the Cats, Irish Stories & Songs with Celjun and Lunasa, as well as many others.  The festivities will have several presentations from Louisiana Folk Roots, including the International Fiddle Summit, Michael Yuan Nunez & Mark Meaux and the Quebec/Louisiane workshop.  In addition, you’ll find Melissa Stevenson & the Dill Pickles, as well as the Progressive Baptist Church Choir.  It’s quite an eclectic list of performers. 
 
If you plan on attending, you’ll want to find a hotel well in advance, and then, not only should you attend the festival, but take part in other attractions Lafayette offers, such as a visit to the Children’s Museum of Acadiana or a trip to nearby Avery Island, where you can see how Tabasco is made, plus see the famous Jungle Gardens and Bird City.