04248002.JPG

Advocate Staff Photograph by Bradley K. Bigley.Picture shot on 4-23-98 Lafayette, La...FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL de LOUISIANE- A drummer with the group Pakala Percussion from the Carribean island of Guadeloupe opens the first concert of the 12 annual Festival International de Louisiane in downtown Lafayette. The group plays traditional Gwo-Ka music featuring djembes, boulas and traditional chanting. Malformed publication history data 042498 2B Acadiana Keyword Arts, Fair

 Bradley K. Bigley

Downtown Lafayette has seen many changes over the past 40 years. 

In 1987, the area was in the throes of the mid-1980s oil downturn — shuttered businesses, few public attractions and a neighborhood that emptied out at night. City leaders like Cathy Webre, then head of the Downtown Development Authority and Downtown Lafayette Unlimited, were already seeking to revitalize Jefferson Street with events like Downtown Alive!, which started in 1983. But there was a sense that the community could do a lot more to utilize its native cultural assets, like music, food, art and the French language. 

filfounders.jpg

The executive committee of the inaugural Festival International de Louisiane in 1987 is pictured from left to right: Michael Doucet, Julie Calzone, Taylor Rock, Sally Herpin, Cathy Weber, Philippe Gustin, Herman Mhire, Phil Lank, Donnie Robin, Tina Girou

Beginning in 1985, the seeds were planted to host a free international festival that would connect Lafayette's Francophone culture with the rest of the world. Festival International de Louisiane's first president, Herman Mhire, got the ball rolling through an exhibit of Senegalese art he was showing at the University Art Museum, utilizing his connections in the international art world to begin planning the event. The idea was to promote southwest h, inspire Lafayette's citizens and strengthen tourism. But first, people had to show up. 

"We very naively selected July for the first Festival," said Philippe Gustin, who was head of CODOFIL during Festival International's inception, and served in several leadership capacities through the 1990s. "We had a group that came from the Pyrenees in southern France, and being from the mountains, all of their clothes were wool. They sweated so much they were fainting. So you can understand why we did only one in July." 

Photos: Festival International _lowres

Advocate staff photo by BRAD BOWIE -- An overhead view of the Popeyes Pavillon de Cuisine is seen during Festival International de Louisiane 2014 on Saturday.

Despite the heat, Festival was an acknowledged success right out of the gate and quickly attracted an army of dedicated attendees and volunteers who loved experiencing their community at the center of the world, at least for a weekend.

The history of the festival, and its growth through the years, is laid out in the Festival International 40th anniversary coffee table book, which is a collection of stories, memories and photographs from Festival's 40-year run. This year's Festival International will take place from April 22-26 in downtown Lafayette, with the book available for purchase at merchandise tents. 

ACA.festivalbook.adv.007.jpg

Scott Feehan, executive director of Festival International de Louisiane, speaks during a press conference to present the new Festival 40th Anniversary book Friday, October 31, 2025, at City Hall in Lafayette, La.

Flipping through, it's impossible not to notice how much Festival International has come to define the place it calls home. Downtown now features a permanent stage at Parc International on Garfield Street, and mature cypress trees — one of Webre's legacies at the Downtown Development Authority — now shade the length of Jefferson Street, which acts like a superhighway for thousands of pedestrians during the five-day event. 

Today, Festival International is located in its permanent headquarters at the old bus station on Lee Avenue, making the infrastructure of Festival something that can be seen year-round. And with an ongoing calendar of events like Downtown Alive!, and a vibrant community of restaurants, shops and residences that now fill downtown, the neighborhood hardly bears a resemblance to the place where Festival International de Louisiane first came to life in 1987. 

ACA.festintsat.042625.011.jpg

Members of the marching band Mucca Pazza perform as Festival International de Louisiane continues on Saturday, April 26, 2025, in downtown Lafayette.

"It was an adventure, and we all knew it would be," said Webre. "We were launching it at a time when the economy was not good, and so many people had to leave Lafayette to get work. 

"I think it worked because of the commitment of the initial people. When the first festival happened, and people began to trickle in, they were just in amazement. It's like they'd never seen anything like it before, and we hadn't either. I think from that moment, it was solidified that Festival International was going to be part of Lafayette's future." 

Forty years is a significant milestone, and programming director Lisa Stafford said that this year's acts were specially selected for the anniversary. Major artists like Rhiannon Giddens will be headlining Scène LUS Internationale on Friday, April 24 at 8:45 p.m., and 8-time Grammy winner Stephen Marley will take over Parc International on Sunday at 5:45 p.m.

"I think people will really enjoy the mixture of popular returns and discovering new bands," said Stafford. "I'm very excited to see Delgres. We went through quite a hectic and expensive process to obtain their visas. There were so many obstacles, but we overcame them." 

FestivalInt.04231601

Advocate photo by PAUL KIEU -- The band Delgres, of Guadeloupe, performs on the Scene Lafayette General Fais Do Do stage on April 22, 2016 during Festival International de Louisiane in downtown Lafayette, LA.

Lafayette band GIVERS is also making a return to Festival this year, for a much-anticipated reunion show celebrating the 15th anniversary of their debut album, "In Light." 

Said Stafford, "the first time they played was such a pivotal moment for the festival, with band members being from here and making it so big in the national scene." 

Festival International has seen many pivotal moments over the years and has come to serve as a launching pad for international acts to tour in the U.S. It's also been a gateway for h musicians to network with industry leaders from around the world. According to artist George Marks, it's also a unique opportunity for Acadiana residents to experience their own culture reflected through a global lens. 

GIVERS : Festival International 2015

GIVERS perform on Scene Stabil Drill International at Festival International in Lafayette on Friday, April 24, 2015. (Photo by Brianna Paciorka, | The Times-Picayune)

Marks founded the NUNU Arts & Culture Collective in Arnaudville over 15 years ago and was recently named director of international trade and development for Lafayette Consolidated Government.

"What we learned a long time ago is that folks that come in from other places actually become ambassadors for our culture, and almost upsell it back to us," said Marks, who often hosts international artists at NUNU. "A lot of people from Arnaudville had never been to Festival International before, and one year we had this band come out before Festival, they plugged into NUNU, and we did a potluck and invited local people. 

"They all got to break bread, hang out with them, laugh with them and speak French. They became family, and for the first time, those folks went to Festival International to go watch them play."

Whether you're experiencing Festival for the first time, or it's been part of your story for many years, Festival International de Louisiane has left a permanent mark on Lafayette. That legacy will carry on next week, kicking off downtown on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@theadvocate.com.

Tags