During the last week of April, residents are decked out in hats, dancing shoes, and smiles along the streets of downtown Lafayette. Refrains of "Happy festival" are everywhere. At the apex of spring, Lafayette's downtown turns festival mode for the annual Festival International de Louisiane, the…
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Each spring, Downtown Lafayette comes alive with the sights, sounds, and flavors of Festival International de Louisiane, the largest free Francophone festival in the U.S. This five-day event transforms the city into a global stage, where music, art, and culture from around the world take center…
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Since the very first Festival International de Louisiane in 1986 photographer Philip Gould has captured moments that show how the unique festival has grown to become one of the largest non-ticketed Francophone events in the world. We have partnered with him to showcase some his most memorable…
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As the chilly air turns into a warm breeze, there's no better time to get out and about in Lafayette than spring. Like the flowers, celebrations of Cajun culture, food, and music bloom during the springtime and color the calendar with some of the city's finest annual events. If you can smell the…
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South Louisiana is home to the greatest free party on earth, a colorful celebration known as Mardi Gras. In Lafayette, LA, residents celebrate in many ways, including the traditional courir de Mardi Gras; parades with marching bands, beads, and doubloons; Mardi Gras Indians with elaborate dancing…
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South Louisiana is home to the greatest free party on earth, a colorful celebration known as Mardi Gras. But what most people see on television the weekend before Lent starts much earlier. The entire Mardi Gras season runs several winter weeks in Lafayette and throughout the Acadiana region and…
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No one knows how to throw a party quite like South Louisiana, especially during Mardi Gras season. Whether in the city of Lafayetteor the rural fields of Evangeline and Acadia parishes, Mardi Gras offers revelry for all ages. Here in Acadiana, there's little exclusivity regarding Mardi Gras event…
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Our Mardi Gras season, which stretches from the Twelfth Night of Christmas or Jan. 6 to Mardi Gras day, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and the advent of Lent, is filled with extravagant balls and pageantry like no other. Organizations that host Carnival parades, balls, and pageants are known in…
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Most people recognize Mardi Gras as parades, masked balls, and other urban events, but in Cajun Country, a unique side of Mardi Gras takes place in the countryside and dates back centuries. In Acadiana, a region surrounding Lafayette, many towns celebrate the ancient Carnival tradition of courirs…
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Carnival is the season of merriment leading up to Mardi Gras, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, and the beginning of Lent. During Carnival, south Louisiana celebrates with parades and other special events. Krewes are the organizations that sponsor the parades, which are sometimes preceded by krewe…
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