It’s a pretty good set-up we’ve got here in Louisiana. Mardi Gras season leads to Lent, the festival season and the holiday season. Then we take it again from the top.

Now that we’ve got carnival under our belt, it’s time to look ahead to some of the year’s biggest musical events. At press time on this side of the Atchafalaya Basin, the musical lineup for Festival International de Louisiane (April 22-26) was nearly complete. This year’s installment celebrates “Racines Latines (Latin Roots),” and, by the time you read this, a full schedule should be available on the World Wide Web at www.fil.net-connect.net or from the festival office at (318) 232-8086.

The ’98 edition of the annual francophone fête again promises an interesting melange of performers from Louisiana and other parts of the French-speaking world. Programming coordinator Erik Charpentier said African musician Sam Mangwana is one of a half-dozen or so acts whose performances will relate in some way to the theme. “His music is real rhumba-influenced, and there’s a real Latin twist to what he’s doing,” he noted, “even if he’s from Zaire.”

Rising world music star Lhasa will also demonstrate “Racines Latines,” though in her very own way. “She’s Mexican-American, but she lives in Montreal,” Charpentier said, explaining that her sound mixes Mexican folk melodies with Eastern European influences. “She sings in Spanish, French, English and Russian … so it’s an international blend.”

Two Cuban acts, Pancho Quinto and Bellita y Jazztumbatá, will also number among theme-oriented highlights. Other performers to watch for, Charpentier said, include Cameroon’s Sally Nyolo and French groups Paris Combo and Kreyol Syndicate.

Worth the price of admission … “This summer, we thought long and hard about making (the festival) a ticketed event,” marketing coordinator Elizabeth Abadie explained. Few large-scale arts events are free these days, but it was decided that “the festival has been supported by the community from day one,” and organizers are working to find ways to convert fans’ goodwill into additional financial support if at all possible.

One example of that effort is the “Keep it free, buy a pin” campaign, which will offer $5 cloisonné pens emblazoned with this year’s official festival artwork by Jose Ortega. The accompanying diamond-shaped posters are available for $20 each.

Another addition to the ’98 lineup, said executive director Sharon Valchuis, is the debut of Fierté d’Héritage, a small weekend stage in the cozy Parc de Lafayette. “Because it’s a small space, it’s meant to be a place where there can be more interaction between the audience and the artists,” she said.

Saturday will feature “A Creole Renaissance,” a Creole, Inc. program that’s an outgrowth of the organization’s popular Saturday morning workshops previously held in the Lafayette Parish Public Library. On Sunday, the stage will feature Isleño decima singer Irvan Perez of St. Bernard Parish, and other performers.

Who/Where/When? … The festival cranks up Wednesday evening with gallery openings during Art Walk and a Fais Do Do stage lineup featuring Filé and other groups. The main stage joins the fray on Thursday, when performers will include Pakala Percussions (Guadeloupe), Jimmy Bosch (Puerto Rico), bluesman Corey Harris, and native Creole trio Poullard, Poullard & Garnier.

On Friday, acts on three stages will include Geno Delafose, Sally Nyolo, Lhasa, Paris Combo, Kreyol Syndicate, Willis Prudhomme & Zydeco Express, Shannon Suire & Cajun Jam and J. Paul Jr. & The Zydeco New Breeds.

Saturday’s main stage schedule includes Mingo Saldivar y Los Tremendos Cuatro Espadas (Texas), New Birth Brass Band, Loup Noir (New Brunswick), Pancho Quinto, and Sam Mangwana. That same day, the Lafayette Street tent will feature Bellita y Jazztumbatá, Joaquin Diaz (Dominican Republic), Sally Nyolo, Paris Combo and Lhasa. Saturday performances in the Fais Do Do tent will include Les Acadiens, Dikki Du & The Zydeco Crew, Sacaulait, The Creole Zydeco Farmers, The Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band, and Roy Mannino Band (Texas).

Sunday’s lineup will feature some encore sets and appearances by The Bluerunners and Denis Richard (New Brunswick) on the main stage and John Wilson & The Zydeco Houserockers and The Magnolia Sisters (sponsored by Congrès Mondial Acadien-Louisiane 1999) in the Fais Do Do tent.

In other news … It’s been exactly three years since this column debuted in these pages. While I’ll continue to contribute features and reviews to OffBeat, I’m leaving monthly columnhood behind for the foreseeable future.

It’s been lots of fun doing this, and I just want to throw out a quick thanks to the OffBeat staff and the musicians, dancers and readers who’ve provided tips, stories and enthusiasm over the years. See you on down the road.