I always face the same dilemma when asked to write about Festival International de Louisiane. Part of me wants the world to know about this truly wonderful free outdoor music festival in the heart of Acadiana, but another part of me worries that the very elements that make Festival International so charming—its small scale and mellow atmosphere—might be lost if there are too many people.

Therefore I find perverse solace in the fact that, for the second year in a row, Festival International...