Festival international de Louisiane will downsize in 2017.
Lafayette, LA newspaper The Daily Advertiser reports that the festival will cut its Heritage Stage, which traditionally focused on local Cajun, zydeco, country and blues acts. Organizers now plan to book performers that fit those molds on other stages.
Evidently, the decision comes down to a lack of sponsors, with one major sponsor pulling out and others remaining uncommitted.
According to The Daily Advertiser, the Heritage Stage’s removal may only be the beginning, as negotiations with potential sponsors are still ongoing. Scott Feehan, the festival’s executive director, told the publication the sponsors have cited Lafayette’s lagging oil economy and the devastating August floods as the reasons for their inability to commit.
“As of right now, we don’t have a single stage sponsored,” Feehan told The Daily Advertiser. “It’s normal at this time of year to have to find a sponsor for one stage. Maybe two. If we get two, we get nervous. Right now, it’s none of them.”
Founded in 1987, the Festival international de Louisiane celebrated its 30th anniversary earlier this year when it returned to downtown Lafayette. With 300,000 annual attendees, the free, five-day gathering is the largest Francophone music and arts festival in the United States. It’s 2016 edition featured performers from 25 different regions and countries, including Colombia, Ghana, Israel, France, Quebec, Australia and more.
“If everybody that walked through our gates donated $10, we’d be in a much different place,” Feehan also told The Daily Advertiser. “As recently as three years ago, with over 300,000 people coming to the festival, we have under 300 people supporting it — from a $50 Amis level to a $60,000 corporate level. We need more than 300 people in this community to support it.
“On the other end, it’s a huge festival. Last year, we tried to return to our roots to some degree. We got the founders back. We got the art exhibit going,” Feehan added, “We don’t need to be a huge pop festival for everybody. We want to be Festival International. We want to be true to our roots and engage with the international communities in this area. We want to stimulate trade, attract businesses to this area. We don’t want to charge at the gate. But it’s up to the community to make that happen.”
Festival International de Louisiane will take place April 26-30, 2017.
