It was another fabulous evening at Festival International de Louisiane! A gorgeous Spring evening with a lovely breeze and lots of great music and food. We started out at the Pavilion de Cuisine with some delicious Crawfish Nachos and Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya. Cest bon and out of this world, cher! After enjoying this delicious treat, my companions and I headed over to Scene Popeyes to catch the opening ceremonies. The French Immersion students were carrying flags, (see top photo), representing all of the countries that have participated in Festival International. (click to enlarge to view cuisine and drink menu)
The French Immersion program serves to preserve the Cajun French language and culture. The National Anthem was sung by a former student, and the more than 1500 volunteers who made this year's festival possible were recognized. For a complete schedule click here.
Next up was the amazing group, Grupo Fantasia , out of Austin, Texas, whose goal is to advance the Latin music sound. Well , they sure reached their goal in Lafayette, and they were fantastic! This exciting, funky, 10 member band "really had it going on" and they totally mesmerized the crowd with their hypnotic beats and cohesive style.! One of the best things about this festival is getting to experience all different kinds of music from all over the world. Here's a little clip that I took. Enjoy !
Grupo Fantasia
After a 15 minute, cold beverage break, the next band up was the fabulous, Sonny Landreth Band! Sonny is one of the most gifted slide guitar players in the world, as well as an old friend of mine from the college days. Back then, I dated one of his best friends, a "then" jazz drummer, who is "now" a priest! (that's another post, entirely) Anyway, he just blew the crowd away with his spectacular guitar moves and "hotter than hot" band! Here's a little snippet of this talented Louisiana artist in action! Geaux Sonny!
Sonny Landreth Band
The crowd was much larger, last night, and with several hundred thousand festival goers expected for the weekend, it's all going to be a blast, cher!! Starting tonight, all six stages will be up and running. Imagine six stages of incredible international and local music, within a six block radius, and all of this wonderful music is free! But, be sure to buy a festival pin, to keep the festival free! (a $10. donation) See ya'll there! Oh, the life of a Cajun, is oh so good!! Have a wonderful, fun weekend, mon cher amis! Merci beaucoup for stopping by!
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15 comments:
I freeking starving here!~! go eat a shrimps for me!!
lovin' the music too.
FABULOUS FESTIVAL!!!! And I'm a HUGE fan of Latin American music!!! What a treat! And my thought? Once you've dated the beautiful Marguerite, no one else will do :-) Leaving him little choice ...LOL...Enjoy your weekend, dear friend! Love you, Janine XO
Oh Yes! Lively music! I can smell the food, feel the vibe. Thanks, Marguerite for pulling us in and making us feel welcome.
What a rockin' weekend is in store for you! Thanks for letting us live a little Cajun through your post!
Would love to be there.
yee HAW!
Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral
It looks like so much fun! I love the music, food, and the spirit of the Cajun people!
Looks like you guys are having a great weekend. We are having real nice weather (for the UK), so my charcoal burning BBQ is on overtime.
Oh, that looks like so much fun!! Your posts always make me hungry!
Hey Marguerite, were you there when Russel Hantz got arrested for shoving an 18 yr old to the ground at the festival? I just read about it on TMZ. He is on Survivor.
Marguerite~~~ Woman your energy is boundless! You Cajuns just have too much fun! Been catching up with you, got to find some pineapple/rum so I can make that cake!! Thanks for the Blogger Buddy award! XOXO :)
Now don't wear those leopard skin shoes out too fast and remember old bluelights when you are waltzing LOL
just in time, some good 'ol fun and great music as I prepare for a seafood boil - this is the kind of fun I wish I had in my neighborhood ... we have live music festivals too, but yours seems so much better...
judi- I ate enough shrimp for the whole blogosphere! lol Thanks, so glad you enjoyed it!
Janine- Merci, cher, so happy that you liked it! That's what my Dad said, too! lol Hope you enjoyed yours, too!
lakeviewer- Thanks, the music and the food were fabulous! Just telling it like it is, cher! You're so welcome!
Joanne- This festival is always a great time, and is my favorite one of all! Merci, it was my pleasure to share it with you, cher!
ellen- Wish that you could've been here, too. You'll have to plan on making it next year! So much fun!
Cloudia- You got that right, cher! Merci for coming by! Aloha!
Nancy- It is a blast! Thanks so much for your sweet comment! The Cajun "joie de vivre" is passed down from one generation to the next!
John- Thanks, it was a great week! And I only have four days to recoup, before the Crawfish Festival! Glad you're having some nice grilling weather. Merci for stopping by!
Kat- Thanks for the nice compliments, cher! I wasn't there, but I heard about it. This festival is always so peaceful and that was a strange incident.
Carol- Thanks for your sweet comment, cher! I am blessed with good energy, but I slept for 12 hours, last night, after 5 days at the festival! Glad you like the cake!
Eddie- I wore my old pair out and had to switch to my boots, for the nitty-gritty dancing! And I did think of you, "Old Bluelights"! lol
Drick- Merci, cher, so glad you enjoyed it! Our festivals are second to none, and you won't find this kind of fun anywhere else on the planet! Guess you'll have to move here!
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