LAFAYETTE, La. — With less than a week to go before Festival International, organizers are putting weather contingency plans in place to ensure the safety of attendees, according to Festival International Executive Director Scott Feehan.
“It's part of the fun outdoors, it's the elements, right? Sometimes it's really beautiful and sunny, sometimes it's windy, sometimes you have a little bit of rain. That's all part of the experience,” Feehan said.
Festival International has more than 40 years of experience planning for a variety of conditions, leaning on feedback from the Lafayette Consolidated Government, Lafayette Police Department, and local meteorologists, including KATC’s Rob Perillo. Feehan said he weighs the guidance from these sources before making decisions about pausing or canceling events. “We get really good feedback from a lot of people who know what's going on and then ultimately the decision to pause or cancel usually comes to me. And so I'll make the call, and then we disseminate the messaging,” he said.
Preparation for inclement weather comes at a cost. Rain and cancellation insurance for the festival can cost as much as $80,000 per year. Organizers rely on contributions from “Rain Angels” — donors who contribute roughly $170,000 annually — to help cover those and other expenses, allowing organizers to prioritize safety without the added financial risk.
“When it goes on standby, we're just on the lookout, and then if you go on hold – and on hold means we get everything, the performances stopped, the stages are lowered, everything's covered – we take precautions and we encourage the crowd to seek cover,” Feehan explained.
The layout of downtown Lafayette also helps organizers deal with weather events. “The good thing about downtown, about our footprint, is it doesn't turn into a mud pit, right? There's a couple of areas that we have pumps and all, so we can handle a lot of weather – and normally, as soon as the storm passes, we're back at it pretty quickly,” Feehan said.
Feehan emphasized that the well-being of festival-goers is always the top priority. “If there is a safety issue at all, we will absolutely take those steps and precautions. Other than that, come out and have a wonderful time,” he said.
For the latest festival forecast, download the KATC mobile weather app or visit KATC.com.
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