LAFAYETTE PARISH — The opening day of the festival draws huge crowds for live music, international food and diverse culture.
The first day of the festival kicked off on Wednesday with clear skies, drawing huge crowds to sing, dance and eat together as a community.
Despite a wet start to the day, the weather cleared up in time for the festivities, which began with a performance by Rusty Metoyer and the Zydeco Crush.
Attendees traveled from near and far to join the celebration. Darione Moore traveled over 70 miles from Alexandria to visit the festival. When I asked him what he was most excited about, he highlighted the international cuisine.
"Probably the food. I was trying to see what booths— like the international food. On the website, it said Asian and German," Moore said.
The fun extends beyond good food and live music. First-time attendee Alex White said the shopping was a huge draw for her today.
"I’ve never gone to a festival up here. I’ve never done this before. I was interested in seeing the booths and buying some stuff and maybe eating some cool food," White said.
The energy downtown was electric. Moore told me that in a divided world, it is nice to be in a place where everyone can join together and celebrate their differences.
"I think it’s great that this city, in particular, is having something that embraces all cultures. It’s not just a Louisiana Cajun Creole thing— it’s everybody. Everybody’s included," Moore said.
