LAFAYETTE, La. — Organizers of Festival International de Louisiane are gearing up for the festival's 40th anniversary in April 2026 and are asking the community to show some festival love by donating to help offset artist fees.
Scott Feehan, executive director of Festival International, discussed the recent launch of a GoFundMe campaign created to help cover visa application fees for international touring acts. According to the fundraiser page, the festival raises money year-round to bring music to downtown Lafayette, with a performer budget of about $300,000.
The cost and complexity of visa applications and CWAs (Central Withholding Agreements between international artists and the IRS) has reached an all-time high. As a result, roughly 30% of what the festival pays international performers now goes toward these administrative fees, making it increasingly challenging to book international artists each year.
Feehan said Festival 2026 is on and the goal is to work together to keep international acts a top priority.
"Every year, there's new challenges we have to face. We thought it was a great opportunity to offer some insights in what happen behind the scenes. Our group of board members said 'you know, I wonder if we can make a GoFundMe and target some of these artists fees,'" Feehan said.
KATC asked if the organization is going through any financial hardship .
"We are in really good spot. We are doing well, but we are doing well because we get scrappy every year and we make good decisions and we try new things. So that's what this was. Maybe it gives people an opportunity to contribute who might not have contributed otherwise," Feehan said.
Asking for donations for the festival is nothing new. The average cost of putting on the festival is $2.3 million, which is raised by donors, sponsors, and various festival memberships.
"It is a grassroots organization. We are not a corporate giant that has a lot of private equity backing or anything. It's up to us to raise the money every single year," Feehan said.
When asked if some people were worried the GoFundMe indicated financial troubles that might prevent the festival from being hosted next year due to rising costs, Feehan remained optimistic.
"We are so excited to celebrate next year, and the key for us being around another 40 is for us to stay focused, keep doing what we are doing and keep rallying the public for support," Feehan said.
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