LAFAYETTE, La. — With Festival International de Louisiane just a week away, improvements are already taking shape in Downtown Lafayette at Parc International — the largest venue the festival has to offer.
Neighbors may have noticed fresh coats of paint, new flags, and landscaping enhancements in recent days.
“I’ve seen it, the blue and the flags. It’s beautiful,” said Garret Smith. “I’m excited about that.”
The $1.6 million renovations will help freshen up the area ahead of the music event and well after, while also adding to the festival experience.
“There’s a couple different projects going on downtown right now,” said Warren Abadie, Director of Traffic, Roads and Bridges for Lafayette Consolidated Government.
According to Abadie, Phase One of the renovations includes:
- Repainting the roof of the stage and the flags at the top of the stage
- Painting the festival logo on the concrete
- Repainting fencing
- Installing new landscaping around Parc International
All of these upgrades are expected to be completed by the start of the festival. However, more extensive renovations are planned for the site after the event is over.
“They’re renovating the dressing rooms and the bathrooms at Parc International,” Abadie said. “That will be a longer-term project, and we expect that to be done by the end of this year.”
According to the Downtown Development Authority, full restroom renovations (with A/C) are on the way with 4 additional universal ADA restrooms, green room renovations, new lighting fixtures throughout the park, fresh paint on all structures, stage upgrades, new signage, and electrical upgrades.
The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and Downtown Lafayette Unlimited (DLU) collaborated with Festival International organizers to identify and prioritize improvements to the space, enhancing the experience for everyone attending or performing.
DDA and DLU worked with Festival International and successfully advocated to LCG for funding. Both entities express their gratitude to LCG, CASE Engineering, and Festival International for all the hard work and coordination for the improvements at the festival.
