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International artists go online for this year's Festival

Posted at 10:24 PM, Apr 22, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-22 23:24:17-04

LAFAYETTE — Wednesday night was supposed to be the kickoff for Festival International, but with the pandemic, Festival is going virtual.

The creator of the band Sinkane, Ahmed Gallab, says he was bummed when his first Festival International was canceled.

"I was stoked you know, I was really looking forward to this," Gallab said.

Sinkane's song 'U'huh' can be heard in the Festival promo, introducing this years theme, 'It Will Be Alright.'

"I wrote it a couple years ago, I never expected it to have the impact that it does and has," Gallab said.

The pandemic forced Festival to adapt, and organizers recruited artists to record performances for a virtual festival.

"When we started with this idea, we had no idea what to expect. As the content started coming in, that's when we got excited internally," Festival Director Scott Feehan said.

While not ideal, artists are hoping like this years theme, it will be alright.

"Being able to be at home, in my sweat pants performing, is like the most comfortable place that I can perform," Gallab said.

Sinkane will also be featured in a grand finale. All he was able to tell KATC, though, is that it will be "awesome."

The show is expected to start at 4 pm on Friday on AOC Community Media, but will switch over to Facebook live at 6 pm.

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