Festival International de Louisiane, CODOFIL and Downtown Alive! is pleased to announce La Fête Nationale: A Bastille Day Celebration to celebrate the French national holiday.  The event will take place on Saturday, July 14 from 5:00 p.m to 8:30 p.m along the 200 and 300 block of Jefferson Street in Downtown Lafayette and will coincide with the July ArtWalk.

La Fête Nationale will feature performances by Dylan LeBlanc and the Pollies, Corey Ledet & His Zydeco Band, and Jace Goulas & the Aucoin Family Band. Galleries, museums, and shops Downtown will be open throughout the evening for ArtWalk, welcoming guests to view and purchase work by local and regional artists.

“Festival is thrilled to be partnering with CODOFIL and Downtown Alive!.  It felt like a natural fit to combine a Bastille Day Celebration with the original Street Party,” says Scott Feehan, Executive Director of Festival International.  “Celebrating our Francophone roots along with enhancing the economic development of Lafayette is something that Festival takes pride in and we felt that celebrating this event during Artwalk made a lot of sense.”.

“As the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana fetes its fiftieth anniversary in 2018, we were delighted to partner with Festival International on an event that celebrates Louisiana’s profound ties with the French-speaking world,” says CODOFIL President Dr. William Arceneaux. “Bastille Day is the perfect occasion to highlight our connection to French culture, history, and language with a joie de vivre that comes naturally in Lafayette, a city named for a man who embodies French-American friendship.”

Festivities begin at 5:00 p.m. with Lafayette’s Happiest Hour, presented by DTA! and sponsored by The Greenroom.

Smoking, pets, and ice chests are not allowed to encourage a safe and family-friendly event for all.