When Festivals Acadiens et Créoles was founded in 1974, it helped usher in a new era for Cajun and Creole music — big stages, bigger crowds, and more far-reaching recognition for the artistry of southwest Louisiana stars like Clifton Chenier and Dewey Balfa.
According to festival founder Barry Ancelet, the initial concert that became Festivals Acadiens et Créoles was the first time anyone had ever undertaken to gather major Louisiana musicians of the day on one stage, at Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette. In addition to Chenier and the Balfa Brothers, players like Marc Savoy, Jimmy C. Newman and the Ardoin family captured an audience of thousands that would return, and grow, year after year.
Today, the festival is the world’s biggest free Cajun and zydeco music event, held each October in Lafayette’s Girard Park. In recognition of the role it has played in promoting the breadth and diversity of Acadiana’s culture, Festivals Acadiens et Créoles was selected by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage to join a special initiative this year called “Of the People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals.”
The project is in honor of America’s 250th anniversary, and will highlight roughly 40 festivals across the United States that serve as vital spaces for cultural exchange and engagement. Festivals Acadiens’ involvement will be reflected in this year’s pre-festival symposium, “Revolution and Evolution: Celebrating 250 Years of Cultural Fusion on the Bayou.”…