Festival International de Louisiane will celebrate an important anniversary in the spring. For the past 40 years, Lafayette’s biggest festival has steadily expanded in size and reputation based on a foundational mission: connecting Louisiana’s Francophone culture, and the region’s diverse music, with the world.
Last week, the festival board of volunteers announced that it was starting a fundraiser to help offset the rising costs of booking international talent — bands hailing from places like Ukraine, France, Mexico, Jamaica and Canada, that define Festival’s vibe and set the stage for its musical, cultural and economic impact.
According to Festival International, their budget for securing performers each year is $300,000. The fees associated with booking international acts, such as visa applications and tax withholding agreements with the IRS, have ballooned to roughly 30% of that budget. It’s a cost that has become unsustainable in recent years — particularly since visa processing times are also longer, and more uncertain, than they’ve ever been.
It all adds up to a precarious and expensive dance for Festival International programming director Lisa Stafford, who is limited in the range of international acts she is able to host due to these conditions. And it’s a concerning state of affairs for executive director Scott Feehan, who said, “we are not a normal festival that just puts music on a stage.”…