Festival International vs. JazzFest

[20-20]

Asking for some "objective" comparisons here. My wife and I are JazzFest veterans, but are considering attending the Festival International this year (no, we cannot attend both!!).Does anyone have some reasonably accurate or as I said "objective" comparisons? Musically speaking, over the years, we have found ourselves spending most of our listening time at "Fais Do Do", the Gospel Tent, and the old "Ray-Ban", (I've forgotten what it's called now). We have come to abor the over-crowding, even last year(sure do miss that Thursday!).
We attended the Festivals Acadiens last year for the first time and had a delightful experience. We enjoyed Lafayette, the residents were just a pleasure to be with and the crowds were like Jazzfest 10-15 years ago or more. That being said, I don't feel that the food or resturants matched JazzFest/NOLA by any streach. That festival however, is much smaller and geared toward a rather specific audience, whereas it is my impression that Festival International is on a larger and grander scale. Can anyone who has seen both weigh in and help us make up our minds?

[Festvet]

Although I have not attended the International I have spent some time in Cajun country. It's not for everyone but I like it. There are many good restaurants, albeit not "fancy" as well as hole-in-the-wall boudin joints and such. Fred's Lounge in Mamou Saturday mornings is a lot of fun. Somewhat redneck but a good mix a folks. Stop by KBON studios in Eunice and check out their wall of fame. Very nice folk there! I think Jean Lafitte Park is located there as well. Stop by Poche's market in Breaux Bridge and check out their daily plate lunches. Also they have the best boudin I have ever tasted. http://www.pochesmarket.com/rest.htm. Avery Island is not too far away to the south either. You will see hundreds/thousands of migratory birds, egret, ibis, etc... this time of year.

[funkkjunkie]

I know swampie has attended both. I'll ask her to come over and give you her 2 cents.

[Zenwinemaster]

I've been to Festival International, and this will be my ninth Jazz Fest.

Thoughts/observations:

Festival International is much smaller in scale -- four or five stages compared to Jazz Fest's dozen or so.

It goes later at night -- on Friday and Saturday until 10:30 or 11 p.m. (but on Friday it doesn't start until 6 p.m.).

Music is high quality but skewed primarily toward (1) international world beat and (2) Louisiana music (mostly cajun, less zydeco). Very little blues or R&B, virtually no jazz. An occasional gospel group. Does not have the eclectic diversity of Jazz Fest. No big name national headliners like the ones that close Acura in the late afternoon.

Food is ok, but not great. Only a handful of vendors, and the quality is not up to Jazz Fest standards. They do serve hard liquor, though.

Night life differences -- because the Festival International goes until 10:30 or 11:00 people don't go out to dinner, concerts, partying the way they do in New Orleans (and Lafayette is not the late night party town that New Orleans is). There are a few very good restaurants (but again, because the concerts go until late night, you may not make it to them for supper). There are a handful of music clubs, not dozens. Most of the zydeco clubs just outside Lafayette, where the music and dance form originated, have closed.

One thing you might consider -- go to Lafayette Thursday, attend the Festival International Thursday evening, stay overnight at a motel there (don't try driving back to New Orleans that night -- pitch black roads with drunk drivers), get up Friday morning, drive to New Orleans and catch Jazz Fest. Then you can see both of them and compare for yourself.

Hope this helps.

[Zenwinemaster]

One more thought -- a nice thing about Festival International is that it has a local, small town feel to it. A lot of people in the audience clearly know one another. Some old-timers have told me that it feels like Jazz Fest did 25 years ago.

[husb_2ndliner]

2ndliner and I have gone to Festival International the first weekend and Jazz Fest the second weekend for years. This year we will go to first Friday of Jazz Fest and then go to Lafayette early Saturday, which is totally doable. A direct comparison is tough. We don't have to make a choice between them because we see both. But Festival International is incredible. As others have said, it is a much smaller scale - not nearly as crowded. There are about 5 stages, with a wide variety of music. No jazz, though. Some terrific African and Francophile music from around the world. Some Cajun and Zydeco but not a huge amount. You are likely to see a French Canadian band followed by a Louisiana gospel choir followed by an African band followed by a Cuban band. The lineup has not been announced yet but BeauSoleil will be there on Sat. (they were rained out last year). The music starts near noon and on Sat. goes until about 10 PM. Some of the musicians play both Fest International and then Jazz Fest.

The food is not as good as Jazz Fest, but getting better. Now that Grant Street Dancehall is open again, I am hoping that Sonny Landreth will play his customary Saturday night gig there, which is where we go after the fest. It is definitely the best place to see Sonny in his hometown. If you are feeling that Jazz Fest is too crowded then Festival International may be right for you. And, as I said, you can do both in the first weekend. If you want any questions answered email me off list at nateg at pobox.com.

Nate

[20-20]

Thanks much for the input. All of a sudden the impact of "another day..."just sucked all of the wind out of any other thoughts and I plain forgot about my asking for assistance on "Festival". Your help and opinions have been appreciated and "right-on". They were just as I wanted. Still cannot make up my mind. My wife and I just adored the ambiance of Festivals Acadiens and God willing we have a moderate hurricane season ( I live on the Ocean), we will be back for '07. For anyone out there in ThreadHead land who loves Cajun music, it is a "must-do".
The evening hours and the food is where the big tug lies. As stated, the folks in Lafayette were second to none,but food in NOLA and the Fairgrounds is a transcendent experience. Just as in grocery shopping, one should not be considering decisions about NOLA on an empty stomach, and it's lunch time here on the east coast!
I felt that the music was pretty even, based upon the '06 line-up.Another bragging point for Lafayette was the "Blue Moon". Mid-City, et. al are fine, but to my mind, the "Blue Moon" raised the fun-factor up another notch. The yang to that ying is the PM hours at Festival which precludes, or at least competes with going to that club.
This is nuts. It is like looking at the "grids" (they cannot be cubes, in that they are not cubes!), but with 100 miles between the stages. Sigh!

[husb_2ndliner]

Well the club scene in Lafayette in many ways is a non-issue. If you go to Jazz Fest Friday and Lafayette Sat. and Sun. the festival goes late Sat. and even if Sonny is not at Grant St. there is likely to be something good. And Sunday night there is a volunteer party at the Blue Moon (non-volunteers pay a small cover charge) which is a total blast. Last year the Pine Leaf Boys and the Red Stick Ramblers were there - likely to be something similar this year (the Pine Leaf Boys live 3 houses away).

[bluesgirl]

I went to Lafayette for FI on Wednesday and Thursday last year, then on to Jazz Fest. I enjoyed both, and found that the foods are a little different from each other because FI uses local to Lafayette vendors.

On the Wednesday night, I went to see Li'l Band 'O Gold at the Nitetown, and then hung around on Thursday the FI preview with Allen Toussaint, The Subdudes and Irma Thomas.

I enjoyed both a lot, and it's a bit hard to compare because each is their own vibe.

[NeenAtlanta]

This is nuts. It is like looking at the "grids" (they cannot be cubes, in that they are not cubes!), but with 100 miles between the stages. Sigh!

Ahh, but they ARE cubes, you just can't see them on your 2-dimensional computer screen, that's all. Some supplementals might help with that.
:D

The grids are the nighttime acts.