Festival

Festival International releases 2017 sched

There are plenty of familiar names from Festivals past, plus a few surprises and intriguing collaborations.

Balkan Beat Box

It's that time of year again: cascading and retreating cold fronts, king cake and Festival International de Louisiana releasing its lineup for that April's event. FIL put it out there today, and it features plenty of familiar names, some returning faves and some downright intriguing collaborations.

Among the latter is the Sunday closer featuring GIVERS featuring Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, the husband-wife team of Tom Tom Club and Talking Heads fame, Dickie Landry and others. This makes us go "hmmmm." In a good way.

Best act returning after a several-year hiatus: the funky French second-line group Ceux Qui Marchent Debout. And among groups who performed recently and we can now call regulars — Red Baraat and Balkan Beat Box. Good stuff all. (The full lineup is below; for more check out FIL's website.)

We also love the cross branding happening between FIL and Festivals Acadiens et Créoles; the former is a presenting sponsor for a few of the acts at this year's FIL.