A&E

Festival International aims to become smoke free

by Nathan Stubbs

Festival International hopes the only thing smoking at this year's event is great barbecue, Sonny Landreth's guitar solos and Steel Pulse's horn section. Festival International hopes the only thing smoking at this year's event is great barbecue, Sonny Landreth's guitar solos and Steel Pulse's horn section. The festival announced today it has partnered with the Louisiana tobacco control program Let's Be Totally Clear in a campaign asking attendees to this year's event to voluntarily not smoke on the festival grounds in order to provide for a more healthy, family-friendly environment. In a press release this morning, Festival International Executive Director Dana Cañedo says, "We encourage all of our festival goers to be smoke free, so that you and your family can enjoy the sights and sounds of Festival for years to come. Rosalind Bello, Director of The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living, adds, "Festival International is a wonderful event.  It speaks to the culture and richness that is Louisiana. The festival organizers recognize that secondhand smoke is a serious health threat in Louisiana, and have taken a proactive step to protect the citizens of Lafayette and those coming from around the state.  I applaud their decision to be smoke-free and I encourage all Louisiana residents to attend this healthier, family-friendly festival."

The free festival will be held in downtown Lafayette April 21-25. Visit festivalinternational.com for more information.