In the inaugural year in the World Music awards at About.com, Lafayette's Festival International de Louisiane is about 400 votes behind first place Festival au Desert in Mali for Best World Music Festival in the About.com World Music Reader's Choice Awards.
With Southern Living magazine's "South's Tastiest Town" in the bag, Lafayette's Festival International de Louisiane is vying for some international prominence.
In the inaugural year of the World Music awards at About.com, Lafayette's Festival International de Louisiane is about 400 votes behind first place Festival au Desert in Mali for Best World Music Festival in the About.com World Music Reader's Choice Awards.
Deadline to vote is March 21. Winners will be announced March 30.
"For us to be even listed among the finalists with people like Festival in the Desert - that's huge," says Dana Baker, executive director of Festival International. "We know how great Festivals is and the more we can let other people know about the little gem we have here, the better."
Festival International, set for April 25-29, is the only free festival among the list of finalists, which includes Festival au Desert, Tombouctou, Mali; globalFEST, New York City; Globalquerque, Albuquerque, N.M.; Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Washington, D.C.
"It's a huge poll and people who may not have known about Lafayette, or Festival International, may now," Baker says. "They might be interested in finding out more and come to visit for Festival and other times of the year, too.
"Once they find out what else we have going on here - we're a happening place - so whatever gets them here, great," she says. "Because by the time they get here, they'll have found something else to keep them coming back."
World Music fans nominated are voting in a variety of categories including World Music Trailblazer Award, Best World Music Club or Venue, Best World Music Concert Series, Best World Music Radio Show, Best World Music Label, and Best World Music Website or Blog.
To vote, go here.
The poll is sponsored by about.com, which is a part of The New York Times Co.