International Arts Festival

Formerly known as “Reggae Riddums” and founded in 1987, the International Arts Festival has expanded beyond the focus on a single genre and embraced other genres representing many other cultures.

The International Arts Festival continues to offer reggae but it also includes live performances of world music, Latin, soca, and more, with a healthy infusion of real New Orleans jazz and R&B. During this one-day event, held annually in September, you are likely to hear the music of Cuba, Brazil, Honduras, Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean, in addition to the music of New Orleans. Marconi Meadows in City Park is the venue for this exciting coming-together of a potpourri of cultures.

However, the IAF is about more than just the music. Visitors are also treated to the exotic aromas of spicy food from South and Central America, the Caribbean, Africa and New Orleans. Artists and artisans display and sell crafts developed through skills passed down over many generations, spanning hundreds or thousands of years. The festive atmosphere calls to mind pleasant breezes, sunny days and cool nights of the tropics. The festival’s universal theme is “One World, One Love,” a theme that radiates throughout the event.

Past festivals have highlighted such luminaries in their respective genres as Hugh Masekela, Eddie Palmieri, Burning Spear, India.Arie, Akon, Lucky Dube, Majek Fashek, Havana Soul, K.R.E.M.K, the Lion King & the Zulu Connection, Morgan Heritage, Freddie McGreggor, Steel Pulse, Capleton, Third World, Shinehead, Sugar Minott, Bamboula 2000, Daughters and Early Brooks, Lataye from Haiti, The Roots, Common and Ernie Smith of South Africa.

The IAF, a nonprofit corporation, also supports community benefit programs such as the Gallery of Expression, a special space where Outsider/Folk Art is showcased; the Pavilion of Global Cultures where world cultures are explored through music, dance, storytelling, art, and poetry; the IAF Global Playground, where children of all ages participate in a rejuvenation of community spirit, cultural exchange and edu-tainment through art and music; and the Lip Loc Poetry Lounge, a forum for the spoken word genre.

For more information about the International Arts Festival visit their website at www.internationalartsfestival.org.