You must be an active DL Member to submit an event for consideration on the Downtown Event Calendar.
Shaped by a dedicated team, Downtown Lafayette, Louisiana, is more than a destination—it’s a thriving hub where business, culture, and people connect in a space that is genuine, welcoming, and safe for everyone.
Downtown Lafayette is the city's vibrant core, embodying South Louisiana’s spirit of bringing people together through shared experiences, flavors, and traditions—both old and new. But the energy doesn’t stop there; it continuously sparks a lively dialogue with our neighboring communities of UL Lafayette, La Place, Freetown-Port Rico, McComb-Veazey, Sterling Grove, and beyond.
Want to live Downtown? Find your neighborhood.
Have a Downtown event you want to share with the community? Submit your event.
When I think about what makes a city feel like home, it’s rarely the things inside my four walls. It’s the places in between—the spaces where we linger long enough to bump into a neighbor, discover a new favorite, or feel connected to something bigger than ourselves.
Downtown Lafayette is entering a season of visible, tangible momentum — and it’s arriving in ways both bold and quietly transformative.
New Downtown Ambassador Program by Block By Block begins their work the week of Festival International, helping to keep Downtown Clean, Fun, and Vibrant.
In 1815, a travelling geographer-biographer named William Darby wrote about Lafayette, then called the Attakapas County. At that time there were fewer than two people per square mile living here, in an area Darby described as consisted of two vast prairies on either side of the Vermilion River. It was inhabited by Atakapa-Ishak and Canneci (Lipan Apache) Tribes and the competing Choctaw Tribes. Also from surrounding areas were the Chitimacha and Opelousa Tribes. Between 1765 and 1785 the first great wave of immigration occurred in South Louisiana as Acadian exiles settled the area, and they brought with them the Roman Catholic religion. The influence of the Church served to offer the first geographical organization to this region, the center of which was Saint Martin de Tours Catholic Church located in present-day Saint Martinville.
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Connecting college students to the downtown community plays an important role in building vibrant energy throughout the district. Downtown Lafayette welcomes students and encourages everyone to embrace downtown as their own. Whether you’re new to Lafayette or have been here your entire life, chances are you haven’t experienced everything our downtown has to offer. There’s no shortage of tasty eateries, cozy cafes and study spots, live music, events, art, and many small businesses to fall in love with. Regardless of what day of the week you choose to make your way downtown, we’re here to highlight the must-stops and some of the coolest affordable options for college students to enjoy and take advantage of while they are spending time here.
As the heart of Lafayette, Downtown is known for being a foodie paradise filled with a number of unique restaurants ranging from fine dining experiences to casual plate lunches. Our trendy restaurants cater to the joie de vivre that makes our downtown district one of a kind. So, we’ve compiled a list of some of Lafayette’s downtown favorites!
