You must be an active DL Member to submit an event for consideration on the Downtown Event Calendar.
Small Business Saturday: Supporting the local economy by shopping locally. Most people are familiar with the post-Thanksgiving shopping frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Like it or not, these holiday shopping dates are here to stay, but many who participate do not realize the impact that their spending has—or doesn’t have—on our local economy. Enter Small Business Saturday.
Downtown Lafayette will become the perfect destination for lovers of Christmas this December. In an effort to spread seasonal joy throughout the Acadiana region, DLU has committed to creating a month-long series of family-friendly holiday events in Downtown Lafayette. The seasonal celebration, called “A Merry & Bright Downtown Christmas” will feature a Christmas tree decorating contest, multiple concerts, a competition for best holiday window display, pictures with Santa, horse-drawn carriage rides, and a “North Pole” installation in Parc International—all taking place throughout the month of December.
The Kiwanis Club of Acadiana celebrated a significant milestone this October. During the Zydeco Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, October 12th, the club held a ribbon cutting for a brand new playground in Downtown Lafayette. The playground, dubbed “Harmony Park,” is the result of years of fundraising and organization by the Kiwanis Club of Acadiana, a chapter of the global Kiwanis organization of volunteers that is “dedicated to improving the world—one child and one community at a time.” Construction on the playground began on Saturday, October 5th and was completed just in time for the Zydeco Pancake Breakfast.
Why it’s important to maintain the spaces we loveDowntown Lafayette is a special place. Our city center functions as the setting and backdrop for many of our community’s favorite festivals and events. It is an entertainment hub for the Acadiana region, and frequently the first place that tourists and other travelers will visit in the area. Yet, with the fondness our residents and visitors have for Downtown, it might come as a surprise that our community has taken a laissez-faire approach to maintenance of Downtown’s built environment for decades.
One of Downtown Lafayette’s tech firms is now hiring.Perficient is a global IT and software consulting firm with an office in Downtown Lafayette. The company currently employs 75 people in their Jefferson Street office, but recently announced plans to expand their staff with 70 new employees. The company’s Lafayette Delivery Center is part of a worldwide group of Perficient offices that delivers technical consulting solutions to leading companies. The tech company opened their Downtown office in April 2016 with plans to hire 245 employees over a five year period.
Watch the full recording of the Downtown Lafayette District 5 City and Parish Council Candidates Forum. The forum was held on September 4th in the performance center of Acadiana Center for the Arts. Video courtesy of AOC Community Media. Watch the Lafayette Mayor-President Election Forum, held on September 24th.
Watch the full recording of the Lafayette Mayor-President Election Forum, held by Downtown Lafayette. The forum was held on September 24th in the performance center of Acadiana Center for the Arts. Video courtesy of AOC Community Media. Watch the District 5 City and Parish Councils Forum, held on September 4th.
10 months since the Lafayette City-Parish Council voted to sell the blighted site of the former federal courthouse to private developers, the project is now moving forward. Project developers have erected a construction fence around the property, indicating an end to the due diligence period and the beginning of the construction phase.
n the eve of the Downtown Rising concert, Anita Begnaud, CEO of the Downtown Development Authority, gives her take on the future of Downtown Lafayette. Downtown Lafayette is where the people of Acadiana gather. Not to big, not to small, it offers restaurants, bars, live music, and culture with a little something for everyone. With increasing demand for commercial and residential developments, Downtown is growing. 200 residential units are currently in the plans for Downtown, and new residents offer endless possibilities for retail and commercial investments.