Live @ the Lakefront Returns

Live @ the Lakefront Returns

From Staff Reports 

It's that time of the year again, where music swells along the sea wall in downtown Lake Charles, people gather to dance and check out local artists, and enjoy the spring atmosphere.

The Arts Council of SWLA, the City of Lake Charles, and Deep South Productions have announced the third season of Live @ the Lakefront.  The annual event will take place on three consecutive Fridays: March 14, 21 and 28, from 6-10 p.m. at the Lake Front Promenade's Arcade Amphitheater.

The 2014 season kicks off with the Pine Leaf Boys on March 14.  Pine Leaf Boys inimitable brand of energetic Cajun music has garnered four GRAMMY nominations.  Local jam rock band Fresh Nectar will open the evening.

The next weekend, local favorite The Flamethrowers will headline the March 21 concert with their high energy cover rock hits that have sold out venues across the Gulf Coast since 2005. The Loaded 44rz, local rockabilly and country band, will open. March 28 will conclude the concert series with the return of roots reggae band Ashes of Babylon. Originally from Lake Charles, Ashes of Babylon combines jazz, R&B, and funk with their original reggae sound. Lafayette-based Acadian folk/indie folk duo, The Onlies, will open. 

With the Lakefront Promenade as the setting, Live @ the Lakefront will also offer an extensive market of local artists and artisanal vendors with unique pieces of local art and handcrafted items for sale each Friday. Several locally-owned restaurants and food trucks will also be on site, and the public is encouraged to bring chairs and a blanket to put down on the promenade’s communal green space.  The Arts Council will sell Budweiser, Miller, and Coke products to raise money for the arts. 

Live @ the Lakefront is presented by the Arts Council of SWLA, City of Lake Charles, and Deep South Productions and is sponsored by McDonald’s SWLA, Fusion Five, and the Lake Area Solar Industry with additional support from KVHP/FOX29/the CW, Southwest Beverage, Beverage Sales, IBERIABANK, LCP, Knight Media Printing, ASI Office Systems, J&R Carriages, the Lab Design Group, Tipitina’s Foundation, Shearman Media, Botsky’s Premium Hotdogs, MyPlace American Pub, Allstate Insurance – Dean Day, Coca-Cola, and the Lake Charles/SWLA Convention & Visitors Bureau. 

No pets or outside ice chests are allowed. Funds raised benefit the Arts Council which is an umbrella organization for the arts in the five parish region and grants nearly $200,000 annually to Southwest Louisiana artists and arts organizations. This event, and other Arts Council programs, is supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Louisiana State Arts Council, and Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development under the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. For details, visit www.facebook.com/ArtsCouncilSWLA or call (337) 439-2787.