Music lovers and concert-goers were greeted by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL) cheerleaders at Downtown Alive (DTA) for the 2023 fall concert series..
For the first time, DTA was sponsored by both Downtown Lafayette Unlimited and organizers from UL.
Margarita Perez, Dean of Students at UL said the Ragin' Cajuns were looking for a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between college students and Lafayette's culture.
"Our ultimate goal is to celebrate being a Ragin' Cajun and to recognize that students bring vibrancy to our community," Perez said. "When they're not here in the Summer, we recognize that they're not here."
Perez said UL students are walking distance from Downtown, so they can help generate the economy in the area.
"Students can come by bike or car and it offers them an opportunity to have entertainment, bowling, restaurants, Sunday's Ice Cream, the museums, etc.," Perez said.
Anita Begnaud, CEO of Downtown Lafayette Unlimited said this partnership has been discussed for some time, but it is finally coming to fruition.
"In big and small ways, we've been working together, but we really wanted to take it to the next level with programming," Begnaud said. "There's been a lot of discussion about how close Downtown and UL are to each other, but it's kind of difficult to be able to move back and forth."
Chad Fouquier is a guitar player for The Rouge Krewe band that performed at Downtown Alive on Friday.
Fouquier said he encourages more people to come out to enjoy the DTA concert series.
"[We're playing] fun, dance music from the sixties to current," Fouquier said. "Anything from Bruno Mars to Beyonce, to Marvin Gaye."
