LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)-- Festival International brings thousands of people from all over to celebrate music, food and culture. Sergeant Robin Green with the Lafayette Police Department highlights safety measures they have in place to ensure the public is safe. 

“Every year after each festival, we always meet and have a meeting at the end of our events, and we're always looking for ways to improve safety of this festival because we have so many people coming from out of town and we want to make sure they come here, have a good time and at the same time feel safe.” Green said. 

Additional bollards were added to the downtown area. Increased police presence of officers that will be working in uniform and in plain clothes. Multiple agencies that the Lafayette police partner up with will be assisting with additional security for Festival International. Also she said they placed as many cameras as they could fit in the area. She said they will have officers who will be monitoring the cameras before the festival starts every day until the end of the festival. 

“We kind of checked off all the boxes to make sure that people are safe for a festival,” she said. 

Safety tips for the public who will be attending the festival. Be vigilant, especially when it comes to parking. Do not park in dark areas or walk in dark areas, especially if you are alone. 

“Downtown has a few little alleys where the lighting is not the best and so we ask that people especially we have a lot of people coming from out of town, out of the state, out of the country and so we ask that if you can do the buddy system, don't walk in dark areas,” she said.

Bringing children put a piece of paper with an adult's phone number and name so they can be contacted in the event that someone loses a child. Also before even attending the festival, take a picture of your child so police know  exactly what they look like, exactly what they have on to let other officers in the area know who to look out for. 

“We understand, it’s a festival. Alcohol will be served and please, we want people to drink responsibly. If you plan on consuming alcohol, have a designated driver or use one of the all the different rideshare programs that will be available. Safety is paramount and we want everyone to come out and have a good time,” she said. 

Festival will be in Downtown Lafayette April 23 through April 27th. Be sure to check out the music schedule for more information on your favorite artist.

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