The Feel Good Festival, a month-long celebration of well-being and community, will take place throughout August in Acadiana. The kick-off event, Stories and Song, will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 1 in Fletcher Hall at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Jan Risher, a local writer, introduced the concept of designating a month to celebrate life after a visit to County Moray, Scotland during the city’s sixth annual Feel Good Festival in October 2017. She recognized the opportunity for such a fun and simple celebration in Acadiana.
The premiere event Stories and Song will create a similar sentiment with storytelling and a community sing along. In addition to literature and music, TFGF events will include service projects, yoga, a writing workshop and visual art exhibits. The theme for all events is “Cool.” The United Way of Acadiana will organize volunteers and food drives for TFGF.
The Feel Good Festival Poetry Share: 2 p.m. Aug. 4 at Barnes & Noble Bring a poem to read aloud. The poem can be famous, original or somewhere in between. Readers will simply sit in a circle and read poetry one at a time.
The Full Circle: 5:15 p.m. Aug. 8, Downtown Lafayette Public Library
The Full Circle 360, a new community group, is launching in conjunction with the Feel Good Festival. The group is centered on the betterment of women and supporting their health, career and community endeavors. To learn more, see @thefullcircle360 on Instagram. Kaitlyn Melancon is leading this initiative.
Dino Yoga: 6 p.m. Aug. 23, Dino Yoga Lafayette Science Museum.
Dino Yoga, open to kids and adults, will unite dinosaur lovers and yoga enthusiasts to celebrate mind, body, spirit and stegosauruses. With one of the coldest HVAC systems in town, the Lafayette Science Museum is a great place to beat the summer heat!
FoodNet Shred-a-thon: 9 a.m. -1 p.m. Aug. 24, Acadiana Mall parking lot
Bring your paper to shred and a food donation of canned or boxed food items for FoodNet. The shredding will be provided by Stericycle. Decluttering is cool.
The Letter You Saved: 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 25, AcA
Sue Schleifer will lead an interactive writing workshop, free and open to both teens and adults at all writing levels. If you’d like to attend, please bring along a letter, email or text message. You will use it to develop a poem or a scene for a play.
Enliven Your Spirit: 6 p.m. Aug. 30, Yoga Garden
Local practitioners will offer an event created from the belief that art heals, inspires, invigorates and calls us to expand beyond our ordinary selves, this event will be a 90-minute session of indigenous and expansive sounds, creative writing, invigorating dance and simple creative process — all in the spirit of joy! Scratch will serve nutritious meals at 7:30, along with teas, beer and wine for reasonable prices. This event will be limited to the first 30 participants. The target audience is 18 and older. There will also be a Voter Registration table.
Feel Good Festival Artsy and Variety Show: 6 p.m. Aug. 31
We’ll close out the Feel Good Festival at Dat Dog with a variety show. Artists will have their wares on display and for sale. At 7 p.m. several local standout performers will share their talents. Admission to the event is three cans or boxes of food or $5. Proceeds will go to FoodNet.
For a complete list of TFGF events, visit the Feel Good Festival event page on Facebook. For more information, email [email protected].