Festival International brings the world to this downtown Lafayette home

Imagine having the world come to your doorstep.

Festival International de Louisiane brings music, food and people by the thousands to downtown Lafayette – and Tyler Patin just has to step out onto his porch on Caillouet Place to be a part of it all.

“From my experience having lived in New York City, and still having an apartment in the French Quarter in New Orleans, I like being in activity,” says Patin. “I just find that there’s a good vibe downtown. You’re dealing with artists, musicians, people that are around my age who want to keep the culture going.” 

As an Acadiana native, architect and real estate developer who moved back to Lafayette six months ago, Patin intentionally sought a space that would allow him to merge his life and work, landing on a 90-year-old home near Caillouet Place and Jefferson Street. This weekend, that location places him within a stones throw of everything Festival has to offer — live music, art and food, without any of the parking hassles.  

It’s a way of life that he hopes to make accessible for many others. “My goal is to bring more attainable housing and mixed use developments to downtown proper, Fightinville, and the Northside,” says Patin. “Nationwide, there’s such low housing stock. And Lafayette Parish is actually gaining population within the state.” 

According to the 2020 census, Lafayette Parish’s 10-year growth rate of 9.1% was much higher than Louisiana overall, at 2.7%. Patin sees opportunity to create interest in more sustainable living in the city’s core — and as a bonus, downtown residents have access to the festivals and parades that bring in visitors from across the world. 

“Living around cars is not sustainable in the long run. I want to bring more people into ownership, and it’s so much more sustainable to do it here rather than New York or New Orleans. There’s just so many positives,” he says. 

Outside of Festival International weekend, one of the positives for Patin is being able to form relationships within his neighborhood. He says that the people he meets during his daily routine — walking to a coffee shop to work, going to get lunch at Pat’s or Ton’s — build a sense of community for him.

That community is especially engaged during big regional celebrations like Festival or Mardi Gras. While the economic impact of these events are well-documented, in terms of number of visitors and the sales they generate, Patin says it’s a more simple calculus for him: he just loves the energy generated through having so much to do and see, just a couple of blocks from his home. 

“There’s really no downside,” he says. “You’re in the center of all the activity around this thing that affects every aspect of Lafayette and the region, in terms of economics and culture.”

It’s also a benefit for his friends, many of whom appreciate the nearby bathroom and couch access. And yes, there’s some noise, but for Patin it’s all just part of the vibe. 

“It’s actually pretty quiet at my house, even though I’m only a block or so away from one of the main stages,” he says. “When you move into a downtown, you automatically sign up for that. Especially in the French Quarter right now, there are a lot of people not from New Orleans who complain about sound or visitors or whatever, but that’s something you sign up for when you move into an area that is kind of an epicenter for culture and music.”