Live @ the Lakefront Music Fest returns to the Lakefront Promenade for three consecutive Fridays from 6-10 p.m. March 8, 15 and 22. The free outdoor music festival, which is co-presented by the Arts Council of Southwest Louisiana and the city of Lake Charles, showcases the best of live music with emphasis on homegrown talent with Lake Area ties.

The line-up brings six different music genres over the course of three Fridays with local jazz and R&B staple City Heat opening the festival on March 8 and the Barbe Show Choir as the evening’s opening band.

On March 15 the Grammy-nominated Cajun band Lost Bayou Ramblers will perform their one-of-a-kind crossover style which fuses traditional Cajun French lyrics and instruments with alternative and indie rock influences. Local singer/songwriter John Guidroz will open for Lost Bayou Ramblers.

Ashes of Babylon, an eight-piece reggae band from Lake Charles that hit it big and moved to Austin, Texas, will return home to close out Live @ the Lakefront on March 22. The local rock band Lochness Mobsters will open for Ashes of Babylon.

Live @ the Lakefront will also offer an extensive market of local artists and vendors 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 Coke, wine, bottled water, and Budweiser and Miller products with all proceeds from beverage sales benefiting the council.

No pets or outside food or ice chests are allowed. In case of inclement weather, Live @ the Lakefront will take place inside the Civic Center.

For details, visit www.facebook.com/ArtsCouncilSWLA or call the Arts Council at 337-439-2787.

The Lost Bayou Ramblers will perform March 15 for Live @ the Lakefront. (Special to the American Press)