For two years now, the Louisiana festival season has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the return of the Independence Sicilian Heritage Festival, happening the first weekend in June, will make up for lost time, said organizer Robin Taylor Abrams.

“We know it’s going to be hotter than usual this year but we were dedicated to making sure we would not go another year without this festival as long as conditions were safe,” Abrams said.