The sweltering heat is setting in -- a perfect time to indulge in the tropical cultures of the world. The 17th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL (formerly named Reggae Riddums) sets up at Marconi Meadows this weekend with cross-cultural delights in all forms, including food, art, dance, literature and, of course, music. This year's lineup celebrates a wide spectrum of pan-African acts, with British neo-soul duo Floetry and '90s-era Atlanta soul/hip-hop group Arrested Development headlining Saturday, and South African reggae star Lucky Dube closing out the Festival on Sunday. The lineup also features local groups Higher Heights, the Revealers, and Almas Gemelas on Saturday and, on Sunday, Cuba's Havana Soul, local island fusion group Bamboula 2000, reggae man Bunji Garlin, and Jamaican crooner Wayne Wonder. The International Arts Festival offers much more than music from exotic places. It's a full-blown multicultural family event, with peripheral activities expanding beyond the perimeter of Marconi Meadows. The festival's preliminary events begin on Friday morning, with two music, dance and song workshops for children -- one at the Louisiana Children's Museum (420 Julia St., 523-1357) from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and another at the Treme Community Center (corner of Villier and St. Philip streets, 565-7899) from noon to 2 p.m. The festival's live music performances kick off indoors Friday at 6 p.m. at Twi-Ro-Pa Mills (1544 Tchoupitoulas St., 587-3777) with a lineup of local reggae and world music acts including Uzi, Caribbean Flammz, and Irie Dawtas, which closes out the night with a set beginning at 12:15 a.m. This portion of the festival will also include a sampling of food, as well as arts and crafts vendors. Educational extras carry over to the Marconi Meadows site on Saturday and Sunday. The Children's Pavilion presents the Putumayo Cross-Cultural Initiative, an interactive program where children can learn about the cultures of the world through arts and crafts, musical instrument workshops, mask making and dance. And the South African Pavilion features dancers, storytellers and artists celebrating African traditions of all media. Pick up a souvenir before heading home -- as usual, the festival hosts a mini-marketplace of vendors offering foods, crafts and trinkets from the cultures of the world. Tickets $20 at the door. Children under 12 admitted free with an adult. -- Cristina Diettinger

Giacobbe Academy of Dance 60th Anniversary Gala 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 14 Mahalia Jackson Theatre of the Performing Arts, Armstrong Park, 836-7166 In a celebratory weekend, the Giacobbe Academy of Dance, a popular local ballet school, will commemorate its 60th anniversary with a gala performance of dancing by its present company and alumni, many of whom have gone on to professional dance careers. Founded in 1934 by sisters Maria and Georgie Giacobbe and presently run by Maria and her brother Joseph, the Giacobbe Academy began with a studio in Metairie and now has studios in Slidell and Mandeville. Alumni returning to New Orleans to perform in the gala include former Zurich Ballet principal dancer Gretchen Newburger, and Laurie Volny, dance captain for the national touring company of Phantom of the Opera. Tickets $10 to $35 and are available at the Delta Festival ticket office, 836-7166, or Ticketmaster (522-5555). -- Braden

Le Chat Noir One-Act Play Competition 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, June 11-14 Le Chat Noir, 715 St. Charles Ave., 581-5812 The screening process for Le Chat Noir's second annual One-Act Play Competition featured four local directors -- Perry Martin, Sean Patterson, Ricky Graham and John Grimsley -- voting on and then directing the stage-ready scripts. The winners are an intriguing collection, starting with Maggie Smith's Henrietta Hermaline¹s Fall From Great Heights, which finds an insecure girl wooed by a handsome socialite. Hold Fishy Tight by Paul Werner is about a playwright struggling to finish his incoherent script while distracted by characters who come to life. R.J. Tsarov's Just Sleep delves into the playwright's signature tweaked psychology, mixing sexual tension, strangers and insomnia. Newcomer James Asmus' The Super Friends gives us a superhero searching for a superhero-like name and better relationships. Play rehearsals are free and open to the public. At 6 p.m. Friday, noted theater expert Orlin Corey leads a panel discussion on the plays in competition; admission to discussion is free. Tickets $15 per night in advance, $25 all four in advance, $20 per night walk-up, $30 all four walk-up, with a $6 bar charge added to all tickets. Call for specific showtimes. -- Frank Etheridge

25th Anniversary Exhibition Through July 19 Arthur Roger Gallery, 432 Julia St., 522-1999 Twenty-five years ago the world was a different place. It was a time of Jimmy Carter, disco and John Travolta, a time when people actually wore pastel polyester leisure suits in public. In June of 1978 a new little art space, the Arthur Roger Gallery, opened on Magazine Street. Well, you know what they say about little acorns and mighty oaks. No longer little, the Arthur Roger Gallery is New Orleans' undisputed leader in contemporary art, routinely hosting shows by the most dynamic domestic and international artists. This month its 25th Anniversary Exhibition features work ranging from departed icons such as Bob Gordy and Ida Kohlmeyer to some of the most lively and engaging of today's artists, including Luis Cruz Azaceta, John Scott, Jacqueline Bishop and Willie Birch, to name a mere few. It's been a long haul, but mighty oaks are made to last. -- D. Eric Bookhardt

Doug Bickel 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, June 13-14 Snug Harbor, 626 Frenchmen St., 949-0696 Since joining the faculty at University of New Orleans less than a year ago (where he teaches and directs the big band), pianist Doug Bickel's been busy. Besides recently guiding his students through big band versions of Pat Metheny material, Bickel's drawn on his extensive resume (playing the likes of trumpeters Arturo Sandoval and Maynard Ferguson) in work with local stalwarts such as saxophonist Ed Petersen and vocalist Phillip Manuel. Pittsburgh native Bickel also recently wrote his first second line-based piece, so he's wrapping his ears (and hands) around New Orleans sounds. This two-night stand focuses on Bickel's original compositions and will be recorded for a live CD. With backing from the top-flight rhythm section of bassist Roland Guerin and drummer Adonis Rose, the result might announce the newest contemporary jazz pianist in New Orleans to watch. Admission $12. -- Scott Jordan

New Orleans Ballet Theatre Premiere 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, June 12-14 Lupin Hall, NOCCA/Riverfront, 2800 Chartres St., 940-2875 Gregory Schramel will attempt an exceedingly difficult feat: to establish a full-time, professional resident ballet company in New Orleans. Schramel, a former principal and soloist with the Miami City Ballet and other companies, together with his wife, Marjorie Hardwick (an equally experienced professional dancer), founded the New Orleans Ballet Theatre last December. The company is starting small with eight to 12 dancers from various companies including the American Ballet Theatre, Dallas Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Caracas Ballet and others. The debut performance will feature the New Orleans premiere of the George Balanchine classic Apollo, a piece by former San Francisco Ballet dancer Julia Adam, and new works by Schramel and Hardwick. "Once the audience sees the caliber of the dancers, they're going to be blown away," Schramel says. Tickets $30. -- Heidi Braden

Ziggy Marley 9 p.m. Thursday, June 12 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE Ziggy Marley flies solo at House of Blues on Thursday. For the past 18 years, Ziggy Marley led his siblings as the frontman of the Melody Makers, an ensemble that carried on the legacy of their father, Bob Marley. Much of their success was naturally due to name recognition, though their steadfast devotion to traditional Jamaican reggae drew a solid fan base on its own merit. But now, eldest son Ziggy makes a break from family tradition, having released in April his first solo effort, Dragonfly, and now embarking on a national tour sans the Melody Makers. Operating somewhat under the critics' radar, Dragonfly stands as a stark contrast to family precedent, marked by a rock aesthetic as grinding guitars and thumping drums round out tunes such as "In the Name of God." However, the meditative transcendence of Bob is alive and well. Ruminations on global politics and the human struggle abound on Dragonfly and still soothe the soul while casting Ziggy out of the shadow and into a new light. Tickets $28.50. -- Frank Etheridge

Summer Classic Movie Series 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 13; 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, June 14; through June 21 Saenger Theatre, 143 N. Rampart St., 524-2490 Movie-goers were thrilled last year when the Saenger celebrated its 75th anniversary with the showings of three classic movies: Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz and personal favorite Some Like It Hot. (Seeing Marilyn Monroe on the big screen explains everything!) Taking a cue from that success, the Saenger has broadened the notion with the screening of four movies over two weekends: The Philadelphia Story (7:30 p.m. Friday), Singing in the Rain (3 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Saturday, June 21), The Wizard of Oz (7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Saturday, June 21) and North by Northwest (7:30 p.m. Friday, June 20). These screenings, while not as comprehensive as, say, Atlanta's Fox Theatre (which screens films throughout the summer), come at a time when cities across the nation are losing their repertory theaters. Screenings include music provided by the Saenger's original Robert Morton Wonder Organ. Tickets -- $6 adults, $5.50 seniors and children 12-under -- are available at the box office or through Ticketmaster (522-5555). -- David Lee Simmons

Red Hot Chili Peppers 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 11 New Orleans Arena, 1501 Girod St.., 522-5555 The Red Hot Chili Peppers raps and rocks the New Orleans Arena on Wednesday. While many of their oldest fans are outraged at the increasing pop orientation of their latest recorded works, the Red Hot Chili Peppers remain modern legends. The Los Angeles-based band made significant contributions to the progression of pop music with freewheeling funk-rock fusion -- not to mention early rap-rock -- that blew them up to superstar status in the early '90s. Yes, recent albums like 1999's Californication and 2002's By the Way are far less edgy than the band's earlier material, but recent performances show that the Chili Peppers are still an energetic live act, and they've put together an interesting triple-bill for this tour. The band is flanked by an incongruous pair of supporting acts. At the Drive-In fallout band the Mars Volta will open the show with guitar rock that combines the urgency of the Stooges with the intricacy of Jimi Hendrix. The show also includes a now-smokeless Snoop Dogg, who will probably encourage the crowd to light up anyway. Tickets $38.50 and $43.50. -- Diettinger

Ben Vaughn & Impala 11 p.m. Friday, June 13 Circle Bar, 1032 St. Charles Ave., 588-2616 Quirky roots-rocker Ben Vaughn is a jack of all trades. As a solo artist, his rockabilly and surf-informed guitar style shines on albums such as Rambler 65, which he recorded completely inside its namesake car. As a producer, Vaughn's helmed great albums from unsung heroes such as rockabilly pioneer Charlie Feathers and soul great Arthur Alexander. Vaughn's a worthy collaborator, too, having worked with the likes of fellow underground pop cult figure Alex Chilton on the album Cubist Blues. While all those projects appeal more to the obsessive record collector crowd than casual fans, Vaughn's music has been heard by millions of people, thanks to his TV and movie work; that's his twisted instrumentals opening Third Rock From the Sun and That ¹70s Show, and he did the soundtrack for Swingers. His composing keeps him from touring regularly, and this is his first New Orleans show in 13 years, so catch him while you can. Impala opens. Admission TBA. -- Jordan