St. Boniface home to new place to say ‘santé’

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This article was published 09/07/2021 (1911 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg’s newest pop-up patio is embodying a “vive la différence” mentality.

Today at 4:30 p.m., Le Patio 340 joins the likes of the Garden 955, Cargo Bar, the Beer Can at the Granite and others as spots for locals to gather and enjoy food, drink and live entertainment in an outdoor space.

But the 14,000-square-foot Le Patio 340, located next to the Centre culturel franco-manitobain (CCFM) at 340 Provencher Blvd., is doing things a bit differently. One of the key components of the space is the emphasis on bilingual entertainment; programming throughout the summer is set to feature performances in both French and English.

“I’m a major fan of all the patios in town — I frequent them all when I have the chance,” said Ginette Lavack, CEO of the CCFM, at a Wednesday media launch. “It’s been great to learn from them and see what their setups are like. But this site is unlike the others.”

Hours for Le Patio 340 are currently slated to be Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 10 p.m. weekly. The space is also available for half- or full-day rental by individuals or organizations for all manner of functions.

Another aspect that sets Patio 340 apart from other pop-up patios in the city is the site itself. Rather than filling in a vacant lot, Le Patio 340’s seating area is grassy with a canopy of trees, features lounge chairs as well as repurposed tree stumps for seating, and used pallets that have been made into fencing and makeshift tables.

“We’ve got a creative team that’s amazing,” said Lavack. “Liliane (Lavack), our artistic director, was the one who came up with a lot of these concepts.”

The launch included comments from MP Dan Vandal, MLA Cathy Cox and Manitoba 150 co-chair Monique Lacoste. Funding from Canadian Heritage and Manitoba 150 helped Le Patio 340 come to life after planned programming in 2020 had to be scaled back due to the pandemic.

“We had a project planned for last summer around Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (June 24), but when we ended up doing a smaller virtual event, we asked if we could hang on to the funding and try and do something in person the next year,” said Lavack. “(Manitoba 150) said yes, that they were extending projects, so we created a bit of a new project with the patio and used those dollars towards this.”

The space is currently set up for around 140 people seated, but with pandemic restrictions slated to ease in the days to come, that number will likely rise — all told, in a restriction-free world, the space is licensed for 400. (The site also features an area for people to play horseshoes, which also isn’t currently permitted by existing restrictions.)

Food is available from the on-site Stella’s location, and offerings can be perused by scanning QR codes located throughout the space with a smart phone. Drink selections at Le Patio 340 include a range of craft beer from seven local breweries (including the St. Boniface-based Kilter Brewing, Brasserie La Shoppe and the nearby Nonsuch Brewing Co.) as well as cider, radlers, hard seltzers, wine and non-alcoholic options.

“Right away the breweries were excited to get involved — they wanted to be a partner with the project,” said Lavack. “They saw the opportunity with this particular site — we’re central, we have parking, there are areas for bikes to be stored.”

Opening night entertainment will feature DJ MAE, Fowler and Andrina Turenne. For more information on future programming, food and drink offerings and more, visit patio340.com.

ben.sigurdson@freepress.mb.ca