Vikings, rockers, pioneers: a long weekend festival roundup

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/07/2015 (3717 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Want to try on a Viking helmet? Rock ‘til you drop or maybe pump some bellows in a pioneer forge?

From Gimli to Steinbach, Minnedosa to Kenora, you’ll probably run out of steam long before the summer festivals do this holiday weekend.

The August long weekend in Manitoba has a enviable track record of outdoor festivals and this year’s no exception.

Icelandic Festival

In Gimli, descendents of intrepid fishermen mark the 126th anniversary of this summer resort’s founding on the western shores of Lake Winnipeg. They nearly starved that first winter but the community’s thrived since then.

Islendingadagurinn: the Icelandic Festival returns to Gimli this August long Weekend and features family friendly events such as the MTS Viking Village, midway, crafters, Icelandic and Canadian folk and jazz on free stages, pancake breakfasts, family sports, beach activities, fireworks, Icelandic food, music, poetry and art exhibits. Agnes M. Sigurðardóttir, Bishop of Iceland, holds the place as guest of honour this year. She speaks in Gimli Park Monday at 2 pm.

Gimli is 90 kilometres north of Winnipeg off Highway 8.

http://www.icelandicfestival.com/default.asp

Pioneer Days

Maybe you like going back to the land.

In Steinbach, the Mennonite Heritage Villages offers a perspective of pioneer farmers melded by their shared German-Swiss roots and Christian faith in the August long weekend Pioneer Days, their biggest event of the year.

The Mennonite Heritage Village offers a trip back in time to the era when farmers first broke prairie sod.

“Hitch your horses and pack your luggage for a harrowing tale of migration and settlement at the Mennonite Heritage Village,” their website boast.

Travel through time to a turn-of-the century Russian Mennonite street village on a 40 acre site, taste traditional Mennonite fare at the museum’s Livery Barn Restaurant, and explore a classic Mennonite housebarn and a fully operational Dutch windmill.

For history buffs, there are heirloom treasures on display from Poland and Russia to Canada.

The Mennonite Heritage Village is 65 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg off Hwy 12. Follow the signs to the village on Provincial Road 231.

http://www.mennoniteheritagevillage.com/

Rockin’ the Fields of Minnedosa

Maybe you dance to a different drum.

Rockin’ the Fields of Minnedosa is like the famed Folk Festival for rock and roll campers. Called Manitoba’s best kept secret (#itsabeautiful thing), their website promises three nights of rock and roll, golf, the beach, water skiing, fishing, a western style rodeo, a farmers market and historic park.

Don’t be surprised to see Mounties on duty and in action: They warn against drinking and driving at the rock event every year. Last year one festival fan faced impaired driving charges after three pedestrians were hit near the festival.

The main stage line up includes BGP (Barry G. Player) Band, Pigeon Park, Moist, Night Ranger, Daughtry, Wide Mouth Mason and The Tea Party.

Minnedosa is about 220 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg via the Yellowhead (Hwy 16) or the Trans Canada.

http://rockinthefields.ca/

Kenora Harbourfest

Maybe lakeside in the boreal shield’s more your style.

Harbourfest in Kenora bills itself as the largest three day music festival in northwestern Ontario. Winnipeg is the closest big city. Uber wealthy rustic log palaces dot private island retreat on the Lake of the Woods.

The line up here also includes Daughtry and Night Ranger, as well as Tim Hicks, Blackjack Billy, North Shore. And everybody’s heard of Loverboy.

The send off for the three-day boreal jam fest is giant fireworks show Monday night.

Kenora is 210 kilometres east of Winnipeg on the Trans-Canada Highway.

http://www.harbourfest.ca/

Folklorama

The August long weekend is also the traditional wind-up for Winnipeg’s most extravagant ode to multiculturalism, 46th annual Folklorama which kicks off Sunday and last two weeks until Aug. 15.

Folkorama is the largest and longest-running multicultural festival of its kind in the world as determined in 2010 by CIOFF, the International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts.

This year’s event lists more than 40 pavilions to show case cultures worldwide, drawn on local volunteers who offer a taste of food, dance and entertainment from each culture.

http://www.folklorama.ca/about/detail/27