Winter festival heats up February
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/02/2017 (3152 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
It’s time to wrap a ceinture fléchée around your waist, head over to Voyageur Park and chow down on some world-famous Tire sur neige.
The 2017 Festival du Voyageur begins Friday and runs through Feb. 26. It’s the 48th edition of the annual celebration of Manitoba’s French-Canadian and Métis heritage.
Eating maple syrup cooled in snow and rolled up on a stick — Tire sur neige — is one of a long list of annual activities that will ensure a Bon Festival for all.
There are some new offerings at the outdoor park in St. Boniface, Winnipeg’s French quarter.
The first-ever wood carving challenge will be held on Saturday through Monday featuring six chainsaw carvers including two stars of HGTV’s Carver Kings and OLN’s Sawdogs. The wood carvings will be sold during an online auction.
There’s plenty to do for free, if buying a ticket isn’t in your budget.
The Rendez-vous on Ice, open during the first four days of the Festival, is an all-ages venue with free admission. It is located on the Red River Mutual Trail at The Forks.
There will be free hot chocolate on Friday between 7-10 a.m. during the Breakfast On Ice event. On Louis Riel Day, there will be free hot chocolate and activities for children from noon to 4 p.m. There will also be the Wild Winter Canoe Race, beginning at 11 a.m. where entrants will “paddle” their canoe by pushing with one leg out of the canoe.
The first Fierté d’hiver, a Winter Pride Celebration for Winnipeg’s LGBTQ community, will be held at the Rendez-vous on Ice on Saturday beginning at 7 p.m. Two-Spirited People of Manitoba will perform a traditional drum song followed by a performance by Rylee Sandberg, a seven-year-old Anishinabe, Cree and Metis hoop dancer.
On Feb. 24, there will be free horse-drawn carriage rides from 6 p.m. to midnight. Pick-up points will be at Marion and Tache for rides to the Festival park grounds.
The torch light walk takes place Friday beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and ends at Voyageur Park. Opening celebrations, which begin at 7:30 p.m., will include fireworks and a tribute to the large oak tree of Voyageur Park, which will find new life as a sculpture following the Festival.
The International Snow Sculpting Symposium is back in Voyageur Park. During the first few days, people can watch artists from France, Germany and Venezuela, the United States, Ontario and Manitoba at work.
In the Université de Saint-Boniface Portage Tent, things will get a little hairy on Friday night with the Beard Growing Contest.
There will be a variety of themed events throughout the week in the tent including Market Days, on both Saturdays (from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.), featuring the work of over a dozen local artisans and vendors, and Singles Night on Sunday for adults only.
As well, at the same site, there will be kiosks for the Union nationale métisse Saint-Joseph du Manitoba, the Société historique de Saint-Boniface and the Assiniboine Park Zoo among others. The Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre will be on hand with some of their animal ambassadors.
The mosaic in honour of Tommy Prince, created by photos sent to the Festival by the public throughout the year, will be unveiled Feb. 20 at 11:30 a.m. in front of Fort Gibraltar.
There will be more than 150 musical artists performing throughout the 10 days, as well as jigging and fiddling contests, pea soup tasting and workshops on Métis beading, finger weaving and woodworking among others.
Voyageur Park will also feature entertainment for kids of all ages, including Al Simmons, Carmen Campagne, marijo, Mr. Circus, Madame Diva and Patrick Grégoire the magician.
The Norwood Grove BIZ and Provencher Boulevard BIZ are hosting a culinary event in conjunction with the Festival called mmmFestival. Restaurants, cafés, and bakeries throughout St. Boniface have created an appetizer, entrée, desert and/or beverage inspired by the Festival and for special prices.
For more information, check out the Festival’s website at heho.ca.