All hands on deck at Festival du Voyageur

St. Boniface

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This article was published 08/02/2023 (1065 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

St. Boniface

With Festival du Voyageur returning to full in-person programming this year, volunteers will once again be the lifeblood of the event.

At press time, Festival had 390 volunteers signed up to lend helping hands to the 54th edition of the event, which will run from Feb. 17 to 26.

“I’d like to give a shout-out to past and present volunteers and say ‘thank you very much’ because without volunteers we would be able to hold the festival,” said Marjorie Grainville, Festival du Voyageur’s finance and human resources manager, who is also co-ordinating the volunteer contingent this year.

Grainville said organizers probably need to recruit 30 to 40 more volunteers to cover all of their bases, but this number will depend, in part, on how many shifts the existing volunteer base will be able to cover.

Several volunteers, who recently began their orientation sessions, are new Canadians who have arrived in Winnipeg from locales such as Africa, Belgium, France, Germany, and Honduras, Grainville said.

“We have lots of new faces this year, and people from all over the world. It’s a good way for them to get to know their community, as well as make new friends.”

Grainville noted there are certain misconceptions about the criteria for volunteers, and said candidates don’t necessarily to be French, or speak French, for example, as one of the goals is to “share our culture and share our joie de vivre with everyone.”

There are currently volunteer positions available in Festival du Voyageur’s green team, which is tasked with general maintenance tasks inside the tents, which includes garbage control and making sure items are recycled or composted properly.

“These opportunities are mainly inside, and volunteers will be able to enjoy the music and connect with others and also do a good deed for the environment.”

As of Feb. 1, there were also several volunteer bartending positions available, as well as others such as parking attendants.

Grainville said volunteer benefits include a free meal every shift and a pass that enables volunteers to visit Voyageur Park outside shift hours. There will also be a volunteer party on the last day of the festival, which is kind of like a social.

Anyone pursuing a volunteer position who doesn’t secure one this year time is encouraged to apply next year, Grainville said.

Visit heho.ca for more information.