Festival! Oui, oui, oui…
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/11/2023 (694 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Next year’s Festival du Voyageur to run Feb. 16 to 25
The next edition of Festival du Voyageur isn’t too far away.
The 55th instalment of the iconic winter event will be held between Feb. 16 to 25, 2024, and Voyageur Park (71 Voyageur Ave.) will again be the hub for the upcoming festivities.
File photo by Simon Fuller
A file photo from a pre-pandemic instalment of Festival du Voyageur. The next edition will run from Feb. 16 to 25, 2024.
In the run-up to her first Festival as executive director, Breanne Lavallée-Heckert said she’s feeling “immense excitement and pride” and can’t wait to for the festivities to get going early next year.
“After last year’s memorable edition, I’m convinced that this year will be even more special,” Lavallée-Heckert said in a news release. “We’re working tirelessly to create a unique experience, with a variety of activities for all tastes, exceptional artistic programming and new surprises that will make the winter festival one for the books.”
As always, music will be the centrepiece of Festival, and the lineup next February is scheduled to include Vieux Farka Touré, Harry Manx, Jocelyne Baribeau, La Légende de Calamity Jane, Willows, Sala, Andrina Turenne, Les Babineaux Sisters Band, Hello Fiasco, Akina, mountain.seed, and The Strumbellas, organizers say.
The upcoming event also includes a long list of activities for visitors, including historical interpretation presented by Université de Saint-Boniface; tent performances, the Brasserie du Bourgeois and the Terrasse à chansons; fiddling, jigging, beard growing, and pea soup competitions; ice sculpting workshops; horse sleigh rides and snowshoeing trail; food kiosks; and a P’tchi symposium.
Once again, Indigenous initiatives will be a key part of the festivities, as Festival will present Indigenous art installations in Voyageur Park, when attendees will have the opportunity to discover winter stories told in Indigenous languages.
As well, the Infinity Fire will serve as a gathering place honouring the Red River Métis people around two campfires; the walls of the Infinity Fire will again be embellished by a Métis art installation designed by local artist Candace Lipischak.
Anyone who buys their FDV tickets by Dec. 31 will be automatically entered into a contest that’s being held in partnership with VIA Rail. The prize is two round-trip tickets between Winnipeg and Toronto.
Go online at heho.ca for more information.
Festival du Voyageur receives provincial grant for structural work at Fort Gibraltar
The provincial government is providing a one-time grant of $50,000 to St. Boniface-based Festival du Voyageur.
“Festival du Voyageur is a flagship cultural heritage festival and our government is committed to supporting this inclusive celebration of francophone, Métis and First Nations history,” said Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism Minister Glen Simard, minister responsible for francophone affairs, in a recent news release.
“This grant provides essential funding for required structural work that will allow the organization to safely host the 2024 edition of the festival.”
Part of the project will involve the existing wooden walls surrounding Fort Gibraltar being replaced with temporary fencing that would serve as a backdrop to art installations and cultural displays while work continues on the site.
Officials say the work is in response to an engineering safety assessment conducted after a structural failure last May. The work will continue into spring 2024 after next year’s festival has finished.
—Staff