Festival du Voyageur nearly ready to roll

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/01/2016 (3789 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sometimes, being is believing.

The 47th edition of Festival du Voyageur will take place between Fri., Feb. 12 and Sun., Feb. 21 at 10 official sites, including the central hub of Voyageur Park. This year’s festival slogan is Be Voyageur.

Festival’s executive director Ginette Lavack Walters said the Be Voyageur theme of this year’s event celebrates the spirit of the voyageur.

“Everyone always loves francophone tradition and getting bundled up and going outside during the winter,” Lavack Walters said. “It’s about being adventurous and intrepid and going outside.”

Music will again be the main ingredient of Western Canada’s largest winter festival, with more than 140 artists scheduled to appear at the 10-day event.

Festival organizers say the list of performers includes Franco-Manitoban acts Carmen Campagne, Jocelyne Baribeau, Marijosée, and Ça Claque! There will also be performances from artists outside the province such as Cœur de Pirate (Quebec), Les Poules à Colin (Quebec), Les Hay Babies (New Brunswick), Còig (Nova Scotia), and Sweet Crude (Louisiana). Many anglophone acts are also part of this year’s programming, including The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer (British Columbia), Del Barber (Manitoba), Rosie & the Riveters (Saskatchewan) and Andino Suns (Saskatchewan).

Festival’s younger visitors will once again be able to enjoy a winter playground with a snow maze, slides, hills, arts and crafts, games, horse-drawn sleigh rides, and a giant igloo. Meanwhile, the grown-ups can take their pick from participating in free snowshoe workshops, relaxing at the Liquor Mart Snow Bar, sipping on a hot drink in Bar Gibraltar, shopping in the souvenir tent, or learning more about Manitoba’s history at any number of voyageur apprentice workshops.

To mark Louis Riel Day on Mon., Feb. 15, there will also be a full day of activities for all ages, including traditional trades and crafts demonstrations, and fiddling and jigging workshops. Organizers will also unveil a giant Louis Riel mosaic created with photos submitted by community members during the past year. Photos will be accepted until Jan. 15.

Lavack Walters said one new feature this year is the Canadian Museum for Human Rights’ first outdoor exhibit at Festival, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote in Canada. Let Them Howl: 100 Years in the Women’s Rights Struggle features large reproductions of portraits of women who broke gender barriers from Nellie McClung to Beverley McLachlin.   

Another new addition is a new themed tent — the Université de Saint-Boniface Portage Tent — that will open its doors on both weekends and offer diverse programming and themed nights such as karaoke night, singles night on Valentine’s Day and a board game night in collaboration with Across the Board.

“The tent will be chilled and low key and also offer craft days on both Saturdays (between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.) and we’re excited about the unique blend of vendors that will be there,” Lavack Walters said.  

“Each year, more and more people are becoming intrigued by the exotic aspects of winter, and more visitors are attending from further afield and coming in from out of the province from places such as Florida.”

For more information, go online at www.heho.ca or visit Festival du Voyageur on Facebook or Twitter. 

 

Facebook.com/TheLanceWPG
Twitter: @lanceWPG