Hé Ho! Bon festival! You know it’s winter in Winnipeg when you start seeing snow sculptures around downtown and in St. Boniface. That’s right, Winnipeg’s annual winter festival starts on Friday!
The Torch Light Walk, a walk illuminated by hundreds of candles and torch lights departing from The Forks at 6 p.m. and will proceed to Voyageur Park on the opening evening on Friday, February 17. Opening Celebrations will reignite the voyageurs in all of us with this outdoor show filled with music, dance and fire.
This year, Festival du Voyageur presents more than 235 shows, representing more than 300 hours of music! Fred Penner, Little Miss Higgins, Keith & Renee, Sarah MacDougall, DJ Co-op & DJ Hunnicut are also on the 2012 roster. The band Men In Kilts will also be making a comeback for one night only at the Voyageur Trading Post.
Louis Riel Day: Celebrating Our History
For Louis Riel Day on February 20th, programming will mainly feature First Nations, Métis and Aboriginal artists such as Aboriginal School of Dance, Don Amero, and Vince Fontaine : Indian City. This year, Festival du Voyageur will present its first Louis-Riel Look-A-Like Contest, as a panel of experts will determine which contestant has the best Riel inspired look. All throughout the week and especially on Louis Riel Day, a series of workshops will be held at Fort Gibraltar with themes such as flint knapping, traditional music, fur trade dances, and coopering.
Filipino Journal Day at Voyageur Park
Join the Filipino Journal on Saturday, February 25th all day! We’re going to have a special group photo by gates of Fort Gibraltar around 1:30pm. Enjoy winter to the fullest at Voyageur Park! A large winter playground is open for children including a snow maze, slides, sleigh rides, voyageur adventures and more. Adults can participate in one of the many free snowshoe workshops, relax at the Molson Coors Snow Bar, shop for unique items at the Souvenir Tent or learn more about Manitoba’s history at Fort Gibraltar.
Voyageur Passes Now On Sale
The 10-day Voyageur Pass gives you access to Voyageur Park and free or discounted admission at all the Festival du Voyageur sites and is now on sale at all Safeway stores across Winnipeg. The adult pass is available for $22 and the youth pass (6 to 17 years old) is $7. The pass will no longer be a button, but a new practical format similar to the passes used at ski resorts. For those who are still looking to purchase a button, souvenir buttons will be available at Festival du Voyageur for $1.
