It’s been a good start to the largest winter festival in Western Canada.
The first weekend saw numbers higher than last year, and the warmer weather may be a factor.
“I think folks are excited to get outside while it’s still a little cold out,” said Breanne Lavallee-Heckert, executive director of the Festival du Voyageur.
“You can bundle up but you’re not worried about getting frostbite or anything like that, which makes a big difference, especially if you have little ones,” she told The Epoch Times.
Festival du Voyageur is celebrating 55 years in 2024, and as the name suggests, it’s a celebration of the province’s francophone and Metis heritage.
There are live performances by award-winning musicians, art displays, cultural displays, crafts, food and more. Pea soup competitions, and beard-growing competitions are just an example of many events over the years.
“You get to experience history and culture coming to life in front of you,” said Ms. Lavallee-Heckert. “There’s something for everybody. … we’re also celebrating and talking about the fur trade era and learning about that era. And it’s really significant, not just here in the prairies, in Manitoba, but for Canada as a whole.”
According to the provincial government, the festival brings in over 75,000 people every year. While most are from Manitoba, attendees also come from as far as Quebec and parts of the United States.
While this year’s warm weather may help bring in more people, it also means some of the traditional activities have had to be modified–like snow sculptures—since grass was showing in parts of Whittier Park just days before the festival.
“You can’t control the weather,” said Ms. Lavallee-Heckert. “And so instead of worrying about something we can’t control, we just decided to move in a direction where we knew we'd be able to provide something for the community.”
The festival has a long history. The idea of a winter festival to celebrate francophone culture in Manitoba was first floated in 1967, but at the time there were not enough resources to make it a reality. It was incorporated as a non-profit in 1969, and the first Festival du Voyageur was held in 1970, with the backing of the (then) City of St. Boniface, and 18 community organizations.
Since then, the festival has grown and evolved, and now has around 10 full time staff.
The Manitoba government provides an annual grant of nearly $325,000 to support the festival. But the Festival du Voyageur organization has an annual budget of over four million dollars. Much of its revenue comes from sales and admission, along with sponsorships.
And those crowds of people also boost the economy of the region.
“Festival is a huge economic tourism driver,” said Ms. Lavallee-Heckert.
In 2019 the festival received special designation under the Celebrate Manitoba program, which recognizes long-running events that have celebrated the province’s heritage for at least 50 years.
But while the festival’s history runs deep, Ms. Lavallee-Heckert says she’s encouraged to see that the festival is also attracting young people and families.
“We’re seeing younger crowds coming out, which is really exciting to be able to see that continuity of culture being passed down, and language,” she said.
