WINNIPEG -- The 51st Festival du Voyageur is coming up in February, and this year’s event will feature a mix of festival staples and brand new initiatives, including site-wide composting and the biggest tent in the festival’s history.

Darrel Nadeau, executive director of Festival du Voyageur, said the event reflects the present-day community and the community during the fur-trade era.

“The fur trade would not have been possible without a deep kinship between Indigenous peoples and the voyageurs,” he said in a news release.

“This year, our festival as a whole is a true reflection of this kinship that makes up our history, and it is with this spirit we will carry forward into the future.”

INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES, STORIES AND VISUAL ARTS

This year’s festival will not only feature Indigenous musicians, but also Indigenous languages, stories and visual arts.

This programming includes:

- An art installation and live performance art piece by Jamie Black, creator of the REDress Project

- Michif and Indigenous storytelling

- An Indigenous music showcase

- A Field Trip Sessions art installation and a walk-through gallery with Roots Above Branches 

- An Indigenous makers market on Louis Riel Day

- A reading and conversation with author Beatrice Mosionier

- Indigenous cuisine with a pop-up by Ishkode

- The festival logo was designed by Jordan Stranger, an Oji-Cree visual artist.

A REALLY BIG TENT

This year’s Bell MTS Red River Tent will be the largest venue in the history of Festival du Voyageur. The tent will offer nearly double the space for activities and will be able to fit over 1,000 people.

COMPOSTING AND WATER STATIONS

The 2020 festival will also offer some new environmental initiatives. The event has partnered with the University of Manitoba’s UMEARTH to recruit Eco-Voyageurs to help those at the festival navigate the site-wide composting. They will also provide free water stations in order to cut down on single-use water bottles.

UMEARTH is also studying how the festival heats its tent in order to help reduce energy consumption in the future.

LOCAL BEER

This year the festival is partnering with two local breweries, Fort Gary Brewing and Farmery Estate Brewing, who will be providing Manitoba-made beer and other drinks.

According to the news release, this partnership will give people more of a selection of products to choose from.

Festival du Voyageur is also working with these breweries on co-branded products and promotions.

More information on Festival du Voyageur can be found on the event’s mobile app. 

The festival takes place from Feb. 14 to 23. Tickets can be found online or at the Festival du Voyageur office, located at 233 Provencher Blvd.