Festival du Voyageur in full swing, sees thousands on opening weekend

Thousands of people passed through the grounds of Whittier Park to mark the long weekend and the beginning of Festival du Voyageur.

With live performances by local musicians and dazzling art displays, Festival organizers say there’s something for people of all ages.

“Everyone's just excited to be outside to be spending some time together,” said Festival du Voyageur Executive Director Breanne Lavallee-Heckert. “Being around music, food culture, it's just a really great atmosphere here.”

Lavallee-Heckert said Festival also gives community members a chance to immerse themselves in Francophone culture.

“There's so many different cultural components that are at play here at Festival, it's so nice to experience them all together,” she said.

With this year’s unseasonably mild temperatures and lack of snow, organizers say they had to modify some of the traditional activities and attractions.

“Usually we have snow structures that that kids can climb on through tunnels, all sorts of different things. But this year, one of our artists created these giant woven baskets with harvested willow and dogwood and created these really amazing structures,” Lavallee-Heckert said.

As part of Louis Riel Day on Monday, Festival du Voyageur encourages families to come out and celebrate Métis and Indigenous culture with artists performing all across festival grounds.

Tickets can be purchased through the event’s website.