WATCH: William Prince discusses the role music plays at Festival du Voyageur
WINNIPEG – Hé Ho! It’s the first day of Festival du Voyageur, Canada’s largest winter festival.
It’s time to wear your plaid, put your long johns, tuque, mitts and moccasins on for 10 days of joie de vivre!
This year marks the 47th year of the festival which celebrates francophone, indigenous and Métis culture. The 2016 theme is “Be Voyageur!”
WATCH: Shannon Cuciz talks about what you can expect at Festival du Voyageur with Ginette Lavack Walters
“Our ancestors the voyageurs they persevered they were intrepid folks, that had to travel the country to help open up the west and the fur trade,” Festival du Voyageur executive director Ginette Lavack Walters said. “We want people to embrace that spirit embrace that sense of adventure.”
In addition to the international snow sculpting symposium there is a snow tunnel at the Fort Gibraltar entrance.
PHOTO GALLERY: A look at the international snow sculpting symposium at Festival du Voyageur
“We have sculptors that come from all over the world, we have some this year from Ecuador, from France and from Germany,” Walters said.
There is also a new tent this year with different programming every night such as karaoke, board games and singles night on February 14.
“Valentines Day is right in the middle of Festival,” the singles night host Françoise Soirée Célibataire said. “You can expect games and activities totally geared toward adults only so 18 plus.”
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Canadians and international tourists settling in to the city for Festival du Voyageur can look forward to the largest music selection ever at nine office sites.
Musicians and artists from across the country will be performing while vendors display a variety of handmade products.
Families can also explore a snow maze, slides, horse-drawn sleigh rides, igloos, snow sculptures and more.
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