Tickets are on sale for the upcoming season of Festival du Voyageur, as the Winnipeg-based winter festival marks over half a century in the city.
Gearing up for its 55th edition, the festival will return with a number of activities and family-friendly fun — including hiking, fiddling and ice sculpturing workshops. It’s dubbed the largest winter festival in Western Canada.
Tickets are available for purchase online or in person at the festival office.
Executive director Breanne Lavallee-Heckert said in a press release Thursday that the upcoming season will hopefully be “one for the books.”
“It’s nice to be able to gather during these times. There’s a lot of things going on in our world. Having spaces like festivals where we have people who are coming together in the spirit of sharing culture … it’s so important to have those spaces,” Lavallee-Heckert said. “People can count on the same sites, smells, and feels. All of the things that make (Festival du Voyageur) a festival.”
Included in the festivities is an Infinity Fire, defined in the release as a “gathering place honouring the Red River Metis people around two campfires.” Along with a number of musical performances, the festival will be home to a performance by The Strumbellas on Feb. 17.
‘A challenging year’
Earlier this year, a tourist attraction managed by Festival collapsed, injuring 17 children and one adult.
Fort Gibraltar, the site in question, has since been closed after its walkway collapsed in May. A lawsuit against the organization claimed the Festival and the City of Winnipeg failed to properly maintain the site’s structures.
In October, Festival du Voyageur announced that the walls of the attraction were coming down ahead of the upcoming season.
“As was announced this past fall, the walls and walkway of Fort Gibraltar will be removed to ensure the security and safety of the site. That work has already commenced,” Lavallee-Heckert told Global News on Thursday. “It’s a great relief to be able to say that and to be able to move forward with the festival as the community knows it.”
She added that the organization was working with the city and the province to ensure that the site is secured. An inspection was also done, she said, noting that the festival was in full compliance with safety measures.
“It’s been a challenging year for different reasons. We’re all just very excited to have the support of the community,” Lavallee-Heckert said.
The festival is set to run from Feb. 16 to 25 next year.
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