The Festival du Voyageur is an annual 10-day winter festival that takes place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The event is held during each February in Winnipeg's French quarter, Saint-Boniface, and is western Canada's largest winter festival. It celebrates Canada's fur-trading past and unique French heritage and culture through entertainment, arts and crafts, music, exhibits, and displays.
The word "Voyageur" refers to those who worked for a fur-trading company and usually travelled by canoe. In the case of Festival du Voyageur, the title of "Official Voyageur" is given to ambassadors of the festival.[2]
History
Snow sculpture at Festival du Voyageur, with the Fort Gibraltar in the background.Snow sculpture from Festival 2013Ice sculpture for Red River College in the Exchange District from Festival 2014
The idea for a winter festival to celebrate Manitoba's Francophonie was first proposed by Georges Forest, who became the first official "Voyageur" in 1967.[2][3] The proposal was put forth to the then-City of St. Boniface, but the city's offer was insufficient.[4]
In the summer of 1969, mayor of St. Boniface Ed Turner, along with city council, granted their support under the condition that Festival became an incorporated organization. Judge Robert Trudel became the first president of Festival du Voyageur. Festival du Voyageur Inc. was incorporated under the Companies Act of Manitoba on 18 December 1969. It received a city grant of $35,000 but had to give back all profits up to $35,000.[citation needed]
At a press conference held on 13 January 1970, mayor Turner announced that the city of Saint-Boniface would present a festival honouring the Voyageur of the fur-trading era, in celebration of Manitoba's centennial.[citation needed] The first Festival du Voyageur took place that year from February 26 to March 1, at Provencher Park, with an estimated attendance of 50,000 people.[4] Acting as an 'ambassador' for the event, Georges Forest promoted the event by wearing clothing that represented the Voyageurs. This initiated the tradition of "Official Voyageurs", which continues to this day.[2] The 1970 festival lasted four days and featured the walk down Provencher Boulevard, the Governor's Bal and the Voyageur Trading Post.[4]
A large number of attendees required an unforeseen level of expenditure by festival organizers; by the festival's conclusion, the organization had debt in excess of C$40,000. To remedy their financial situation, the organizers held horse races as a fundraiser in conjunction with the 1971 festival. The 1971 festival was a success, drawing nearly 200,000 guests. However, instead of resolving the financial situation, the fundraiser pushed the organization further into debt.[citation needed]
The snow sculpture that won the 1971 event was of a pair of boots and a toque. This sculpture inspired the creation of a mascot, Léo La Tuque, who was introduced in 1972 and became the trademark of Festival du Voyageur.[4]
Grants from the city of Winnipeg and the Secretary of State allowed the Festival to make arrangements with their creditors. The name was changed to "Festival du Voyageur" (the "of the" was dropped). For the 1972 festival, Arthur D'Eschambault was elected president. He hired a number of financial and management directors (most of whom were anglophone). The festival ran from February 21 to 27, and the profits amounted to C$108.46.
Two "school" voyageurs were appointed in 1977, to visit schools and teach children about the voyageurs and Festival.
In 1977, construction began on wooden log cabins in Whittier Park to accommodate the festival. The log cabins were constructed to be left there year-round. In 1978, the organization had accumulated enough surplus funds to make Whittier Park the permanent site of the festival. Provencher Park had become too small for the growing number of attendees. These cabins formed the foundation of the historic reconstruction that became known as Fort Gibraltar.[4]
In 1981, the Festival du Voyageur purchased an empty warehouse, located at 768 Taché Avenue, for administrative offices and to be used for an additional venue. The building became known as the Rendez-Vous and eventually came to include a bar named Le Canot.[4]
From February to October 2001, a large house was constructed in Fort Gibraltar for the event. The house is called the Maison du Bourgeois.[4]
The Rendez-Vous building on Taché was put up for sale in 2003, and sold in 2006. New administrative offices were found in a building at 233 Provencher Avenue, and it came to also feature a store called the Boutique du voyageur.[4]
In 2005, a year-round interpretive centre was built in Fort Gibraltar.[4]
In 2010, Festival du Voyageur Inc. (FDV Inc.) received $438,174 from Industry Canada's two-year Marquee Tourism Events Program (MTEP). In 2011, the festival saw 1,151 volunteers donate 14,393 hours of work.[10]
The festival currently employs 13 full-time permanent staff and at the festivals peak employs roughly 200 people.[4] The typical annual attendance is 100,000 people across all ten days of the festival.[11]
The 2013 festival saw approximate revenue of $2.9million.[12]
In 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Festival du Voyageur offered virtual programming and broadcast its concert events over YouTube and Facebook.[13]
Partners
As of 2021[update], organizations affiliated with the Festival du Voyageur include:[14]
Official partners: Bell MTS, Caisse Groupe Financier, and Canada Life (French: Canada Vie)
"Friends of Festival:" Wawanesa Insurance, CN Rail, Éducatrices et éducateurs francophones du Manitoba, Qualico Communities, Roquette, Asper Foundation, and Assurart
The Université de Saint-Boniface (USB) is a French-language public university located in the Saint Boniface neighbourhood of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. An affiliated institution of the University of Manitoba, the university offers general and specialized university degree programs as well as technical and professional training. In 2014, 1,368 regular students were enrolled. Its Continuing Education Division, which includes a language school, has also counted over 4,200 enrolments.
St-Boniface is a city ward and neighbourhood in Winnipeg. Along with being the centre of the Franco-Manitoban community, it ranks as the largest francophone community in Western Canada.
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Joseph-Norbert Provencher was a Canadian clergyman and missionary and one of the founders of the modern province of Manitoba. He was the first Bishop of Saint Boniface and was an important figure in the history of the Franco-Manitoban community.
Alexandre-Antonin Taché, O.M.I., was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest, missionary of the Oblate order, author, and the first Archbishop of Saint Boniface in Manitoba, Canada.
Fort Gibraltar was founded in 1809 by Alexander Macdonell of Greenfield of the North West Company in present-day Manitoba, Canada. It was located at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in or near the area now known as The Forks in the city of Winnipeg. Fort Gibraltar was renamed Fort Garry after the merger of North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821, and became Upper Fort Garry in 1835.
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Taché Avenue is a street in the neighbourhood of St. Boniface in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The road forms a portion of the city’s primary diking system to defend against flooding along the Red River.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint-Boniface is a Latin archdiocese in part of the civil Province of Manitoba in Canada. Despite having no suffragan dioceses, the archdiocese is nominally metropolitan and is an ecclesiastical province by itself. It is currently led by Archbishop Albert LeGatt.
St. Adolphe, or Saint Adolphe, originally called Pointe-Coupée, is a community in the Rural Municipality of Ritchot, Manitoba, Canada. It is located along the east bank of the Red River, approximately 12 kilometres south of Winnipeg.
Louis Philippe Adélard Langevin was a Canadian Oblate priest and Archbishop of Saint-Boniface. He founded the La Liberté newspaper published in Manitoba on May 20, 1913.
The 2002 Winnipeg municipal election was held on 23 October 2002 to elect a mayor, councillors and school trustees in the city of Winnipeg.
Miguel Joyal is a Canadian-born Métis artist and sculptor.
Nelson McIntyre Collegiate (NMC) is a grade 9-12 high school in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is part of the Louis Riel School Division and has an enrollment of approximately 280 students.
Manitoban culture is a term that encompasses the artistic elements that are representative of Manitoba. Manitoba's culture has been influenced by both traditional and modern Canadian artistic values, as well as some aspects of the cultures of immigrant populations and its American neighbours. In Manitoba, the Minister of Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport is the cabinet minister responsible for promoting and, to some extent, financing Manitoba culture. The Manitoba Arts Council is the agency that has been established to provide the processes for arts funding. The Canadian federal government also plays a role by instituting programs and laws regarding culture nationwide. Most of Manitoba's cultural activities take place in its capital and largest city, Winnipeg.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Manitoba:
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