The Festival du Voyageur is an annual 10-day winter festival that takes place in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, Canada. The event is held each February in Winnipeg's French quarter, Saint-Boniface, and is

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'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 A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

. In the case of Festival du Voyageur, the title of "Official Voyageur" is given to ambassadors of the festival.

History

The idea for a winter festival to celebrate Manitoba's

Francophonie The Francophonie or Francophone world is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important a ...

was first proposed in 1967 by Georges Forest, who became the first official "Voyageur". The proposal was put forth to the then- City of St. Boniface, but the city's offer was insufficient. In the summer of 1969,

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of St. Boniface Ed Turner, along with

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, 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 December 18, 1969. It received a city grant of $35,000 but had to give back all profits up to $35,000. At a press conference held on January 13, 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. 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. 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. The 1970 festival lasted four days and featured the walk down

Provencher Boulevard Route 57 is a major road located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It connects the suburbs of St. James and St. Boniface with the West End and the downtown core. Route description Route 57 begins as Dublin Avenue at Route 90 in the St. James Industri ...

, the Governor's Bal, and the Voyageur Trading Post. 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 $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. 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. 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

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). The festival ran from February 21 to 27, and the profits amounted to $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. 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. From February to October 2001, a large house was constructed in Fort Gibraltar for the event. The house is called the Maison du Bourgeois. 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. In 2005, a year-round interpretive centre was built in Fort Gibraltar. In 2011, The Festival was awarded the Award of Excellence – Promotion of Linguistic Duality by the Commissioner of Official Languages

Graham Fraser Graham Fraser (born 1946) is a Canadian former journalist and writer who served as Canada's sixth Commissioner of Official Languages. He is the author of several books, both in English and French. Early life and education Fraser is the son o ...

for its contribution to the vitality of the Franco-Manitoban Community. In 2021, due to the

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, Festival du Voyageur offered virtual programming and broadcast its concert events over

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and

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Attendance

Current operation

In 2024, the festival saw 922 volunteers donate 12,893 hours of work. The festival employs around 10 permanent staff and employs approximately 200 temporary staff during the February event. In 2024, the festival's revenue was approximately $3.5m.

Partners

, organizations affiliated with the Festival du Voyageur include: * Official partners:

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, Caisse Financial Group,

Canada Life The Canada Life Assurance Company ( French: ''La Compagnie d'Assurance du Canada sur la Vie''), commonly known as Canada Life (''Canada-Vie''), is a Canadian insurance and financial services company with its headquarters in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The ...

, Fairmont, Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, Nonsuch Brewing, and

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. * Official sponsors: The Asper Foundation, Red River Co-op,

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, Prairie Mobile Communications, Université de Saint-Boniface, and Kinsmen Club of Winnipeg. * Major sponsors: AC Security, Alberta Pure, Brio Insurance, Canadian Club, Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre,

CN Rail The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue an ...

, Conseil jeunesse provincial (“Provincial Youth Council”), HelloWebsites, Industrial Metals, International Fur Dressers & Dyers,

Jim Beam Jim Beam is an American brand of bourbon whiskey produced primarily at James B. Beam Distilling Co. in Clermont, Kentucky by Suntory Global Spirits. It is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795 (interrupted by Prohi ...

, Johnson Group,

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, On The Rocks, Qualico, Recycle Everywhere, Compassion Network, Francophone Society of Manitoba, and

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. * Media sponsors: CTV, Envol 91 FM, ICI Manitoba, La Liberté, NCI FM, and

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. * "Friends of Festival:" 100 Nons, Avenir IT, Beaver Bus Lines,

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Alcohol Free, Country John's Portable Toilet Rentals, Éducatrices et éducateurs Francophones du Manitoba, Fiddler's Green, Fireball, Fort Group, Hub International, Ocean Trailer, Maxim Truck & Trailer, Musique et Film Manitoba,

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, Parenty Reitmeier, Prism Kombucha, Somersby Cider, Tower Engineering, Truly, Twisted Tea, and Winnipeg Airports Authority. * Funders: Governments of Canada,

, and

; FrancoFonds; and Musicaction.

References

External links