Festival du Voyageur 2016 to host largest music lineup in event history

Festival du Voyageur preps for more guests in 2016 Marney Blunt reports on how Festival du Voyageur is gearing up to accommodate even more guests in 2016.

An annual Manitoba winter celebration is set for another busy year.

Festival du Voyageur, now in its 47th year, will feature familiar events and family favourites including live music, igloos, snow sculptures, snow slides, sleigh rides, snowshoeing and more.

“It's something that we have in us, it's our culture,” said Michelle Sorin, who is part of the official Voyageur Family for the second time. “We've been going to Festival since we were little. It just wouldn't be normal to not be at Festival du Voyageur for us.”

This year, the festival will have a new tent to help expand capacity and reduce lineups at Voyageur Park. The new venue will host a karaoke night, board game night and a Singles Night on Valentine’s Day.

"We are calling it, 'the biggest singles night in Winnipeg’,” said Julien Desaulniers, artistic director for Festival du Voyageur. “There's going to be slow dancing and it's going to be really funny and fun."

Festival is also breaking records this year with 140 musical acts scheduled  – the largest music lineup in the event's history.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is also getting involved by hosting their first-ever outdoor exhibit at Festival. In honour of the 100th anniversary of women getting the right to vote, the exhibit will feature portraits of 12 Canadian women who played an important role in gender equality in the country.

Festival du Voyageur runs Feb. 12 to 26 this year at Fort Gibraltar, with passes available online.