What's On

Festival Du Bois

2018/03/09 (Friday)

The 29th Annual

FESTIVAL DU BOIS

Friday night to Sunday - March 23,24,25  2018

Mackin Park, Maillardville/Coquitlam

1046 Brunette Avenue (across the Lougheed Highway from IKEA)

www.festivaldubois.ca

 

With dynamic music and dance, fabulous food, exciting on-site activities and a warm and welcoming ambiance - the 29th Festival du Bois promises a rich and fun-filled experience for folks of all ages!

 

This year, BC's largest and most popular celebration of francophone music and culture presents a dynamic roster of music artists from BC, Quebec and beyond in Maillardville/Coquitlam's Mackin Park. The festival's big heated tents play host to some of the finest Québécois, francophone, and roots music artists around.

 

The festival opens on Friday night, March 23, with an all-ages Contra Dance in the Grand Chapiteau with live music from The Sybaritic String Band, Vancouver's premier contradance group.

 

On Saturday and Sunday, March 24 and 25, Festival du Bois is thrilled to welcome three of Quebec's most renowned tradition-based groups: Le Vent du Nord, Bon Débarras and Les Chauffeurs à pieds. The electrifying energy and high calibre of music-making these groups deliver will make this a very special festival, indeed. Joining them on the Main Stage in the Grand Chapiteau and in Workshops in Mackin House over the weekend are talented artists and groups from BC and beyond, including:  Mazacote, Jacky Essombe, Gabriel Debreuil, Blackthorn, Podorythmie and Alouest (see brief artist and group descriptions below, with links).

 

In the Children's Tent, the dynamic performers include world multi-instrumentalist Boris Sichon, traditional music duo, Vazzy, singer and comedian André Thériault, the delightful Alphonse and Lola, and Podorythmie's Crankie Show.

 

While in Mackin Park, festival-goers can connect with their inner lumberjack in a new activity this year: recreational axe throwing! There are roving performers that astound and delight, other fun participatory activities, traditional and popular French Canadian food - including maple taffy on snow from the Cabane à Sucre André Beauregard Sugar Shack - joyful music-making in the Jam Tent, shopping, exhibits, and more.

 

Festival du Bois is musically awesome, fun, affordable, and family-friendly. Everyone is invited to come and experience Maillardville's rich French-Canadian roots and culture.

 

Festival Tickets at www.festivaldubois.ca

 

PRICES at the gate in Mackin Park

Friday night, March 23: $10

Saturday March 24 & Sunday March 25 (general admission).

Adults (18+): $18 per day | Students & Seniors: $12 per day | 5 - 12 years: $7 per day

Children under 5 years are free.

Family and weekend packages are also available.

 

ONLINE tickets

SAVE time and money by buying tickets online.  

Ticket buyers receive an emailed ticket bar-code that allows faster entry!

 

Festival schedules, full info and tickets: www.festivaldubois.ca

General info: 604-515-7070 / info@maillardville.com.

 

FESTIVAL ARTISTS DESCRIPTIONS

 

Le Vent du Nord: Featuring button accordion, fiddle, foot percussion and hurdy-gurdy, this award-winning quintet is a leading force in Quebec folk - exploding the bounds of tradition in global directions.

 

Bon Débarras: Montreal trio Bon Débarras unites music, song and dance with party - fusing Québécois folk tunes, step-dance with urban and world sounds at the sonic crossroads where trad and mod meet.

 

Les Chauffeurs à pieds: French-Canadian traditional music at its finest! These four musicians are world renowned for their reels and jigs, galvanizing foot-rhythms and glorious tradition-based songs and harmonies. 

 

Mazacote: This powerhouse world/Latin band invites you to a dance party! Inspired by Afro-Caribbean percussion and tropical sounds, Mazacote plays brass-heavy Latin dance beats that deliver a sizzlin' groove.

 

Jacky Essombe: A charismatic performer, Jacky uses dance and story as a medium to share her rich heritage - the traditions, cultures and history of Africa and the wisdom of her Cameroonian ancestors. 

 

Blackthorn: From lively jigs and reels to songs with rousing choruses to heart-wrenching ballads, Blackthorn's rich musical roots draw from Scottish and Irish tradition, and English and French Canadian folk.

 

Gabriel Dubreuil: Gabriel is a passionate, talented young violinist - a musical force on the rise - equally at home with the traditional sounds of Québécois, Celtic swing, klezmer, jazz - and beyond.

 

Podorythmie: A quintet with members from Canada, the US, and France, Podorythmie plays good time Québécois and Cape Breton dance music with lots of hard shoe step dancing and lightning fast foot percussion - and interspersed with "crankie" (moving panorama) shows.

 

Alouest is a dynamic musical group from Maillardville that adapts and reinterpret the traditional songs of French Canadian culture from a west coast perspective.

 

 

Festival du Bois is produced by the Société francophone de Maillardville.