What's On

Festival Du Bois

2017/02/20 (Monday)

The 28th Annual

FESTIVAL DU BOIS

March 3,4,5 2017

Mackin Park, Maillardville/Coquitlam

1046 Brunette Avenue (across the Lougheed Highway from IKEA)

www.festivaldubois.ca

Festival du Bois returns for its 28th year with an amazing roster of music artists and other performers slated to grace the stages of the big heated tents at Mackin Park in Maillardville, the centre of francophone culture in B.C. Rooted in the French-Canadian community and heritage of the Maillardville area in Coquitlam, Festival du Bois is the largest and most popular celebration of francophone music and culture in BC. The festival presents some of the finest Québécois, francophone, and roots music artists on Main Stage (Grand Chapiteau), Children's Tent and Workshop Tent stages. Audiences of all ages also enjoy roving performances, exhibits, participatory activities, traditional food, and shopping. Nearby Place des Arts hosts a visual arts exhibition, and concerts are also scheduled in the adjacent Mackin House Museum.

The festival opens on Friday night, March 3, with a Contra Dance in the Grand Chapiteau (Big Tent) in Mackin Park, with live music by The Sybaritic String Band.

On Saturday and Sunday, March 4 and 5, the festival welcomes outstanding music artists from BC to Cape Breton and beyond to the Main Stage of the Grand Chapiteau. 2017 music groups include:

Suroît, Mélisande, Nicolas Pellerin et les Grands Hurleurs, Podorythmie, Zal Sissokho and Buntalo, Jeremiah McLane, and Jocelyn Pettit.

Suroît - hailingfrom the Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and celebrating their 40th year of music making, this legendary quartet is known for their pride in their Acadian roots, and for a sound that blends those musical roots with dynamic Cajun, Celtic, bluegrass and even rock influences.

Mélisande - popular chanteuse Mélisande re-interprets some of the oldest tunes from theQuébécois songbook, bringing in electronic beats, great songwriting chops, the cutting edge sounds of modern Montreal and a feminist perspective to craft a fresh sound that's hip, honest and really exciting.

Nicolas Pellerin et les Grands Hurleurs - this band's award-winning sounds are grounded in the traditions of Québec with an 'outside the box' attitude. Nicolas and his fellow 'grand howlers' play original music that flirts with classical, manouch, electronica and folk in unique and inspired ways.

Podorythmie - a quintet with members from Canada, the US, and France, Podorhythmie plays good time Québécois and Cape Breton fiddle, accordion, and dance music with lots of hard shoe step dancing, lightning fast foot percussion and boundless energy.

Zal Sissokho and Buntalo - Zal plays the 21-string kora and sings songs based in the centuries-old traditions of the Mandingo people of West Africa. An accomplished improviser, he performs with his Afro-Mandingo group, Buntalo. Together they expertly blend tradition with Western modernity, brilliantly combining the ancient and the new.

Jeremiah McLane - a Vermont accordion player, Jeremiah has been dubbed the "top folk accordion player in the country" by folks who know. He's mastered many styles of music and is as equally at home with Québécois, Celtic and Old Time tunes as he is with French traditional music and songs from other times and lands.

Jocelyn Pettit - this young BC phenomenon is a powerhouse musician who plays fiddle, sings, and can step dance and do foot percussion (podorhythmie) with the best. From Celtic to Québécois and beyond, Jocelyn draws from a deep well of influences to deliver both original music and sparkling arrangements of time-honoured tunes.

And there's more! Les Échos du Pacifique choir, world instrumentalist Boris Sichon, Seattle-based traditional musicians and "crankie" (moving panorama) artists Dejah Léger and Sue Truman, Toute la Gang, celebrated young audience performers Will Stroet and Ginalina, and singer/entertainer André Thériault, also perform on festival stages. Additionally, audiences can find engaging roving artists around the festival site, including Isabelle Kirouac,Émilie Leclerc (aka Gretta),Danielle & Michèle, and Clochette Rigolo.

The Atrium Gallery at Place des Arts hosts Blame Eve!: Migrations of the Female Soul, an exhibit by artist Zeid Founouni from February 17th (opening reception) to March 11. Admission is free.

On-site in Mackin Park, festival-goers can learn about Maillardville's history at the "Post Office", join Maillardville Geocaching, participate in interactive activities, shop at a range of artisan kiosks, and fill up on delicious tourtière, maple taffy on snow, authentic Québécois poutine, and other fare. In addition to the Grand Chapiteau (Main Stage - Big Tent), Children's Tent (Petit Chapiteau) in the Zone Jeunesse (Youth Zone), and popular Workshop Tent (Tente de ateliers), there's the Folk Jam Tent, Improv Tent, and Voyageur Tent among other on-site venues and kiosks. The festival welcomes all ages and cultures to share in the friendly ambiance and great entertainment on offer.

Festival Tickets at www.festivaldubois.ca

PRICES FOR Mackin Park

Friday night, March 3: $15

Saturday March 4 & Sunday March 5 (general admission).

Adults (18+): $15 per day; 2-Day Adult pass: $25

Students & Seniors: $10 per day | 5 - 12 years: $7 per day

Single Day Family Package: $35/day (2 adults & 2 children under 12 years old).

2-Day Family Pass: $65

Sunday, enjoy a pancake breakfast for $7 (adults) & $3 (children) – not included in admission.

Children under 5 years are free.

Festival schedules & info at www.festivaldubois.ca (posted late January, 2017).

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