One of the biggest francophone festivals in western Canada returns to Mackin Park in Coquitlam next month for its 35th year.
And two musical acts will be having very different experiences when they hit the Festival du Bois stage under the Grand Chapiteau.
For Vishten Connexions, an Acadian band from Prince Edward and the Magdalen islands that headlines the cultural fête on Saturday, March 9, it’s looking forward to heading back to B.C. for some francophile fun.
“It’s a nice site with nice stages,” band co-founder Emmanuelle LeBlanc told the Tri-City News today, Feb. 28, from P.E.I.
“We really enjoy that quaint aspect of the festival and getting to know the other artists and participants.”
The band, which became a duo in 2022 after the passing of LeBlanc’s twin sister, Pastelle LeBlanc, at 42 from breast cancer, and includes musician Pascal Miousse, is scheduled to play its Acadian and Celtic fusion — with rock and indie–folk influences — on:
- March 9
- 12:30 p.m.
- Mackin House (workshop)
- March 9
- 7 p.m.
- Main Stage at Mackin Park
- March 10
- 12:45 p.m.
- Main Stage at Mackin Park
Emmanuelle LeBlanc said a visit to Festival du Bois about a decade ago inspired the international touring act to incorporate a “crankie” into some of its performances.
La Famille LeBlanc
Meanwhile, La Famille LeBlanc of New Brunswick is in B.C. for its first time — and making the most of its inaugural trip.
Last weekend, the band, made of up Robin, his wife and three daughters, whipped it up at Nanaimo’s Maple Sugar Festival (Festival des Sucres); they have workshops and performances in Kamloops and Jasper this weekend before coming back the Lower Mainland for Festival du Bois. The family then rides over to Victoria for Franco Fest on March 14 and 15.
In Coquitlam, they’re playing:
- March 9
- 4:30 p.m.
- Main Stage at Mackin Park
- March 10
- 12:30 p.m.
- Mackin House (workshop)
- March 10
- 1:45 p.m.
- Main Stage at Mackin Park
Speaking from Whistler, Robin LeBlanc told the Tri-City News that their Festival du Bois show will mostly feature tunes from the ensemble’s album that dropped last May.
However, they’ll also include stories about their ancestors whose musical roots go back at least six generations, and play some re-arranged Acadian songs that date back to the 19th century.
“We have a lot of Celtic influences, but the songs do fit in to francophone festivals like Festival du Bois because there is a lot of traditional music,” Robin LeBlanc said, adding, “When we travel and perform, what we feel is ‘normal’ can be exotic elsewhere.”
Avoid the line-ups: Online tickets are now on sale for the 35th edition of Festival du Bois, which opens with a free dance on Friday, March 8, at Mackin Park (1046 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam). The weekend entertainment and activity schedule is up on the festival website.
