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Provinces and Territories · Drawing 21 of 42

Festival du Voyageur

Manitoba — February

Colouring illustration: Festival du Voyageur
Imagined people; the snow sculpture is an original design and the voyageur-style costume is simplified.© Atlasmio · All rights reserved

Every February in Winnipeg, the Festival du Voyageur celebrates winter in French. People admire snow sculptures and dance the jig!

Look together

What snow sculpture would you like to make?

An idea to try

Put on some lively music and invent a little dance step together, tapping your feet as in a jig.

For the adult reading along

A little more to discover

Festival du Voyageur has been held in Saint-Boniface, Winnipeg, since 1970; its first edition was part of Manitoba’s centennial celebrations. For ten days each February, it welcomes more than 75,000 festivalgoers and describes itself as the largest francophone event in Western Canada. Snow sculptures, music, dance and historical characters at Fort Gibraltar, a reconstruction of an 1815 fort, bring the fur-trade era to life.

The festival highlights the histories of Francophones, Métis and First Nations in Manitoba. To promote the first festival, Georges Forest dressed as a voyageur, a tradition continued by the Official Voyageurs. Ask your child how your family celebrates winter: which games, songs or foods make the cold season fun?

Sources and context (3)

These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. Source titles appear in their original language; some linked pages are in French.

  • Festival du Voyageur — About UsFirst edition in 1970; ten days in February; over 75,000 festivalgoers; largest francophone event in Western Canada; snow sculptures; histories of Francophones, Métis and First Nations; Fort Gibraltar, a reconstruction of an 1815 fort.
  • Festival du Voyageur — HistoryFirst festival in 1970 during Manitoba’s centenary, in Saint-Boniface; Georges Forest dressed as a voyageur, the first Official Voyageur, a continuing tradition.
  • Travel Manitoba — Festival du VoyageurWestern Canada’s largest winter festival; Fort Gibraltar’s historical characters, snow sculptures, dancing and jigging; the Franco-Manitoban community.

Source review: 2026-09-24. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.