Festival du Voyageur: Five things to check out at Winnipeg's winter party

Festival du Voyageur runs through Feb. 20 in Whittier Park and nearby venues, celebrating 57 years of francophone, Métis and First Nations culture with music, food and art.

Festival du Voyageur opens this week in Winnipeg and runs to Feb. 20. It is headquartered at Whittier Park in St. Boniface with events at multiple indoor sites. The festival marks its 57th year and honours francophone, Métis and First Nations history in Manitoba. Programming mixes music, food, art and winter activities inspired by the early 1800s voyageur era. Highlights: - A brulee beer station presented with Nonsuch Brewing is scheduled from 8 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 13, 14, 15, 20 and 21; the event reported a $20 option that includes a souvenir cup and a fill of Nonsuch Prairie Common or Baltic Porter. - Louis Riel Day programming features Bannock Babes drag brunch with free bannock (while supplies last), a Métis kitchen party, Youth Evening: Generation Louis Riel, the Maarsh aek li Michif parade, hide-tanning demonstrations and a Louis Riel Day Market with Indigenous vendors. - Live music and late-night shows take place at several venues, including Centre culturel franco-manitobain, Tente des Neiges and Tente Forest, with local acts and tribute sets noted in the festival lineup and a full schedule posted by organisers. - The Marion Hotel will host the Voyageur Games from Feb. 16 to 21, with events such as leg wrestling, voyageur wrestling, pillow fighting, tug-of-war and log sawing, beginning with the Battle of the Towns. - The International Snow Sculpting Symposium has produced large snow sculptures in Whittier Park and at multiple city locations, with carved works visible at sites including Provencher Boulevard and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Summary: The festival brings a range of cultural and community programming across Whittier Park and nearby venues, from traditional foods and craft-beer features to live performances and public art. It continues through Feb. 20, and organisers have posted the full schedule and ticket information at heho.ca.