Winter chills will soon be remedied as Plamondon is set to hold their first ever French winter carnival from March 16 – 18.
The Carnaval d’hiver is a weekend winter event that combines the seventh annual regional French hockey tournament with afternoons packed with local music, food, and interesting French culture activities. The weekend is part of the joie de vivre, a month-long province-wide celebration of French language and culture.
“We are all very excited to see how this event will turn out, we’ve been getting a lot of support from the community and volunteers,” said Plamondon resident Desiree Gauthier, a director at the Association de Francophone of Alberta.
Opening ceremonies and an adult music night will take place at the Festival centre on Friday. Friday will also have the first game of the hockey tournament at the Plamondon Arena, with eight different hockey teams participating in this year’s tournament. A pancake breakfast and sleigh rides will make Saturday a day to take the family out and enjoy some winter fun. Outdoor family activities take place all morning, and local band “The Convertibles” will be performing at the Festival centre at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night.
Sunday is a day of traditional French entertainment and food. The morning will begin with a traditional French Mass at 11:00 a.m., followed by a traditional French brunch. The French brunch will feature meat pies, pea soup, along with scrambled eggs and sugar tarts. Also included in the feast is the famously French-Canadian cabane ŕ sucre, a delicious maple syrup taffy treat, chilled over snow. A traditional French tap dance and the finale of the hockey tournament will close out the festivities on Sunday.
“We love that there is a real opportunity to combine traditional French culture with events for the whole family,” Gauthier said.
The festival costs $15 for a weekend pass per person or $40 for a family pass. You can also buy day passes for $10 or $25 per family. For more information about the event, contact [email protected].
