PREVIEW
Flying Canoë Volant
Jan 30, 31 and Feb. 1
French Quarter
La Cité Francophone, Rutherford School, Mill Creek Ravine and Edmonton Ski Club
Admission: Free
From snow sculptures and canoe races to lantern-lit ravine walks and maple taffy pulls, no one celebrates winter with the same joie de vivre as Edmonton’s Francophone community.
Flying Canoë Volant, based on a traditional Francophone fable, is one of those festivals that embraces winter with gusto and makes you want to slap on a toque and scarf. It runs Jan. 30, 31 and Feb. 1.
Whether you’re following a trail of light and music along Mill Creek Ravine or gliding down a 30-foot snow-packed slide at La Cité, there are haunting visions of lost lumberjacks searching for their families.
Now in its eighth edition, the magical festival’s command centre is in Edmonton’s French Quarter at La Cité Francophone. It is designed as a big outdoor/indoor party that celebrates in both official languages.
The festival’s magic takes on a mystical quality at the illuminated Mill Creek Ravine where Indigenous and Métis camps introduce dancing, drumming, story telling and contemporary music parties.
“Every year, people remark on how beautiful and artistic the installations are that illuminate the ravine and create a magical journey. We celebrate First Nations, Métis and Francophone stories. We invite people to dance or listen to different versions of the Flying Canoe story,” said festival producer Daniel Cournoyer.
This year, the festival has expanded to Connors Hill, home of the Edmonton Ski Club, for nighttime canoe races that recreate the essence of the original fable.
As festival producer Daniel Cournoyer explains, teams are entered in the three-part, relay-style races. The races launch with a participant sitting in a 17-foot canoe.
“They race down the hill on a luge track. You’re bumped about as you go down, but the canoe is very well padded,” said Cournoyer, a former St. Albert resident.
Once the canoe completes its race, two other team members take over and quickly cut a log with a bucksaw. The third portion of the race concludes with an axe toss.
“When we first tried it in 2017, the response was great. We had over 30 teams and we’re looking to match that. Hopefully we will have more,” Cournoyer said.
Over at La Cité, visitors can warm up at fire pits, check out the indoor market and enjoy the cabarets. Renelle Ray, Billie Zizi and Carter & the Capitals perform on Friday, while Bad Buddy, Daniel Gervais Band and Retrofitz get the party rocking on Saturday.
A fourth venue that offers a series of wonderful low-key surprises is École Rutherford School, located across the street from La Cité Francophone.
In the school yard, snow sculptors Christian Denis, Francois Denis, Will Johnson and Will Truchon are shaping all that fluffy white stuff into four dream images.
“They haven’t told me what they’re doing, but it will be in the spirit of the flying canoe. A lot of creative license is given to the sculptors.”
Indoors at the school gymnasium, students and parents have worked to create the pop-up Café Croissant.
“Every year, the elementary school kids greet patrons with impeccable French and present a little menu. It’s very charming and speaks to the festival partnerships, and that’s part of the magic.”
He adds, “The Flying Canoe is all about adventure. Everything is magical during long winter months ... And it’s a lot of fun.”
La Cité hosts a lantern making workshop on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 2 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend. For information on the workshop or races, call 780-463-1144.
The festival has organized two free shuttles. Patron parking is available at the northwest side of Bonnie Doon Mall with a shuttle going to La Cité. A secondary shuttle travels back and forth from La Cité to the canoe races on Connors Hill.
