When annual Maple Sugar Festival takes place next week, it will be more than just a celebration of French Canadian culture and heritage.
That's because the annual winter-time festival is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year with a Friday night dinner party.
On Feb. 26, the L'Association des francophones de Nanaimo will be hosting Dîner et Party En Plaid (Plaid Dinner and Party) at Beban Park Social Centre. The event, which is a kick off to the Maple Sugar Festival, features a three course meal, and includes music performances by Danny Party and Le Bûcheron (The Lumberjack).
"We are all excited this year because this year is the 15th anniversary of our festival and our theme this year is party," said Joanne Hogan, festival communications coordinator. "Like good old Québécois, we know how to the party."
The Maple Sugar Festival itself will take place between Feb. 27-28 at Beban Park social centre and features French Canadian cuisine, games as well as performances from Gabriel Dubreuil Trio, Dallas Arcand and Tracy Bone and Yves Aquin.
The annual event traces its origins back to 2001 when the L'Association des francophones de Nanaimo decided to organize and host festival that highlighted the traditions of French Canadian culture. The festival was inspired by the eastern Canadian sugar shack traditions.
Hogan, who has been volunteering with the organization since 2004 and was once president, said the Maple Sugar Festival keeps French culture alive in a region of the world where the language isn't as predominate.
"It is wonderful," Hogan said. "It keeps the culture alive for someone who is originally from Montreal to be in a community where French is a minority language."
Since 2000, the Maple Sugar Festival has become Vancouver Island's largest bilingual festival and is a staple in the community. In 2007, the festival generated approximately $1.2 million into Nanaimo's economy, with 8,000 people in attendance, according to an economic report issued by the City of Nanaimo.
"We are always delighted when performers from other parts of the country are able to come and promote and have fun in the French Canadian culture," Hogan said.As part of the festival, the L'Association des francophones de Nanaimo offers a school program, where elementary students are educated about French Canadian culture by representatives from the organization.
"They learn more about the cultivation of maple sugar because while that is taught in school back out east, there is no exposure to it here," Hogan said.
Tickets to Dîner et Party En Plaid are $25 for people ages 13 and up and $15 for children ages 4-12. Children ages three and under are free. The dress code is plaid. Tickets to the Maple Sugar Festival are $5 for adults, $3 for teenagers aged 13-18 and free for anyone under 12.
For more tickets and information about both events, please visit http://www.francophonenanaimo.org.