Fans of Francofest will be pleased to know that in 2021, there will be two!
Making up for the cancellation of last year’s Francofest, this year a virtual Francofest is a part of Griz Days this weekend, with four talented performers in line to entertain on Saturday March 6.
“It’s to laugh, to relax, to spend time and forget about al lthe bad things that happened last year, and take a moment to share some art and listen to some new artists,” said Maylis Destremau of host organization, AFRoS.
Like everything else, Francofest 2021 will be very different, with the four events streamed on AFRoS’ Facebook page, and available for everyone to enjoy for free.
There’s a little bit of everything – with dancing, comedy, music and magic between 11am and 12:25pm for kids and families, and hip-hop and Celtic music for everyone later in the day.
Destremau said that Francofest had managed to book LeFlofranco – an Ottawa-based Haitian hip-hop sensation.
“He’s already international, so it’s interesting to reach those artists even if they are virtual, because its an opportunity for us. In person, (he) wouldn’t be in our budget.”
Also on the cards is Jocelyn Pettit from Squamish, who plays celtic and folk music.
“This is going to be really diverse with different types of shows and music – every type of person will find something they like.”
All shows will be mainly in French, but Destremau said each would have an introduction in both French and English, and all were very welcome to enjoy Francofest.
The events – which are free – will be streamed on Facebook through AFRoS’ Facebook page, with recordings available to enjoy for a month afterwards.
Later in the year, Destremau said that were plans for a Francofest part 2 in June as part of the traditional format, with art and music to be enjoyed all over again in Fernie.
Francofest is possible thanks to funding from Heritage Canada, which supports Canadian heritage and culture around the country.
The schedule for Francofest is available on both the AFRoS and Griz Days websites.
READ MORE: Francofest 2021
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