Festival du Voyageur brought 102K visitors to St. Boniface

The 47th Festival du Voyaguer hosted 102,000 visitors throughout the 10-day event, which wrapped up in Winnipeg over the weekend.

Known as the largest winter festival in western Canada, the annual celebration ofFrench-Canadian, Mtis and voyageur culture began Feb. 12 and concluded on Sunday at sites around St. Boniface in Winnipeg.

This year's attendance was 13 per cent higher compared to last year, organizers said Monday.

More than 140 artists performed at this year's festival, whichalso featured snow sculptures, outdoor winter activitiesand cultural demonstrations.

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The festival also hosteda beard-growing contest, fiddling and jigging competitions and a contest between local restaurateurs for best pea soup.

New this year was the Universit de Saint-Boniface Portage Tent, which hosted a karaoke night, a singles night on Valentine's Day and a board game night.

Festival du Voyageur offered a full day of events on Louis Riel Day, which was on Feb. 15 this year.

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While this year's event began on a chilly note, with the wind chill making it feel like 40 on the second day, milder than normal temperatures later swooped in, to the enjoyment of visitors.