Nanaimo celebrates bi-lingual culture!

Looking for a great combination of fun, food and music? Come to Nanaimo.
Looking for a great combination of fun, food and music in late February? Come to Nanaimo for the…
 

MAPLE SUGAR FESTIVAL/FESTIVAL DU SUCRE D’ÉRABLE

It’s a celebration of that most Canadian of ingredients: maple syrup!

Inspired by French Canada’s tradition of “sugar shacks,” The Maple Sugar Festival/Festival du Sucre d’Érable is dedicated to preserving a bilingual tradition on the West Coast – all while indulging in sweet treats, great live music and good cheer!

This three-day event takes place over February 22-25! Kick off the event at The Port Theatre for Le Dîner en Plaid/Plaid Dinner, a peculiarly Canadian take on the classic “Dîner en Blanc” where everyone is expected to wear plaid! Featuring a gourmet buffet of maple French Canadian inspired items, this is sure to be a ton of fun!

Then come back for the next two days to experience full days of great concerts from all over Canada! Here are just a few of the amazing artists you’ll see:

Lennie Gallant: Hailing from Prince Edward Island, Gallant has received the Order of Canada for his music which combines Celtic, pop and country music into something that is deeply affecting and captivating!

Hey, Wow: I have two words for you: electric accordion. The brainchild of accordionist Jean-Marc Lalonde, Hey, Wow rockets traditional Quebecois music into the 21^st Century, adding electric amplification and distortion on top of the incredible rhythms of this infectious music! A must-see!

Rogue Wave: Quebec’s Éric Desaulniers and Ontario’s Paul Ruszel are both profoundly talented multi-instrumentalists who play traditional Celtic and Quebecois dance music! They get the crowd jumping everywhere they go.

And many, many more! Not only that, on both Saturday and Sunday there will be a kid’s corner for family-friendly entertainment!  

Discover the best that Nanaimo has to offer by staying at the Best Western Dorchester Inn in Nanaimo’s beautiful downtown harbourfront. Our comfortable beds are the perfect place to sleep after you’ve been dancing all day! Reserve your room today!