The 22nd annual John Arcand Fiddle Fest will be held Aug. 8 to 10 southwest of Saskatoon on Pike Lake Highway.
A one-time gate admission includes 106 workshops, 12 concerts, two old time dances, 18 hours of planned activities in the children’s area and more. There’s free unserviced camping on site and free shuttle service from four Saskatoon locations.
The John Arcand Fiddle Fest is so much more than fiddle. It’s affordable family fun, culturally vibrant, educational, entertaining and covers many genres. The opportunity to participate as well as “spectate” is appealing to many. There will be workshops fiddle, guitar, jigging, square dancing and also in traditional Métis art forms such as finger-weaving and Métis embroidery. There will be Q&A sessions on truth and reconciliation, two styles of beading, Métis art projects and storytelling.
With a mandate steeped in tradition and focusing on youth and education, the festival is a space where indigenous and non-indigenous co-exist in a creative environment and where they work together cohesively to share their particular gifts. By passing on these talents and sharing them through the workshops, concerts, the cultural camp and all programming, everyone works together to offer a better understanding of a culturally rich and diverse history.
The “no cost” to ride the shuttle for the short trip out to the festival grounds, allows many with transportation barriers to attend and also allows meets a green initiative as fewer vehicles are coming out with the shuttles running. Check out the website at www.johnarcandfiddlefest.com for shuttle schedules and information on all programming.
