{"id":47829,"date":"2014-07-07T09:04:30","date_gmt":"2014-07-07T13:04:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/?p=47829"},"modified":"2025-09-02T00:14:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T04:14:11","slug":"new-france-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/47829\/new-france-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Party Like a French Canadian at the New France Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you don\u2019t have a lot of time for travel this summer, combine a variety of adventures into one fabulous week at Quebec\u2019s Les Fetes de la Nouvelle-France <\/a>(New France Festival), August 6-10, 2014.<\/p>\n

From a trip back in time to a taste of France\u2019s Loire Valley, this soir\u00e9e has it all. oM caught up with programming director St\u00e9phan Parent to find out what we could expect at this annual celebration of French-Canadian history, and he told us what it really means to \u201cparty like the French Canadians do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cherish Tradition<\/strong>
\nThe \u201cNew France\u201d in question refers to the French colonial period, and to properly celebrate they create a 17th-century wonderland, replete with reenactments and demonstrations, thatched-roof stalls selling an array of delicacies and elaborately costumed revelers singing, dancing, and all-around carousing.<\/p>\n

\"17th

Feast on Culture<\/strong>
\nTo underline Canada\u2019s French roots, the festival not only aligns with France but also celebrates the French in other Canadian provinces. Each night features a different cultural theme, including one evening devoted to France\u2019s Loire Valley, and another featuring wines and traditions from Ontario, which, according to Parent, has a large French population about which even the majority of Quebec residents. (It\u2019s also home to some fabulous wines, which he assured us will be flowing aplenty.)<\/p>\n

\"nouvelle

Rice Pitching and Salt Celebrating
\n<\/strong>Okay, there won\u2019t actually be any rice, but still, it\u2019s not every day that one gets the opportunity to celebrate the marriage of two rivers. As part of this year\u2019s festivities, Quebec\u2019s Saint-Lawrence River will be symbolically joined to the Loire River in France. Prior to the wedding, the afternoon of August 6 will see a delegation from the Loire Valley arriving aboard a wooden sailing ship, accompanied by 1,500 pounds of precious (oh-so-fancy) Sel de Gu\u00e9rande, bags of which, specially labeled \u201cMariage Loire et Saint-Laurent\u201d will be sold to the public throughout the festival. That evening will also see a special dinner prepared by Loire chefs ($70 CDN) to accompany wine and dancing.<\/p>\n

\"parade

A European tradition dating back to the 15th century, the latter are gargantuan, 17-foot-tall specimens representing important historic figures. Each behemoth weighs more than 100 pounds and is carried on a person\u2019s back.<\/p>\n

Make Magic
\n<\/strong>Among the 400-plus shows, workshops, and lectures that make up the festivities, the family-focused Parc de la Ceti\u00e8re is a crowd-pleaser for kids of all ages. In addition to enjoying theater, songs, and miming, kids can get up-close-and-personal with a magician performing Magic Barouche, traditional close-up tricks. Revelers can also get hands-on practicing stonecarving (under supervision) or\u00a0chatting with shipbuilders.<\/p>\n

A Medallion ($12CAD) provides access to most New France Festival activities. Special dinners are an additional charge.<\/em><\/p>\n

Where to Sleep<\/strong>
\n\"quebec

If it\u2019s instead ultra-modern that you seek, the stylish digs at H\u00f4tel PUR<\/a> (from $170 CAD) will fit the bill. Located in the hip Saint Roch neighborhood, within easy walking distance from Old City, trendy beauty offers minimalist design and comforts like an indoor pool and sumptuous Japanese bathtubs.<\/p>\n

Situated in 19th-century stone houses on a quaint Old City street, the H\u00f4tel Manoir de l’Esplanade affords a Old-World feel. Some rooms offer exposed-brick walls, a fireplace, or a glass chandelier, and those on the highest floor are right beneath the eaves. A continental breakfast is included in the rate (from $125 CAD).<\/p>\n

How to get there:<\/strong> Take Amtrak to Montreal, then transfer to VIA Rail Canada trains for Qu\u00e9bec City. It takes approximately 14 hours, but the scenery is a summery dream.<\/p>\n

Those seeking a more express route can fly. Continental flies non-stop from Newark in an hour and twenty minutes, or various airlines fly from LaGuardia and JFK (always with a stopover in Montreal or Toronto). From Jean-Lesage International Airport, a taxi is your best bet into downtown and should cost around $35. You can make your way around town riding the Ecolobus, which loops the city and runs on electricity. The funicular will give you an aerial view as you travel between the Upper and Lower towns.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you don\u2019t have a lot of time for travel this summer, combine a variety of adventures into one fabulous week at Quebec\u2019s Les Fetes de la Nouvelle-France (New France Festival), August 6-10, 2014. From a trip back in time to a taste of France\u2019s Loire Valley, this soir\u00e9e has it all. oM caught up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":47841,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1508,413,389,956,382,748,316],"tags":[238,116,293,143,120,142,125,110,20,133,84,58],"class_list":{"0":"post-47829","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-amtrak-getaways","8":"category-canada","9":"category-montreal","10":"category-plane-2","11":"category-quebec","12":"category-train-2","13":"category-weekend-getaways","14":"tag-adventure","15":"tag-amtrak","16":"tag-budget-friendly","17":"tag-bus","18":"tag-family-fun","19":"tag-festival","20":"tag-food","21":"tag-historical-sites","22":"tag-music","23":"tag-outdoors","24":"tag-shopping","25":"tag-wine"},"acf":[],"mv":{"thumbnail_id":47841,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/530622_476834529019384_1705889131_n-300x200.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47829"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47829\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}