Featuring a weekend of French-Canadian music, food and festivities in Coquitlam, Festival du Bois is Metro Vancouver’s premier Francophone festival.
The festival features French-Canadian, folk and world music concerts as well as family-friendly entertainment. There are workshops, French-Canadian foods and other fun activities too. The festivities in 2023 took place on the weekend of March 24th to 26th (which was at the end of the Spring Break school holidays).
For tickets and the festival’s official website, visit festivaldubois.ca.
This article includes the following information about Festival du Bois:
What to Expect | Festival Video | When and Where | Admission | Activities | Contra Dance | Festival Schedule | Traditional Menu Items | Mackin House Museum | Other Information
Coquitlam’s Festival du Bois
Festival du Bois is British Columbia’s largest Francophone festival. It takes place in Mackin Park. The park’s address is 1046 Brunette Avenue in Coquitlam. The venue is just a 24-kilometre drive from downtown Vancouver.
To learn about the event, continue reading or visit the official festivaldubois.ca website.
What to Expect
At Festival du Bois you’ll find activities for children, French-Canadian foods for sale, market vendors, workshops, and a variety of great musical performances throughout the weekend.
Popular foods for sale typically include poutine, crepes and traditional snow-hardened maple syrup candy.
If you like French-Canadian folk music (which can be lots of fun and is the festival’s main draw), or want a chance to practice your French (but it’s not compulsory), then you won’t want to miss this event! The festival is a lot of fun and very interesting, especially if you’re from French-Canadian heritage (but terrific also for people of all backgrounds).
Visit festivaldubois.ca for the festival’s official website.
Festival du Bois Video
For an idea of what to expect at the festival, check out the following short video. It shows scenes of the festival from a few years ago. The band playing at the dance in the video is the Sybaritic String Band which plays at the Contra Night Dance each year. The musician performing at the end is Shauit. As you’ll see from this clip, the festival is a lot of fun.
In 2023 Podorythmie & Devon et Louis Léger performed on opening night. The Sybaritic String Band also once again played at the Contra Dance.
As you’ll see in the video below from a few years ago, at the festival there are food trucks, activities and entertainment spread out all around Mackin Park. There is so much to see and do!
When and Where
Festival du Bois started out in 1989 and happens in late winter or early spring each year. It usually happens in March, but it has happened slightly earlier or later on occasion. In 2023 the event took place on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of March 24th to 26th. Exact dates for the festival in 2024 are still to be confirmed.
The festival takes place in Mackin Park, at 1046 Brunette Avenue, just a few blocks from the Coquitlam IKEA store. The park is a 10-minute walk from IKEA and five minutes from Canadian Tire. You are actually allowed to park at IKEA during the festival most years and then take a free shuttle to the venue.
Visit festivaldubois.ca for the festival’s official website.
Festival du Bois Admission
Below were the admission prices for 2023 if you paid online as of mid-March. Tickets at the gate are usually two dollars or so more. We expect prices to be comparable for the event in 2024.
- Friday Night: Free but limited amount, so advanced online registration is advisable
- Saturday & Sunday (March 25th or 26th):
- Adults (18+): $32 per day
- Students & Seniors: $22 per day
- Children (ages 5-12): $10 per day
- One-Day Family Pass: $75 (two adults and two children under 13 years of age)
- Little Folk (ages 4 and under): free
The pancake breakfast on the Sunday cost an additional $5 for children and $10 for adults.
Note: If you plan to attend the festival in 2024, the earlier you book your tickets, the more you’ll save. For example, adult tickets purchased during the month of February for the festival in 2023 were $5 less than the rate listed above. You can also save up to about $10 on family passes if you book early enough.
Festival du Bois Activities
In 2023, the same as in other previous years (except for in 2021 when everything was online), Festival du Bois took place in-person at Coquitlam’s Mackin Park. Some activities occur outdoors and others happen indoors in giant tents.
At the festival there are food vendors and community organization information stalls, as well as games and other activities for children. There is also an Opening Night Contra Dance party on the Friday night and live entertainment all weekend.
Opening Night Contra Dance
In 2023 the Opening Night Contra Dance took place from 7:00 pm until 10:00 pm on the Friday at the festival’s Mackin Park venue at 1046 Brunette Avenue. Admission was free, but advanced registration was required.
The Contra Dance is a family-friendly event that involves a style of folk dancing in lines of couples. Back to provide the live music in 2023 was the Sybaritic String Band which specializes in contra dancing. The caller is Maureen Collier and the opening acts at the event in 2023 included La Famille Léger and Podorythmie.
Note: The Contra Dance is open to people of all ages. It’s a family-friendly event that’s recommended for adults and “children who like dancing with adults” (which means there aren’t separate little kids’ activities). It’s a lot of fun!
A few hundred people attend the Contra Dance event most years. Instructions are provided in English, mixed with a bit of French, and then everyone does a particular dance. New instructions are then provided for a new dance, participants go through the steps, and then everyone dances once again.
The dances are simple, fun and lively. Mostly people dance in pairs, and folks are encouraged to switch partners from time to time.
For an idea of what to expect at the Contra Dance, check out the following video. As you’ll see, it’s a ton of fun!
Visit festivaldubois.ca for the festival’s official website.
2023 Festival Schedule
Festival du Bois happened on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of March 24th, 25th and 26th in 2023. Below was the schedule of events and performances as of early February, 2023. Exact dates for the festival in 2024 are to be confirmed.
Friday, March 24th, 2023
The first “official” day of Festival du Bois in 2023 was Friday, March 24th. Opening Night kicked off at 7:00 pm at Mackin Park with entertainment running until 10:00 pm. There were performances by Podorythmie and Devon & Louis Léger. After that, the Friday Night Contra Dance took place, led by Maureen Collier with music by the Sybaritic String Band.
The above Opening Night events were free. You did, however, have to register in advance. To see a video clip showing what the Contra Dance event looks like, see above. It’s such a fun event, and free to attend!
Saturday, March 25th, 2023
On the Main Stage/Grand Chapiteau
- 12:00 pm – Métis Jiggers: a performance by a Métis group with traditional songs and dance.
- 12:30 pm – Welcoming Remarks
- 1:15 pm – Les Échos Du Pacifique: Greater Vancouver’s Francophone choir san folk, Jazz and other genres.
- 2:15 pm – Genticorum: a three-man band with energetic and traditional folk music.
- 3:30 pm – Jocelyne Baribeau: a reflective folk and pop-country singer with a dynamic stage presence.
- 4:45 pm – Forró do Cana: a group of five musicians performed forró, frevo and other styles of music.
- 6:00 pm – Les Grands Hurleurs: an award-winning music ensemble known as the “great howlers.”
- 7:15 pm – Élage Diouf: a JUNO and FELIX award-winning percussionist, singer and performer from Senegal.
In the Petit Chapiteau/Children’s Tent
- 12:00 pm – Madame Diva: an engaging singer with original songs and medleys for young audiences.
- 1:00 pm – Will er Seeka: fun and educational music in French and English. (Will is from Wills Jams and Seeka is from Seeka Sings.)
- 2:00 pm – Journey into Rhythm with Robin Layne: an interactive musical featuring the marimba.
- 3:00 pm – Podorythmie with Devon and Louis Léger: accordion and fiddle music played by two different groups.
Workshops at Mackin House
- 1:00 pm – Genticorum: a three-man band with energetic and traditional folk music.
- 2:00 pm – Métis Jiggers: a performance by a Métis group with traditional songs and dance.
- 3:00 pm – Forró do Cana: a group of five musicians performed forró, frevo and other styles of music.
Sunday, March 26th, 2023
On the Main Stage/Grand Chapiteau
- 9:00 am – Mass and Pancake Breakfast
- 10:30 am – Jocelyne Baribeau: a reflective folk and pop-country singer with a dynamic stage presence.
- 11:45 am – Forró do Cana: a group of five musicians performed forró, frevo and other styles of music.
- 1:00 pm – Les Grands Hurleurs: an award-winning music ensemble known as the “great howlers.”
- 2:15 pm – Genticorum: a three-man band with energetic and traditional folk music.
- 3:30 pm – Élage Diouf: a JUNO and FELIX award-winning percussionist, singer and performer from Senegal.
In the Petit Chapiteau/Children’s Tent
- 12:00 pm – Seeka Sings: different styles of music blended together with an educational twist.
- 1:00 pm – Conte d’Afrique avec Mulungie: Véronique took audiences on a journey full of stories and folk music.
- 2:00 pm – Madame Diva: an engaging singer with original songs and medleys for young audiences.
- 3:00 pm – Journey into Rhythm with Robin Layne: an interactive musical featuring the marimba.
Workshops at Mackin House
- 1:00 pm – Cranky Show with Podorythmie: fiddle, accordion and dance music, as well as energetic step dancing and foot percussion.
- 2:00 pm – Élage Diouf: a JUNO and FELIX award-winning percussionist, singer and performer from Senegal.
- 3:00 pm – Conte d’Afrique avec Mulungie: Véronique took audiences on a journey full of stories and folk music.
There is typically lots of food available at the festival. There are food trucks and various vendors, plus a canteen-style venue in the Grand Chapiteau. Prices are all reasonable.
In 2022 the menu at the food station in the Grand Chapiteau included pea soup, pork & beans, a slice of tourtière (meat pie) and sugar pie. Other menu items included bread with pork pâté and a “Lumberjack Plate” with an assortment of items. Beer is also available at the festival’s bar.
Mackin House Museum
If you’re at Festival du Bois anyway, walk across the street and visit the Mackin House Museum while you’re there. As noted in the schedule above, at set times there is live entertainment at the historic site during the festival.
Built in the early 1900s, the heritage building was the home of the General Manager of Fraser Mills which at one time was the largest sawmill in the British Empire. Admission to the museum is by donation. Expect to stay for just a few minutes, unless there during a performance.
The Mackin House Museum is open Tuesdays to Fridays (11:00 am to 5:00 pm) and Saturdays (10:00 am to 4:00 pm). It’s also usually open from noon until 4:00 pm on Sundays in the summer. Admission is by donation.
Other Information
For more information about the festival in Coquitlam, including their schedule of performances, check out the Festival du Bois website.
For other Lower Mainland festivals throughout the year, check out our Festivals and Events Calendar.
And for other things to do in the spring, check out our March and April calendars of events.
