Folklorama

A SUPPLEMENT TO THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS • SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2016 E6 Miami Aruba rub St. Maarte aart n Curaçao Curaçao Cu Cu Antigua St. Kitts Barbados St. Lucia Caribbean Sea ATLANTIC OCEAN Bonair a n e DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART Feb. 4 Miami, overnight hotel Feb. 5 Miami, board ship 4:30 pm Feb. 6 & 7 At Sea Feb. 8 Kralendijk, Bonaire 9:00 am 6:00 pm Feb. 9 Willemstad, Curacao 8:00 am 11:00 pm Feb. 10 Oranjestad, Aruba 8:00 am Feb. 11 Oranjestad, Aruba 5:00 pm Feb. 12 At Sea Feb. 13 Castries, St. Lucia 8:00 am 5:00 pm Feb. 14 Bridgetown, St. Kitts 10:00 am 6:00 pm Feb. 16 Philipsburg, St. Maarten 8:00 am 5:00 pm Feb. 17 & 18 At Sea Feb. 19 Miami, Florida 7:00 am Port times may vary. Feb. 4 -19, 2017 1 night Miami, 14 night cruise CELEBRITY ECLIPSE Pristine beaches, sparkling waters, bright sunshine, cooling trade winds, and vibrant vistas with exotic flora make this the perfect vacation getaway! FEB. 4TH CWT HOSTS: BOB AND DAYE IRVING These popular hosts have been hosting CWT groups since 1989! SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN CRUISES For more information call Carlson Wagonlit Travel at 204.336.7227 HIGHLIGHTS • Free Classic Beverage package if booking an Oceanview room or higher by August 31st, 2016 (value of $770 US per person) • Enjoy a cruise overnight stay in Aruba INCLUDED • 1 night cruise in Miami including tax and transfer between hotel and ship • 14 nights on the Celebrity Eclipse • All meals and entertainment on board • All cruise taxes, fees, and port expenses • CWT hosts on board ship • Prepaid Gratuities to stateroom dining and staff (value: $182 US per person) Discover Croatia & Slovenia with Folklorama Unearth these European gems, filled with breathtaking beauty, elegant cities, heaps of history, gorgeous architecture and scrumptious food. April 22 – May 3, 2017 Hosted by long-time Folklorama volunteers Matthew and Barb Sobocan from the Slovenian and Croatian communities of Winnipeg. Winnipeg: 204 262.6000 Brandon: 204 571.4100 Altona: 204 324.8474 Toll-free: 1 800 222.4357 caamanitoba.com/folklorama Contact a CAA Travel consultant for details. WHAT BEGAN AS A SIMPLE EVENT TO CELEBRATE MANITOBA'S CENTENNIAL HAS BECOME THE LARGEST, LONGEST-RUNNING MULTICULTURAL FESTIVAL OF ITS KIND. T housands of people from across the country and around the world will visit Folklorama's 45 pavilions this year, enjoying music, performances, food and cultural displays from every corner of the globe. "Our theme this year is 'Woven Together,' which is appropriate because Folklorama is truly part of the fabric of our city and province," says Debra Zoerb, Folklorama's Executive Director. "Folklorama is a two-week, multi-venue celebration of our diversity. It's an opportunity to enjoy the differences that make our cultures unique and special." Running from July 31 until August 13, the festival will welcome back four pavilions for its 47th celebration. Returning are the Mexican, Chile Lindo, Argentina "Tango" and Chinese pavilions. "The best advice I can give people when choosing which pavilions to visit is to figure out what it is you want to enjoy, and what you want to get out of the festival. There are so many different ways to go about Folklorama," says Zoerb. "Find the things that appeal to you, but keep an open mind because there's a whole gamut of experiences available. The people who enjoy our festival the most are the ones who have an openness about trying something new, something different." The annual Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Folklorama Kick-Off will be held at a different venue this year. The event will take place in Memorial Park across the street from the Legislative building on July 23, from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. "The new space will let us teach more workshops, and there will be lots of activities for kids. We always showcase a wide mix of performance groups from across all of our communities during the kick-off," Zoerb says. "We'll have an International Wine and Beer Garden this year — we're really excited about offering that to folks." Folklorama's organizers have kept prices low so the festival is accessible to more Manitobans, she adds. "We're pleased to have kept our admission to $6 per person, and children aged 12 and under still get in free — this makes the festival accessible. I think people forget how affordable an evening at Folklorama can be." For those with an aversion to waiting in line, the festival offers a number of VIP tours. "We offer a wide variety of tours — walking tours, cycling tours, tours by motor coach. If you have 15 people or more, you can fully customize your evening tour at Folklorama," says Zoerb. "The tour packages certainly appeal to the public." And you can work off all that delicious food with the VIP Walking Tour. For only $34.95, patrons will see a scheduled show and receive a non-alcoholic beverage at two pavilions. Dinner will be served at the first pavilion and dessert at the second. "Some pavilions may have lineups at times, so booking a VIP tour is a great way to enjoy the festival," Zoerb says. "Our VIP tours allow you to skip the lineups while you enjoy the best seating and special tours." Another fun option is the VIP Party Tour. The tour begins with scheduled shows at two pavilions, a domestic alcoholic beverage and meal at the first stop and a non-alcoholic beverage and dessert at the second. The final stop is a late-night party with two cultural alcoholic beverages, music and dancing. "We're pleased to offer such a range of tour options," says Zoerb. "The communities each curate what they will present about their culture. They're all working very hard to bring out new elements. No matter how you choose to take in the festival — we're excited to greet all attendees who'll be joining us this year." While the vast majority of Folklorama's audience is from Manitoba, the festival welcomes many bus tours from across Canada and the U.S. Tour groups have come from as far away as Japan, Paraguay and Iceland. "Some tour groups have been coming for more than 20 years. This is a great place for foodies to try different specialties from various regions of the world," Zoerb says. "Folklorama promotes cross- culture understanding and openness and a sharing between cultures. You'll find a warmth and generosity of spirit through all the pavilions." For more information or to plan your visit, please see their website at folklorama.ca. You can also follow Folklorama on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. ❚ 2 0 1 6 Celebrating diversity By Holli Moncrieff for the Free Press Top: Young dancer Emma Kuhn-Gabriele gets a lift from Tiana Descharnais at the German Pavilion in 2015. Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files Clockwise from left: The Pearl of the Orient Philippine Pavilion, India Pavilion and South Sudanese Pavilion. Photos courtesy of Folklorama

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