The presence of the French language and culture can be hard to find in Alberta, despite it being one of Canada’s official languages.
But that’s not stopping Franco Festival from showcasing Francophone heritage, culture and resilience at their annual event in Calgary, which returns this year from Sept. 19 to 20.
The festival will feature two days of programming at Prince’s Island Park, including an open-air movie night on Friday, followed by a full-scale festival event on Saturday. It’ll all be brought together by live music, dance performances and art displays in a “cultural village” called Francophonie.
Franco Fest aims to represent many diverse Francophone cultures beyond Canada, including Africa, North and South America, and Europe through dance, music, food and art. It’ll be a wonderful chance to celebrate the diversity of Francophone culture with others, and share in music’s powerful link to that heritage with artists like Spaicy Bazile, 2Moods, NGONGI Musica, and Sings Many Songs Women.
What to expect
Franco Festival is an initiative of the Portail de l’Immigrant Association (PIA), a non-profit organization that launched a series of projects in 2011 to promote education and awareness of diversity, socio-cultural, and economic integration.
This family-friendly event held at Prince’s Island Park will use music, dance, cooking, crafts and art to demonstrate the breadth and diversity of Canadian heritage and its relation to global Francophone cultures.
You can expect live music, plenty to see and do and the opportunity to speak French with other community members at this celebration that is open to attendees of all ages and nations.
According to its website, the festival will also be an opportunity to “honour all our artists and people working in the shadow of artists and who contribute to the development of French culture.”
Everyone is invited to attend the Franco Festival, join in the multicultural festival and discover more about our shared heritage. Allons-y!
When: Friday, Sept. 19 to Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025
Where: Prince’s Island Park — 698 Eau Claire Ave. SW
Cost: Free
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