In a recent announcement of federal funding for the Festival acadien de Clare, representatives of the government noted how the festival brings people together in celebration of Acadian culture.
The federal government granted $25,000 in support to the festival under the Canadian Arts Presentation Fund of Heritage Canada.
The aim of this program is to allow Canadians to access the country’s culture through festivals, concerts or other events.
The 55th Clare Acadian festival will be held July 29 to Aug. 15.
West Nova MP Greg Kerr announced the federal funds for the festival on behalf of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages Minister James Moore.
“Our government is proud to support festivals that allow Canadians to take part in the lives of their community and to have access to arts and their heritage,” the minister said. “The Festival acadien de Clare values the history and traditions of the Acadians of Nova Scotia and abroad, all the while building bridges between the francophone and anglophone communities of Canada.”
Said Kerr, “The Festival acadien de Clare, the oldest Acadian festival in the world, is an annual gathering anticipated by the Acadians of the country and of the four corners of the world. I feel privileged to welcome this gathering in our community and to have the opportunity to participate in these remarkable celebrations of the Acadian people.”
Marc Boudreau, the festival president, expressed the community’s appreciation for the federal support, citing in particular the festival’s artistic component.
“The Festival acadien de Clare and its host region of Baie Sainte-Marie thank the government of Canada for seeing the importance of investing in our artistic event. Thanks to this support, we are able to enrich the artistic community through the participation of professional artists and by integrating amateur and emerging artists of the Clare region in the production of our concerts.”
