It's been 54 years that the French celebration of Le Carnaval has been proudly presented in North Bay. However, it also marks a big year of change as the Carnaval schedule has been condensed.
Lou Gagne, of Les Compagnons, said it's been a great change that they have embraced, and was looking forward to the activities this year.
"We were bumped a week to accommodate the Battalion schedule and we shortened it up with Family Day close to the end, and we didn't want to lose people who would be out of town with their families," she said. "In its original state it was three days and over the years it's grown and shortened, so we've really embraced the change this year."
During the opening ceremonies on Sunday afternoon, kids from French schools Saints Anges, Heritage, St. Raymond and Ecole Secondaire Catholique Algonquin took to the stage to pump up the crowd with performances. But with the remainder of the week shortened, the change hasn't taken away from the celebrations, which still hold a plethora of activities throughout this week.
"It's jam-packed with activities," she said. "We really haven't canceled anything, just condensed it all. It gave us an opportunity for change and opened up the door to open up a survey to find out what people liked about this year and what people liked in the past so we know what to incorporate into next year for our 55 years which is huge."
Some of these activities include community skating at Pete Pelangio Arena from 1 - 3 p.m. today; a book festival at St-Raymond from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. tomorrow; an art exposition at the Capitol Centre with local Francophone artists and live music by Mathieu Thibeault from 6 - 8 p.m. on Wednesday; and so much more listed on Les Compagnons' website.
"Carnaval is, in essence, an extension of Les Compagnons," she said. "And its role in the community is to act as an organization that unites the community and gives opportunities."
And for this 55th year of celebration, Gange said they planned on contacting all the past Bonnhome's to hold a reunion.