When Bonhomme comes to town, Carnaval is on its way

North Bay’s Carnaval is just around the corner, with opening festivities set for Sunday, February 4th at Lee Park. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., organizers have a host of family activities, and conclude the evening with fireworks.

This morning, members of Les Compagnon des Francs Loisirs and Carnaval organisers held a launch event at 176 Lakeshore Drive to highlight the many festival events. Bonhomme joined them for the announcements and spread cheer to all gathered.

“It’s an exciting moment for our community,” said Josée Goulard, the Vice-President of the organizing committee. “It is an opportunity to celebrate winter in a truly unique way. This year, le Carnaval des Compagnons will be animated by the theme of ‘Warming the Heart.’”

There is a jam-packed list of events to take part in throughout Carnaval, and most of the events are free. You’ll have to pay for the concerts, which include Céleste Lévis at New Ontario Brewing  on February 8th, and on February 10th, Roch Voisine is playing the Capitol Centre.

See:Les Compagnons des francs loisirs launches Saison Culturelle 

Many events take place at Lee Park and the West Ferris Arena. For a complete list of concerts, activities, and events, visit the Carnaval des Compagnons’ website.

2024 marks the 61st anniversary of the event which is the second longest running Carnaval celebration in Canada, organizers noted. Everything is organized by a group five people, and there is a committee as well which helps give ideas and guide the festival to success.

This year, organizers decided to spread the festivities to neighbouring communities and there are events planned in Mattawa, Corbeil, and West Nipissing. East Ferris hosts Carnaval as well, and this year, both will collaborate on some events.

“We have had numerous discussions with neighbouring organizations,” explained Arnaud Claude, the Executive Director or North Bay’s Carnaval, “and they are helping us prepare activities” in their local areas.

“The goal of the committee was to have more involvement with the region, to reach out to the communities to see if there was anything we could do to help” to spread the festivities. He emphasized that it is due to the support of many local sponsors “who are willing to give back to the community,” that Carnaval is such a successful event.

Carnaval “is an invitation to share the warmth of winter with our loved ones and neighbours,” Goulard noted, “to create unforgettable memories and strengthen the community bonds that make our region a special place.”

Hence the “Warming the Heart” theme, an “event that unites not only our local community, but our entire region.”

David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.