New Brunswick

The Acadian Peninsula is an area privileged with arts and culture, attractions and hospitality. Throughout the year, but especially during the summer, all kinds of festivals and events take place pretty much everywhere in the area.

For example: the Festival acadien de Caraquet, Lameque International Baroque Music Festival, Festival des arts visuels en Atlantique, Festival des pêches et de l’aquaculture de Shippagan, Festival Moisson d’art and the Ruée de Tracadie-Sheila, FestiVin, the Festival provincial de la tourbe de Lamèque, Salon du livre de la Péninsule acadienne, Festival acadien de poésie… not to mention the Ode à l’Acadie show presented during the summer on the Peninsula, plays, Bot’à chansons de Donat Lacroix, concerts, dinner theatres, amateur nights, shows in various art galleries and public areas, etc.

The Peninsula is also a place where tourist attractions enjoy an enviable reputation… whether they be the Village Historique Acadien located near Caraquet, Musée des Papes in Grande-Anse, New Brunswick Aquarium and Marine Centre in Shippagan, Lamèque Eco-Parc, the Cajun, a paddle boat in Tracadie-Sheila, the Miscou Island lighthouse, the Éco-musée de l’huître in Caraquet or the Musée historique de Tracadie, among others, the places to visit are numerous and impressive!

Along its many kilometres of coastline can be found beautiful beaches, warm waters, deep-sea diving, windsurfing, the best sites in the country for kitesurf, boat and kayak excursions, fishing expeditions, whale watching… or walk on the wharf and chat with a fisherman to hear his stories!

And there’s more… breathtaking sunsets, bird watching, tours of peat bogs, hikes, bicycle trails, golf courses…

Not to mention the large amount of fresh seafood served throughout the summer season! There are many good restaurants throughout the area.

The Acadian flag
The French tricolour with a golden star in the blue section. This is the meaning of the flag: “Let it be that the national flag bears the three colours of the French-Acadians. As a distinctive mark of nationality, we will place a star, figure of Mary, in the blue section which symbolizes the devotion to the virgin saint. The Stella Maris star, who should guide the small Acadian colony through the storms, will wear the papal colours to show the attachment to the saint church, our mother.”

Festival acadien de Caraquet Celebrating Acadian culture August 1st to 15th, 2009
Every year, thousands of Acadians head to Caraquet in order to celebrate their historical heritage and the vitality of their culture. The Festival acadien is not only the largest cultural event in Acadie, but also the one of the top tourist attractions of the Atlantic Provinces! The Festival appeared a dozen times on the famous American Bus Association’s top 100 events in North America list. Some 150 000 people take part in the various activities surrounding the Festival Acadien every year.  The Festival’s mission is to promote Acadian culture in all of its forms and in various ways, such as accompanying emerging Acadian artists throughout their developing career by continuously featuring them in the Festival’s line-up. Thus hundreds of local artists (on top of many French Canadian and international artists) of every musical style and every art form make regular appearances, between August 1st and 15th, on the various stages of the Festival acadien de Caraquet.

The Festival’s components
Besides the hundreds of musicians and bands featured at the Festival acadien, many exciting activities help make Caraquet a feast for the eyes, ears and palate. With so many things to see and do, you’ll quickly discover that throughout the two weeks of the Festival, there is never a dull moment.

The Tintamarre
An ancient Acadian tradition! It was revived in 1979 as part of the celebrations surrounding Acadie’s 375th year of existence. Literally translated, “tintamarre” means “loud racket.” Now, every year on the 15th of August (the Acadian national holiday) at 6:00 pm, some 25,000 people march down a closed-off segment of Saint-Pierre Boulevard in Caraquet, making as much noise as possible with anything they can get their hands on: pots, pans, shakers, drums, tin cans, whistles, etc. The sheer spirit, the raw energy and the wild enthusiasm of this sea of people made-up in Acadian colours and waving Acadian flags is simply impossible to top. Come be a part of the joyful celebrations and bring on the noise!