The Selo Ukraina site south of Dauphin, MB will come alive this August long weekend with three days of Ukrainian celebrations. The 59th annual Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival gets going at noon on Friday, August 2nd with the Drifting Cossacks on the Cossack Tavern Stage.
(photo from Canada’s Ukrainian Festival)
The festival is into its 59th year with a new generation of people leading the annual celebration.
“Which is fantastic because we need that. We need the younger generation to keep carrying on all these traditions,” stated festival president Kayla Gillis.
This year there are bands and dance groups from all over Canada participating on the main stage including Saskatoon’s Za Okeanom Band, Winnipeg’s Sloohai, Calgary’s Tryzub Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, Troyanda School of Ukrainian Dance in Brandon, and even the Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Troupe from Minnesota. It’s not just dancing and music that makes up the festival, there’s also lots of traditional food.
“We have all types of Ukrainian food as well as a Mexican (food) truck and an Italian truck, so something for everybody’s taste buds,” Gillis said.
Grandstand performances are at 7pm on Friday, 2pm Saturday, 7:15pm Saturday evening, 2 pm Sunday, and 7pm Sunday night. Early bird passes are no longer available, however festivalgoers can still purchase passes at the gate.
“If you go online it will tell you all of our ticket prices for the gate. The gate will open up on Thursday at 1pm and if you go there you can get your tickets,” Gillis explained.
Listen to our full interview here:
One of the highlights of the festival is the huge parade that snakes its way through Dauphin. Beautifully decorated floats from local business, organizations, and volunteer groups will delight crowds starting at 10am on Saturday, August 3rd.
To kick off the weekend of celebrations, the Parkland Chamber of Commerce in Dauphin will hold a street fair from 8am to midnight in the city’s downtown Thursday evening.
Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival runs August 2nd, 3rd, and 4th at the Selo Ukraina site just ten minutes south of Dauphin on the northern edge of Riding Mountain National Park.
