Final Preparations Now Underway for the Ninth Annual Lieutenant Governor’s Winter Festival

Brandon, MB – The sights, sounds, smells and tastes that, together, weave Brandon’s multicultural fabric will soon take centre stage in the community with the opening of the Ninth Annual Lieutenant Governor’s Winter Festival later this week.

This year’s festival runs from Thursday, February 2nd to Saturday, February 4th and features a total of 13 pavilions located at venues across the city: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, English, First Nations, French Canadian, German, Irish, Mauritius, Metis, Scottish, Ukrainian and USA.

The three-day event officially kicks off Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Main Foyer of Brandon City Hall with the opening ceremonies, hosted by the El Salvador pavilion. Special guests at the opening ceremonies include the festival’s patron the Honourable Phillip S. Lee, Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba and the Honourable Christine Melnick, Minister of Immigration and Multiculturalism.

“This year’s festival is gearing up to be another fantastic weekend,” says Esther Bryan, 2012 Festival Chair. “After months of planning, the 13 pavilions are almost ready to open their doors to the community, beginning with Thursday’s thrilling opening ceremonies.”

Brand new pavilions this year are USA and Mauritius, while back by popular demand after a two-year absence is the German pavilion. With the mix of new and established pavilions, the event is certain to offer a multi-cultural experience that showcases the community’s celebratory spirit.

“This has become a favourite and much anticipated festival for our community,” Bryan said. “We know that we couldn’t pull it off without the passion of the pavilion organizers, the hundreds of volunteers and the many sponsors and supporters who contribute. The Lieutenant Governor’s Winter Festival is a weekend for our community, made possible by our community.”

As always, free bus service, sponsored by Manitoba Public Insurance, will be available for pick-up and drop-off at pavilions on a half-hourly basis. The public is invited to park their vehicles at City Hall and ride the bus to the pavilions.

New this year is the added convenience for festival-goers to check bus times and pavilion locations/show times while on the move, thanks to festival’s new, mobile-friendly website, www.brandonwinterfestival.ca. Look to the website for important public information updates throughout the festival.

As always, bus schedules, pavilion locations and their respective operating hours and show times will also be available in a printed official event guide. The official Ninth Annual Lieutenant Governor’s Winter Festival guide will be available in the Wed, Feb 1st, daily edition of the Brandon Sun and the Thursday, February 2nd edition of the Brandon Sun Community News. Guides will also be available for pick up by the public at Brandon City Hall, the Riverbank Discovery Center and Manitoba Liquor Mart locations across the city.