Colors of Winnipeg - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

This city is home to various ethnic groups. This is one of the main reasons for diversity of local culture and friendliness of native people. In Winnipeg you will find Chinatown. There is a quarter called "Little Italy" and a French district. Each of them has its own inexpressible atmosphere and so has much interesting for tourists. All travelers who have already visited Winnipeg never cease to mention friendly attitude and hospitality of the local population. This friendliness can be seen in absolutely everything. You can see slogans like «friendly Winnipeg» even on numbers of cars. Such cute signs will certainly make you smile and feel like you’re at home.

The name of the city is directly connected with the name of a famous fairy tale character - Winnie the Pooh bear. One of local inhabitants, Lieutenant Coulbern, bought a bear. He decided to name the bear in honor of his native city. Then he went to the war and left his beloved pet in a zoo in London. This was the place where happened that fateful meeting of small Christopher Robin and the bear.

After getting acquainted with the bear, who had already become everyone's favorite animal, the boy decided to name his favorite toy - a teddy bear – after it. He only changed the name a little bit, adding some "London style” to it. Christopher Robin's dad was a children's writer. After hearing the son’s story about the friendly bear he got the idea to write a book about the adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Soon after publishing the book became the favorite fairy tale of thousands of kids from different countries. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Nowadays you can see a monument dedicated to Lieutenant Coulbern and his bear in one of the city’s parks. The monument has become one of the most interesting and symbolic sights of Winnipeg. Winnie the Pooh has his own party, which is organized by the Disney studio. The celebration takes place in the park. Here children are welcome to participate in funny games and competitions, as well as picnics with lots of meals and sweets.

This is not the complete list of amazing sights of Winnipeg. The city also famous for the windiest place in the world that is located there. You will find this place at the intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street. Here always blows a strong wind, even when the weather is calm and quiet. Winnipeg never ceases to amaze its guests with unusual festivals and attractions. The diverse culture of this city is truly very interesting.

This fact is evidenced by holding distinctive festivals. For example, Winnipeg Folk Festival that takes place in early July in Birds Hill Park near Winnipeg, which is good news for all outdoor enthusiasts. Live music, puppet shows, workshops, contests - all this awaits the lucky ones who have decided to attend the festival. In addition, the audience is offered a gastronomic program. Many restaurants open at this time to provide a special menu. The good news is that children under the age of 12 can enter the festival and camping for free.

2 weeks in August are devoted to such a festival as Folkorama. The event starts at the beginning of the month. During this time, visitors are presented the culture and heritage of various countries of the world - music, cuisine, theater. The festival is divided into several parts dedicated to one country or another so that visitors can feel the full immersion in the culture of certain peoples for which Winnipeg became home. And it is worth noting that the city is quite multiethnic, and therefore it has something to show the audience. Besides that, it is the largest and longest multicultural festival in the world.

The name of another event attracting many people is TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival. It is held in mid-June. At this time, the city is visited by hundreds of performers from Canada and other countries of the world. This is the time of the real jazz in all its diversity. Here you can also listen to other related subgenres like blues, funk, soul. The names of the headliners alone can cause a desire to become a festival visitor. Hammond Building is chosen as the venue for the festival.

The famous Festival du Voyageur falling on late February attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors with its name alone. The festival lasts ten days, during which art exhibitions open, musical performances take place, films of various genres are shown. The event is dedicated to the cultural heritage of France. As is known, French traditions have had a strong influence on the formation of the Canadian mentality and culture. The venue for the event is 233 Provencher Boulevard.

It is therefore not surprising that rich wine traditions appeared here thanks to the French heritage. At the end of April, there is another interesting festival dedicated to the gastronomic component - in particular, to the Bacchus' divine drink. It's all about the Winnipeg Wine Festival. Besides fine wine tastings, the festival cannot do without tasting snacks to the drink. The event is held at Winnipeg Winter Club.

Aboriginal people are not neglected either. Thus, at the end of June, 339 Portage Avenue becomes the venue for Aboriginal Day Live. The audience is offered an interesting and rich cultural program, including traditional music of Indian tribes and their diverse culture's presentation. Another cultural festival is Nuit Blanche falling on late September. You can visit the city's cultural institutions like museums and galleries free of charge. In addition, this can be done at night. Fans of good humor meet at the end of August on 698 Osborne Street to attend the Oddblock Comedy Festival. The atmosphere here is family-friendly, and therefore attracts all lovers of spending a great time in a pleasant company.

In late January, the great fun awaits all visitors. Of course, since we are talking about such an event as the Big Fun Festival. This is the time of incessant loud music that sounds for 5 days in the city center in various locations (clubs, bars, theaters). You can hear completely different music genres, from punk to hip-hop. Another interesting event is about electronic music and is called Manitoba Electronic Music Exhibition. Its time is hot August, and more specifically, the middle of the month. At this time, the rhythms of techno, rave, dubstep, house and experimental music are heard throughout Old Market Square located in Exchange District.