Summer is upon us and so begins a fantastic season of concerts and festivals. Nowhere else in this country can you experience the sheer amount of authentic arts events that Manitoba has to offer!

There are so many exciting festivals and concerts to be on the look out for such as Winnipeg Fringe Festival, Folklorama, and the RWB’s Ballet in the Park. The Winnipeg Folk Festival expands to a five-day format from July 7–11 this year and is excited to announce another marquee act to open up the festivities at Birds Hill Park. And we are excited for upcoming events that the WSO will share with you during the summer. I promise we’ll keep you posted!

I invite you to make one of these events a part of your family’s summer activities and I hope to see you at a WSO concert soon!

The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) is going Canadian this summer with works by more than 50 Canadian artists on view.

Winnipeg artist Diana Thorneycroft takes historical Canadian landscapes, combines them with her own complex dioramas, and records them with her camera, creating a skewed representation of the unique Canadian experience. Diana Thorneycroft: Canada, Myth and History, Group of Seven Awkward Moments runs from June 12 to August 22. The Nude in Modern Canadian Art, 1920-1950 looks at how the nude body has been perceived and represented by Canadian artists (runs from June 17 to August 22).

Noted for its fine collection of Inuit art, the WAG is displaying a portion of it in two exhibitions this summer. The delicate prints and lithographs in  Andrew Qappik: Pangnirtung Memories (until August 1) beautifully illustrate Qappik’s deep respect for the history and culture of his people and his desire to share it with the rest of the world.  For over 60 years, Cape Dorset artist Kiugak Ashoona has been drawing on shamanism and Inuit legends in his powerful sculpture. Kiugak Ashoona: Stories and Imaginings from Cape Dorset opens on August 20.

Also at the WAG

Drop-in Exhibition Tours. 2pm every Wednesday in July and August.

Jazz on the Rooftop.  Held in the Gallery’s rooftop sculpture garden on July 15 and 29, and August 12, 19, and 26.  

Gallery Shop. Unique jewelry, glass ware, ceramics, and fabric art handcrafted by Canadian artists.

Storm Restaurant. Located on the penthouse level overlooking the rooftop sculpture garden.

The Winnipeg Art Gallery offers many experiences to make your visit an unforgettable one. We hope you will visit soon! For details visit our website at wag.ca.

Wapusk National Park on the shores of Hudson's Bay in the north-eastern corner of Manitoba is remote and access is available only through a handful of approved commercial tour operators. The effort involved in getting there pales in comparison to the thrill of watching polar bear mothers wrestle with their cubs in the snow just metres from your big-wheeled Tundra Buggy.

The Park is one of the biggest polar bear denning sites in the world, drawing scientists from around the globe to study the bears and the effects of climate change on the environment.

Beyond the bears are found the remnants of 3,000 years of Inuit, Dene and Cree culture, as well as many of the roots of modern Canada. The region was the epicentre of the fur trade for 250 years, and home to the Hudson's Bay Company that played a dominant role in the country's economic and political development. The massive stone fortifications of Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site recall the rivalry between the great superpowers of the time, England and France.

A visit begins in the colourful gateway community of Churchill. Be sure to check in to the Parks Canada visitor centre for special presentations that showcase park history, as well as talks and workshops by visiting scientific researchers who bring the area to life.

Explore the Red River Valley for your chance to WIN a share of $3000 in Cash Prizes!

Due to popular demand Rivers West is bringing back the Find Gold on the Red Contest in partnership with several organizations and municipalities who are associated with the Red River Corridor.

Starting the week of June 21st, 2010 specific destinations will be selected somewhere along the Routes on the Red from Selkirk to Emerson, including Winnipeg.   

The contest will run every week for six (6) weeks in the following manner:

Clues will be printed weekly with additional clues available on the www.routesonthered.ca website;

Based on the clues, participants are to find the location, take their photo in front of it, then send the photo via e-mail to info@routesonthered.ca no later than 1 PM on the following Monday;

Participants photos will be put into a weekly draw valued at $500 Cash;

Winners will be contacted weekly with their name and photo uploaded to the Routes On The Red Website;

Two additional bonus clues will be identified weekly for the chance to find two other locations that will entitle the first to arrive at each location a gift package valued at over $500 that will also be drawn during the last week of the contest.

No purchase is necessary. Official contest rules available at www.routesonthered.ca

Travel the world with Folklorama, the largest and longest-running festival of its kind in the world, named the 2009 Event of the Year by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.

Held August 1-14, 2010 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the 41st annual Folklorama will feature 45 cultural pavilions, where you can enjoy lively, world class entertainment, taste delicious ethnic dishes and exotic beverages, meet friendly volunteers dressed in their traditional ethnic attire, and learn about cultures from the four corners of the world. With so many diverse cultures to experience, from Irish to Brazilian, Ethiopian to Korean, and French-Canadian to Caribbean, and exciting, international performing groups from around the globe, Folklorama is one summer event you won’t want to miss.

Experience Folklorama in style on a VIP World Tour. For one, affordable price of $69.95, you will board a luxury motorcoach from a central location and be chauffeured to three pavilions, each with a 45-minute show, and enjoy a progressive meal throughout the evening with appetizer, entrée, dessert and beverages. To complete your VIP experience, you will also bypass line-ups and receive priority seating with table service. With over 440,000 pavilion visits during the festival, VIP World Tour is the perfect way to avoid lines and guarantee admittance. You can also take advantage of our hotel package, available for $278.00 based on double occupancy, which includes two VIP World Tour tickets and a one-night stay at one of Canad Inns’ Destination Centres, where you’ll enjoy continental breakfast and the added convenience of boarding your luxury motorcoach right at your hotel.

Also make sure to check out the Folklorama Kick-off, a free event held on Saturday, July 31 from 5-11pm. The Kick-off’s live mainstage show, attended by 15,000 people, will feature non-stop cultural entertainment and international performing groups and will be headlined by hip hop group Grand Analog. Complete with fun, interactive sponsor tents and food vendors, the Folklorama Kick-off will be capped off with a spectacular fireworks display.

For more information or to book a seat on our VIP World Tour, call Folklorama at 1.800.665.0234 or visit www.folklorama.ca.

We’re exploring the province and blogging about it:  the province’s hot spots and hidden gems, great golf courses, favorite fishing spots and more. You can also share your own stories!

Lounging on Lilac Street

"...there are, however, places in Winnipeg where shopping rises above the mundane. Lilac Street is one of them. This is a small area, maybe a block or two long, running perpendicular to Corydon Avenue. It is a concentrated effort – everything you could possibly want and yet, unsurprisingly, you won’t find at Wal-Mart.

The street is lined with 125-year-old American Elm trees, the storefronts are quaint and the skyline is an irregular surprise of angles. Intermingled with the shops are lovely, old, nicely-appointed apartments and condominiums. This is why the area is so vital. Residential intermingled with commerce, all cohabiting, all complimenting and supporting one another..." READ MORE