Category: Events

MOSAÏQ MULTICULTURAL FESTIVAL ~ PLANS UNDERWAY

For the 14th year in a row, downtown Moncton will be filled with the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the world, thanks to the region’s largest celebration of international culture, the Mosaïq Multicultural Festival! With two days packed of activities for all, you should mark your calendars for July 20th and 21st!

Over the years it has been a pleasure to see the festival grow from being held on a street, to the corner of a park, and then to the front of Moncton City Hall. However, with more and more people from around the world choosing to call Greater Moncton home, we outgrew even that space. Now, for the 2nd year in a row, Moncton’s Riverfront Park will be our festival venue. “The Riverfront Park proved to be a wonderful venue to bring together all the cultures we have, weave the communities together, and create a place where locals and newcomers alike can learn about the diversity in the region, ask questions, and most importantly, have fun,” says Chantal Poirier, MAGMA’s Executive Director.

For many newcomers, Mosaïq is one of the main avenues to stay connected to their roots, as well as experience and share their own culture with their new neighbours. “It’s amazing to see how much the cultural associations can offer to help organize such a colourful and exciting Festival,” says event Chair, Camelia Radu. “Many people don’t realize how diverse the city is, and how vibrant the cultural scene is here. Mosaïq is an amazing opportunity for Moncton to promote itself as a cosmopolitan destination in the Maritimes – something that is very attractive to new immigrants and Canadians looking for more variety, innovation, and excitement.”

Year after year, the Festival provides a stage for world-class acts from across the globe. Last year, the festival organizers had the privilege of attending a world music showcase hosted in Montreal. Through this initiative, they had the opportunity to hand pick some high caliber performers who were eager to make their first appearance in Moncton, and it shows in the accolades the artists have gone on to receive. Festival headlinersThe Jerry Cans received two Juno nominations for ‘Breakthrough Group of the Year’ and ‘Contemporary Roots Album of the Year’ for their album, Inuusiq, and fellow headliners, Kobo Town, recently won ‘World Music Album of the Year,’ narrowly beating out fellow Mosaïq performer Beny Esguerra and New Tradition.

With such past successes under out belt, we’re thrilled by level of talent the Festival is once again bringing to town this year. Music lovers looking for original offerings and energetic performances, rejoice with the following lineup:

We are very excited to announce that this year’s headliners are Exco Levi and Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra. Exco Levi holds the best winning percentage in Canada’s JUNO Awards. He has been nominated the 6 times he submitted and has won 5 times. The Toronto Star recently billed him as “local reggae king,” and his ability to deliver uplifting messages wrapped in engaging melodic compositions thanks to a mix of poetry and sound certainly makes this true. He is one of Reggae’s most attractive voices and we are thrilled to have him perform at our festival for the first time ever.

Back by popular demand, the 15-member troupe Gyspy Kumbia Orchestra will be playing at Mosaïq once again after a 4-year span. Their original flavour invites audiences to experience movement, freedom, and wonder. Their euphoric energy and creative bounty is exhilarating on stage, as they mix dance and music from Colombia and Eastern Europe for a musical, visual, and sensory experience. We can hardly wait to watch them perform once again!

In its 14th year, the Mosaïq Festival’s International stage will be showcasing many new sounds during these not-to-be missed performances: Flávia Nascimento learned at the knee of her singer/guitarist father, and over the years has transformed herself into a luminous and versatile artist as she blends her Brazilian roots and with

the sounds of her new home in Quebec. With her love for circus experiences, street parties, popular events, and festivals, she is sure to bring a burst of energy to our stage this summer! With their angry accordions, frantic drums, pelvis-shaking bass and bacon-cheeseburger guitar; Hey, Wow defies description. Come and see why awards such as the Trille-Or for Best Show are just some of the accolades they’ve garnered so far. Their dynamic stage show and music will keep people dancing into the wee hours, singing songs everyone can relate to.Fränder is a Swedish-Estonian folk group that blends traditional music from their respective countries and uses it as a springboard for creating a captivating experience. The four family members create harmonies and inventive arrangements to produce a musical landscape focusing on stories filled with warmth, charm, and love of adventure. The Simba Zambezi Troupe will bring a new twist to the festival this year. They are a group of Kenyan acrobats whose astonishing agility has them literally flying across the stage as they tumble, bounce, and spin in dizzying displays of acrobatics. A new event not to be missed! Originally from the Central African Republic, Laetitia Zonzambé’s music combines traditional songs from Central Africa with elements of Soul, Pop and R’nB influences. “Sanza” designates a cloth made of different pieces of colorful pagnes and symbolizes her artistic approach. Djazia takes from her heritage and her childhood in Algiers to create warm and flavourful pop music. Her melodies are comprised of a mix of 1950s Chaabi with the tribal rhythms of bendirs, as well as elegant melodies from a banjo or a mandole, with deep bass and energetic analog keyboards.

Every year has a packed roster of the best of local and international performers, and this year is no exception. “We’re thrilled to continue bringing exceptional talent year after year to bring new energy into the Festival,” says Sara Robinson, President of HOST Event Management. “As the festival has grown there are more and more musicians and dancers lining up to take part – having a hard time deciding between which artists to invite is a good problem to have!” Today’s press conference outlines the schedule, and a full roster of this year’s performers and bios for the lead artists are attached.

“The amount of children we have taking part has just grown exponentially, and our new venue is ideal for that,” adds Poirier. “The Kids’ Pavilion is packed with children from local daycares and day camps creating crafts from around the world, learning new languages, and making new friends, and the Youth Olympïqs gets them out and moving as they take part in internationally-themed sports and various games. It’s a wonderful event that the whole family can enjoy!”

The pavilions, also known as the Festival’s World Village, will also contain a dizzying array of artisan vendors, multicultural exhibits and of course a mouth-watering variety of international foods.

For more information or for an interview, please contact Fred Hryszyn, Media & Events Coordinator at MAGMA for the Mosaïq Multicultural Festival (Frederick.hryszyn@magma-amgm.org or 506.229-9052).

www.mosaiqmoncton.ca