Thursday July 12, 2018, Moncton, NB The Aberdeen Cultural Centre, in partnership with the City of Moncton, has unveiled its program for the 7th edition of the Festival Acadie Rock this morning during a press conference. The Festival will be held from August 11 to 18 and will feature nearly a hundred artists. More than 15,000 people are expected to attend this edition of the Festival, which will showcase the multidisciplinary, international and modern nature of today’s Acadie.
The highlight of the Festival will once again be the August 15 show, during which festival goers will be able to celebrate National Acadian Day at the Riverfront Park. As was recently announced, the groups taking the stage this year are: Julie Aubé (Moncton), Vishtèn (Prince Edward Island), Sweet Crude (Louisiana), Daniel Bélanger (Quebec) and La Dame Blanche (Cuba). This event will be presented in collaboration with Uni Coopération Financière and the Congrès Mondial Acadien 2019 . In addition to these partnerships, Radio-Canada Acadie will be live-broadcasting parts of the August 15 concert on ICI Radio-Canada Télé and ARTV, from 9:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and across Canada later in the evening.
The St-George Street Block Party, held in front of the Aberdeen Cultural Center ahead of the headlining show, will include a traditional Tintamarre beginning at 6:00 p.m. The Acadian community invites all other cultural communities of the Greater Moncton to take part in this festive activity. All attendees are also encouraged to dress in the Acadian colours and bring any objects (even pots and pans!) to make noise all the way to the Riverfront Park.
Whether it be at the Salle Bernard-Leblanc, on the Les Brumes du Coude patio or at the Belliveau Orchard, the Festival Acadie Rock will explore new and exciting spaces for its concerts that will be held every night from August 11 to 18. A multitude of artists from different genres of music and regions of the world will be gathering for the festivities. The recent Acadian formation Tampa will be opening the Festival with the MoonTunes and Dj Dick Daigle. There will also be performances throughout the week by Jourdan Thibodeaux et les Rôdailleurs (Louisiana) and Christine Melanson at the Belliveau Orchard, Jambinai (Korea), Simon Daniel, Fuudge (Quebec), Comté de Clare (Nova Scotia), Les Hôtesses d’Hilaire, Track of Rock and Jacques Surette (Nova Scotia).
Our Comedy night will be returning for a third consecutive edition and will continue to highlight Moncton’s budding stand up scene. Julien Dionne, Solange Leblanc, Martin Saulnier, Ryan Doucette and Yves Doucet will be our guests for the evening hosted by comedian Mélanie Beaulieu.
With the Soirée de poésie Gérald-LeBlanc, the Festival Acadie Rock highlights this ever-thriving artistic expression. Poets from Acadie and Quebec will be performing at this event and will feature Gabriel Robichaud, Georgette Leblanc, Cindy Morais, Emilie Trudel, Marc Arseneau, Frederic Gary Comeau and Christine Roy.
In addition to poetry, dance, humor and music, the Festival also offers a visual art component. This year, Mathieu Léger will offer a series of performative actions outside the walls of the gallery. Using an alphabet of pasta, the artist will fill cracks everywhere in the city to emphasize the ephemeral quality of language. This will be presented as part of the exhibition celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Galerie Sans Nom: “La Papeterie: 40 ans d’art et d’édition”.
The Acadie Rock Festival team is also very proud to announce that the August 18 closing night will serve as the opening event of Pride Week 2018. Presented in collaboration with River of Pride, the evening will be a celebration of the LGBTQ2+ and Acadian communities, and will feature Allumette, Wangled Teb and Maud Geffray.
L’Acadie suit son COURT will return for the sixth consecutive year, offering fun faux docs to the delight of the public. This year, two short films will be produced by FICFA in collaboration with New Brunswick Filmmakers Co-op. The participating artists will be unveiled in August.
The Acadie Rock Festival is made possible thanks to the support of its many partners, including; Heritage Canada, the Province of New Brunswick, the City of Moncton, the Quebec Secretariat for Canadian Relations, the Consulate General of France in Moncton and Uni Coopération Financière. Once again this year, the Congrès mondial acadien 2019 will act as Acadie Rock’s major partner.
