Centre Acadien, Université Sainte-Anne

The Clare Acadian Festival, the world’s oldest Acadian festival - The first Acadian festival was held in May 1955, to mark the Deportation of the Acadians. In this picture, we see the float that the E. M. Comeau company prepared to participate in the parade, the main activity of the celebrations.

Due to the popularity of this event, the Chamber of Commerce decided to make it an annual community event, now named the "Festival Acadien de Clare". The festival, which is a celebration of Acadian culture and heritage, is aimed at both tourists from away and Clare Acadians, who either live in the region or return each year for their summer vacation.

Each year, participants can enjoy performances of Acadian, Cajun and bluegrass music. There are also art exhibits and quilt shows that showcase the talents of local people. People can also express their creativity and pride in the annual parade or the Tintamarre (see below), which always takes place on August 15th, the National Acadian Day.

During the Tintamarre, a collective expression of Acadian pride, participants walk through the community, display the Acadian colours and make noise, to remind others of the presence of the Acadians. In Clare, the Tintamarre is a fairly recent custom, but it has quickly become one of the festival’s main activities; each year, the number of participants increases.

In 2015, the Clare Acadian Festival celebrated its 60th anniversary by presenting a major televised show in partnership with Radio-Canada, on August 15th. The artists on stage were Radio Radio, Joseph Edgar, Caroline Savoie, Arthur Comeau, Grand Dérangement, Marcel Aymar, Cy, Unisson, La Baie en Joie, Jonah Meltwave, Monique Cosmique, Charles Robichaud, Stella Burridge, Cindy LeBlanc and the Les Voix dans l'vent choir.

Topic: Arts and Culture

Date: 1955

Reference: Harold Robichaud Collection Centre Acadien Series A, photo 72

For more information, visit the Centre Acadien website.