The John Arcand Fiddle Festival in Saskatoon, SK

John Arcand Fiddle Competition in Saskatoon, SK (Canada).

My metaphorical dance card was full, as I seemed to have promised everyone I met this weekend with a swing around the stage. But that’s just what you do at an old time dance.

On the Friday and Saturday nights of the John Arcand Fiddle Festival, there are old time dances. A band plays waltz’s, polkas, even square dances as they floor gets packed. The older generation dusts the stage from the younger folks, who try to keep up with their elders.

I have never been to an old time dance before- maybe we don’t have them in BC? If not, we definitely should. All generations kick up their feet, with smiling faces and some sense of solidarity. If you don’t know what you’re doing, like me, someone will whisk you off to learn on the spot.

Fiddling Workshop at the John Arcand Fiddle Festival in Saskatoon, Canada.

Of course the biggest attraction, and what the crowd comes for every year, is the fiddling. John Arcand is a much-respected fiddler in the Métis community and transcends his heritage to be renowned outside of the Métis community as well.

He and his wife Vicki invite the world to their private farm, Windy Acres, a 20-minute drive outside of Saskatoon, Canada. There, you can take the fiddling workshops, sign up for the competition or just bring a lawn chair and listen to the fantastic talent on stage.

A real treat is the Fiddle Finale, where all of the finalists play a few tunes to raucous applause (see a video of the fiddle finale here). To top that, Saturday night is the John Arcand and some very Special Friends concert, which is the highlight of the festival for most attendees.

Fiddle Finale at the John Arcand Fiddle Festival in Saskatoon, SK (Canada).

What I Liked:

• The atmosphere here is special. The volunteers value their jobs to keep things running smoothly and seem to love the setting as much as the dedicated festival-goers.
• Vicki is a hoot and organizes this whole shindig year round.
• The Métis community here is so strong. Folks travel here and come together to support each other, catch up on things going on within their own communities and then meet up year after year.
• Festival-type food is available in the cafeteria and is super cheap. If you’re a vegetarian, bring your own picnic.
• The only sponsor is Long & McQuade and the vendors are the musicians who sell their CDs, as well as the Gabriel Dumont Institute, Saskatoon’s Métis organization. It’s nice to be at a festival where half of it doesn’t seem to be for the purpose of buying “stuff.”

Tags: canada, Gabriel Dumont Institute, John Arcand Fiddle Festival, Long & McQuade, Métis community, old time dance, polka, Saskatchewan, saskatoon, SK, square dance, waltz, Windy Acres