Festival Floats Arts for All in Forks Harbour

Head to The Forks this week and you might see something a little different happening on the waterfront. The inaugural River Barge Festival is docking for five days of free music and enteratinment starting August 25. Featuring over 30 artists playing everything from roots to rock to cajun to country, and just about everything in between, the festival celebrates popular culture, diversity, and the performing arts in Winnipeg.

Taking place on a specially-built barge docked to The Forks, the event offers performances by many of Manitoba's top musical acts, including Juno-winning roots outfit Chic Gamine, country chanteuse Tracy Bone, roots singer/songwriter Romi Mayes, venerable children's performer Fred Penner, pop/rock duo Imaginary Cities, jazz guitarist Greg Lowe, country rock newcomer Darrelyne Bickel, hip hop trio Magnum K.I., a special performance with fiddler/singer Sierra Noble with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and many (many) more.

The River Barge Festival is just one of the large-scale events planned for the Winnipeg Cultural Capital 2010 Arts For All program. Other events include The Big Dance on Broadway, My City's Still Breathing arts symposium featuring legendary filmmaker John Waters, the North End Arts Centre, a major public art project, and more.

The Cultural Capitals program is a competitive, federally funded program through Canadian Heritage. The other Cultural Capitals of Canada for 2010 are Saguenay, Quebec, and Saint John, New Brunswick.

Check out the Arts For All commercials featuring Weakerthans'  front man John K. Samson, Angry Dragons' singer Joanne Rodriguez, alongside playwrights, writers, and other local artists talking about Winnipeg's arts community.

Meanwhile, here's what's happening at the River Barge Festival...

Wednesday, August 25 - Roots on the River
Hosted by Jeff Robson and John Scoles
12:00       The Crooked Brothers
1:00         Jessee Havey and the Quirks
2:00         The D. Rangers
3:00         Kelly Hughes Live!
4:00         J.C. Campbell & Tracy Bone
5:00         Johnny Cajun
6:00         The Romi Mayes Band

Thursday, August  26  -  New Sounds / Old Friends
Hosted by Jane Testar and Tricia Cooper
12:00      Noma Sibanda & the Guerrillas of Soul
1:00        Matthew Contois
2:00        Christine Fellows
3:00        Kelly Hughes Live!
4:00        Flying Fox & the Hunter-Gatherers
5:00        Greg Lowe & Jack Semple
6:00        Trio Bembe

Friday, August 27 -  Gala Evening
Hosted by Marcy Markusa and Janet Stewart
6:00        Opening ceremonies / remarks
6:30        Papa Mambo
7:45        Chic Gamine
9:15        The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra & Sierra Noble

With a light and mist installation by PO-MO Inc.

Saturday, August 28 - Red River Gumbo
Hosted by Larry Updike and Jon Ljungberg
12:00      Manitoba Theatre Centre presents: The History of Manitoba from the Beginning of Time to the Present in 45 Minutes
1:30        Darrelyne Bickel
2:30        The Scarlet Union
3:30        Les Surveillantes
4:30        Greg MacPherson
5:30        Magnum K.I.
6:30        Imaginary Cities
8:00        Digging Roots
9:30        Luke Doucet and the White Falcon

Sunday, August 29 - Family Day
Hosted by Al Simmons
12:00      Manitoba Theatre Centre presents: The History of Manitoba from the Beginning of Time to the Present in 45 Minutes
1:30        Rocki Rolletti and the Junior Noodle Wave
2:45        Jazz On Wheels
4:00        Fred Penner

Find out more at www.artsforall.ca and check out the event on Facebook.