MB
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Manitoba Opera (www.mbopera.ca), the Royal
Manitoba Theatre Centre, Tom Hendry
Warehouse Theatre (www.royalmtc.ca) and
Prairie Theatre Exchange (www.pte.mb.ca).
Year-round, Thermëa by Nordik Spa in the
city's south end (www.thermea.ca) and Ten
Spa at the Hotel Fort Garry (www.tenspa.ca),
provide sybaritic pleasures.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Provincial parks provide groomed hiking
trails and offer on-line summer campsite
bookings, and most are near small towns
where local motels appeal to family-oriented
explorers (www.gov.mb.ca/sd/parks/
index.html). Whiteshell Provincial Park
(www.whiteshell.mb.ca) is a handy hour's
drive east of Winnipeg and, further afield,
wilderness wanderers can take to lakes and
rivers in canoes, kayaks, or fishing boats.
Cosy resort communities like Grand Beach,
Gimli, Winnipeg Beach, Victoria Beach,
Sandy Hook, Matlock, and many more lay
claim to wide, sandy beaches. Gimli is a
favourite weekend hangout with its charming
marina and beach-town atmosphere
(www.gimli.ca), along with an annual
celebration of Icelandic culture each
August during the three-day festival called
Islendingadagurinn. In Spruce Woods
Provincial Park, a day tripper's hiking trail
covers forests, hills, a genuine desert, and
the eerie, deepwater blue Devil's Punch Bowl
(www.travelmanitoba.com/listings/
spruce-woods-provincial-park/6732).
HERITAGE AND CULTURE
Winnipeg's historic Exchange District is
home to the Design Quarter, a casual
grouping of eclectic, original design shops
ranging from fashion to fine dining and fine
art (www.designquarterwinnipeg.ca).
Outside the city, historic gems include
Brandon's Commonwealth Air Training Plan
Museum and its stories of World War II air
fighter training (www.airmuseum.ca);
Special Events
www.travelmanitoba.com/
things-to-do/art-arts/festivals-events
JANUARY
• WINNIPEG NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL
FEBRUARY
• FESTIVAL DU VOYAGEUR, WINNIPEG
• NORTHERN MANITOBA TRAPPERS'
FESTIVAL, THE PAS
MARCH
• FESTIVAL OF FOOLS, WINNIPEG
• HUDSON BAY QUEST, CHURCHILL
MAY
• MANITO AHBEE FESTIVAL, WINNIPEG
• WINNIPEG COMEDY FESTIVAL
MAY – JUNE
• PRIDE WINNIPEG
JUNE
• MANITOBA ELECTRONIC MUSIC
EXHIBITION, WINNIPEG
• MANITOBA SUMMER FAIR, BRANDON
• TD WINNIPEG INTERNATIONAL
JAZZ FESTIVAL
JULY
• DAUPHIN'S COUNTRYFEST
• MANITOBA STAMPEDE & EXHIBITION,
MORRIS
• WINNIPEG FOLK FESTIVAL, BIRDS HILL
PROVINCIAL PARK
• WINNIPEG FRINGE THEATRE FESTIVAL
JULY – AUGUST
• CANADA'S NATIONAL UKRAINIAN
FESTIVAL, DAUPHIN
• FOLKLORAMA, WINNIPEG
• ICELANDIC FESTIVAL, GIMLI
SEPTEMBER
• CULTURE DAYS, WINNIPEG
• MANYFEST, WINNIPEG
• NUIT BLANCHE, WINNIPEG
OCTOBER
• CENTRAL CANADA COMICCON, WINNIPEG
Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Investors Group
Field tackles big blockbuster concerts
(www.bluebombers.com/stadium). In
July, the four-day Winnipeg Folk Festival
at Birds Hill Provincial Park, north of the city,
is family-friendly (www.winnipegfolk
festival.ca), as is the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's
"Ballet in the Park" at Assiniboine Park's
outdoor Lyric Theatre (www.rwb.org).
Winnipeg warms up winter with the
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (www.wso.ca),
ASSINIBOIA DOWNS • TOURISM WINNIPEG/ROB BYE
FESTIVAL DU VOYAGEUR • TRAVEL MB/DAN HARPER
