Get your maple fix virtually this year at the 2022 Vanier Sugar Festival!

Published on 29.03.2022

OTTAWA, March 29, 2022 – The Vanier Museopark is pleased to announce the program lineup for the 37th Vanier Sugar Festival (#fdsv2022), which will unfold entirely online from April 1 to 9 at monmuseoparc.ca/1. Due to the uncertainties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vanier Museopark opted once again for a virtual festival.

“From the outset, our intention in organizing this edition of the Festival was to reconnect with traditions by bringing to people the types of festive and family-oriented experiences customarily found at the Sugar Festival, but this time in virtual form,” explained Vanier Museopark Executive Director Madeleine Meilleur.

A fully digital platform was developed by the Museopark team to present the entire program in the form of an advent calendar, sugar season version, needless to say. “We wanted to keep the long-standing interest in this annual event alive and cherished by the Vanier community,” added Ms. Meilleur. “We would like as many people as possible to benefit, and the online formula enables us to reach them wherever they may be.”

“The Vanier Sugar Festival is an unmissable event in my constituency,” said Ottawa-Vanier provincial member of parliament Lucille Collard. “I am delighted to see that the Vanier Museopark has found an original way to adapt to the current circumstances and keep this wonderful tradition alive.”

Overview of the 2022 Virtual Sugar Festival (#fdsv2022)

Throughout the nine days of the Festival, from April 1 to 9, 2022, original content will be released on the monmuseoparc.ca/1 digital platform.

The activities will include:

  • A launch video of the festivities with a musical performance by Moonfruits, writers-composers-performers from Vanier, which was filmed in the beautiful maple bush in Richelieu Park.
  • An online cooking workshop for children with C’est moi le chef, offered for free on Sunday, April 3. To register, click here.
  • A selfie photobooth, where you can let your imagination run wild with original and fun stickers. Visitors are invited to share their photo on social media using #fdsv2022.
  • A maple sugar pastry demonstration by a Cordon Bleu Ottawa chef.
  • A quiz to test your knowledge about maple syrup production and Vanier’s history.
  • Crafts, colouring and other activities families can do outdoors.
  • Several draws for prizes from local businesses for people taking part in the Festival. The winners will be announced on April 9 at ca/1 and on the Vanier Museopark social networks.
  • Many more surprises throughout the nine days of the Festival.

The Vanier Museopark already has a few packages for sale in anticipation of the Sugar Festival, including a home maple sugar kit ($12), a 2022 Soup(e) Splash soup tasting kit ($30) and a crafts and activities kit for kids (free). There is still time to get these packages through the Vanier Museopark online shop or at monmuseoparc.ca/1. Be sure to get yours so you can get the most out of the 2022 virtual Sugar Festival and have fun with your family!

Grab your spoons, Soup(e) Splash is back!

On the heels of last year’s phenomenal success, Soup(e) Splash is back for its 15th edition. This friendly culinary competition involves eight local restaurants, each one taking on the challenge of creating an original soup where the main ingredient is maple syrup. Several restaurants in the Vanier community will be taking part this year:

  • Clocktower Brew Pub
  • Cuisine TradPlus (Centre Pauline-Charron’s social enterprise)
  • Dhruvees
  • Epicuria
  • Fraser
  • Le St-Laurent
  • Tasha’s (the restaurant that was the people’s choice and the panel’s favourite last year)
  • Union Street Café

The Soup(e) Splash is a terrific way to encourage local restaurants that are going through tough times, while at the same time giving the community the chance to discover new ones.

The Soup(e) Splash tasting kit sells for $30 and includes a soup from each participating restaurant, bread, a voting card, and the list of ingredients. In total, 250 kits will be available this year, which is 50 more than last year, due to the event’s tremendous success in 2021. This year, the Vanier Museopark is working with the local food bank, and will donate part of its revenues to Partage Vanier to support the community. The 2022 Soup(e) Splash kits are still available through the Vanier Museopark online boutique or at monmuseoparc.ca/1.

Soup(e) Splash 2022

  • The carry-out packages will be available on Saturday, April 2, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Partage Vanier (161 Marier Ave.).
  • The panel will consist of:
    • Mathieu Fleury, Municipal Councillor, Rideau-Vanier
    • Thierry Le Baut, Chef, Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa
    • Hannah Manning, Columnist, Apartment613
    • Derek Marcotte, Chef, Vanier Sugar Shack
    • Éric Ménard, Volunteer, Vanier Museopark
    • Stéphanie Simard, Executive Director, Unique FM
  • The public will cast their votes from April 2 to April 3 until 11:59 p.m.
  • The winners from the people’s choice and the jury will be announced on the last day of the festival, on April 9, at ca/1 and on the Vanier Museopark social networks.

The Vanier Museopark would like to thank its partners for making the programming possible for the 37th Sugar Festival: the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the City of Ottawa, the Ontario Arts Council and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

Go to monmuseoparc.ca/1 for the latest updates on the daily surprises awaiting visitors to the 2022 virtual Sugar Festival.

About the Vanier Museopark

The Vanier Museopark is a non-profit organization located in the heart of Vanier, a popular neighbourhood near downtown Ottawa. It celebrates the rich heritage and history of its community. Through its exhibits, talks, workshops, school programs and interpretive tours, the Vanier Museopark allows curious people of all ages – and all cultures – to discover and learn about the habits and customs of the local francophonie. It is the only French-language museum in Ottawa and one of the few Canadian museums outside Quebec devoted entirely to francophonie. The Vanier Museopark also operates an authentic sugar shack in the heart of an urban sugar bush, the only one of its kind in the world. It also hosts the Sugar Festival, a family-friendly annual event that promotes the culture of maple syrup as well as Franco-Ontarian and Aboriginal artists. Proud of its roots, the Vanier Museopark has been anchored in the community since 2004. www.museoparc.ca

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For additional information or to request an interview, please call:

Annick Normand
Manager, Communications and Marketing, Vanier Museopark
communication@museoparc.ca

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