Vermont Celebrates Champlain - February 3, 2009: Champlain 400 Festival to Feature Music Theater, Films, Food and More

VPR
History Under
the Waves
July/August 2009

Albany Times Union
Quiet Celebration: Marking the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial with a Paddle
July 19, 2009

WCAX
Vermont Indigenous Celebration
July 9, 2009

VPR
Quebec Minister in Vermont to Observe Quadricentennial
July 9, 2009

Montreal Gazette
There’s a Party
Going On
July 4, 2009

Daily Gazette
Events to Honor Early Explorer: Champlain
July 4, 2009

VPR
Stories from the Lake
Summer 2009

VPR
Interview with Jay Craven, Producer of the Burlington International Waterfront Festival
July 2, 2009

Boston.com
Much to Do for Burlington International Waterfront Festival
July 1, 2009

BudgetTravel.com
Celebrate Lake Champlain’s 400th Anniversary
June 24, 2009

View More Quad in the News!

Click here for a downloadable Press Kit. For press information contact Erica Houskeeper, Director of Communications, at (802) 828-0528 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . To request an image, click here.

Champlain 400 Festival to Feature Music Theater, Films, Food and More

Burlington, VT: In coordination with today’s announcement of $100,000 in grant funding from Quebec’s cultural ministry, Burlington International Waterfront Festival producer Jay Craven today made the first round of program announcements for the July 2-14 extravaganza.
“The $100,000 grant allows us to finalize commitments to Quebec artists—and provides a good opportunity to provide a status report on our overall progress to date,” said Craven. “Our summer Champlain Festival will be chock full of concerts, performances, forums, food events, film screenings, recreational activities, and a huge parade and pageant on July 11th.”

“The events will be fun—and will also provide a platform to celebrate the past while looking toward the next century. Champlain 400 events provides a rare opportunity to unite dozens of local organizations, build close and meaningful links to our historic international partners, Quebec and France, and heighten our understanding of the First Nations Abenaki, Iroquois, Huron, Montagnais, and Algonquin people.

“In addition to our lead sponsorship from Quebec, it is also important to note Vermont sponsors, to date, whose generous support is helping to make these events possible: among them The City of Burlington, State of Vermont, Consulate General of France (Boston), Fairpoint Communications, Cabot Creamery, Ben and Jerry’s, Merchant’s Bank, University of Vermont, Champlain College, Magic Hat, the Essex Resort & Spa, Vermont Public Radio, Lake Champlain Basin Program, The Point, Vermont Life. This list continues to grow—as it must, to ensure the festival’s success.”

Many events will be free—and there will be further program announcements in coming weeks—but confirmed programs, to date, include:

Quebec Day—July 10th: will see more than a hundred Quebec performers on stage, in clubs and restaurants, and on the streets of Burlington. Included: Quebec All-Stars music extravaganza, Quebec/Abenaki dancer/choreographer Marie Claude Rodrigue, roving street theater troupes, Quebec City Marching Band and Circus School impromptus, Flynn Theater theater/dance event, and more.

Aurelia’s Oratorio: The festival’s highlight theater offering for all ages—from France. Created and directed by Victoria Chaplin, daughter of Charlie Chaplin—and starring her daughter Aurelia in a whimsical, magical, and supremely inventive theatrical dreamscape rooted in the best traditions of European surrealism and the circus. Three shows: July 13 and 14.

July 3rd Fireworks and Waterfront Concert featuring The Lost Fingers: Quebec’s most popular touring group and stars of the 2008 Montreal Jazz Fest, where they played to more than 60,000 fans. This will be their U.S. premiere.

Blues Great–Buddy Guy: Live in concert with special guests. Buddy Guy’s recent appearance in the Martin Scorcese Rolling Stones 2008 concert film, “Shine a Light,” confirms the legendary artist’s prominence in the first rank.

July 11th Parade and Pageant: Including floats, marching bands, eco-car brigades, and a special “performance parade” featuring 1,000 performers of all ages and abilities led by 30 regional choreographers and working under the leadership of acclaimed French/Algerian choreographer Heddy Maalem, who culminating piece one of a dozen around the city) will be staged to the music of Dvoak’s New World Symphony.

All-Star Edition of the Queen City Radio Hour: Special edition of Burlington City Arts/Kingdom County Productions’ new radio variety show, featuring comedy, music, spoken word performance, and special guests (TBA).

Native American Encampment: July 9-12 on the waterfront, featuring dozens of performances, craft demonstrations, and even a fashion show of authentic costumes going back 400 years. Also a July 11th waterfront concert.

Champlain Valley Stages: More than a hundred performing artists from New England and upstate New York.

Film and Theater Festivals: Films will include work from France, Quebec, and Native Americans, exploring Champlain themes of border crossing, first encounters, and discovery. Theater festival will include commissioned work by Franco American/Vermont writer/performer Abby Paige and Abenaki storyteller and historian, Marge Bruchac. Also, a teen radio show and a professional staged reading of teen-written ten-minute plays focused on Champlain themes.

International Food Festival July 9-12: Special culinary events featuring Vermont fresh foods will include wine and cheese tastings and community meals exploring French, French Canadian, Franco-American, and Native American cuisine.

Kids Days July 6-7: Dozens of activities by and for kids and teens.

Recreation and Fitness Events: Special tours by foot, bike, and canoe—to Native American, public art, and sustainable agriculture sites. Also, lacrosse clinics and games.

Champlain Symposium—and Forum: The Symposium will run July 2-5, sponsored by Champlain College. The Forum on Our Sustainable Future will run July 6-12 on the waterfront and will feature dialogues on new currents in energy, education, technology, ecology, agriculture, the arts, and culture.

Festival passes go on sale March 1st. For more information, contact Jen Crowell ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 802-540-1014).

[ Back ]

Search this site

Champlain 400 Festival to Feature Music Theater, Films, Food and More