According to the artistic director of Le Festival de l’escaouette, Paul Daniel Gallant, the audience, organizers, artists and volunteers were trilled with this year’s edition of the festival. This two month long Festival with a staff of 34 and hundreds of volunteers and artists has become a very important centerpiece for the tourism industry in the Chéticamp region.
Le Festival de L’Escaouette, produced in partnership with La Société Saint Pierre and Le Conseil des arts de Chéticamp, saw its numbers climb from 13 223 spectators in 2008 to 15 995 in 2009, a 20% increase. “All the shows went well this summer,” said the artistic director. “The Gala, Chuck et Albert. Ça chante encore, Le Grand Retour, la Swing were all well received and well attended. Of course the return of la Soirée chez Gélas and Grand Cercle proved to be as popular as ever with tourists and locals alike. But the big surprise was the Soleil show that set a record in attendance for the theater at a whopping 190 spectators per shows,” said Gallant.
“Our success is based on the tremendous support that we get from our own community,” said Daniel Aucoin, Festival committee member. “Our local tourism operators and the community in general not only attend the many show and events but play a key role in encouraging the visitors to participate as well. We will be taking a bit of a breather before beginning the planning on next year Festival, which already promises to be even more exciting.”
