Francis (green snowsuit) and his father, Joel Lavoie, participate in the log sawing competition at the St. Isidore Carnaval Feb. 14 against Kory Lavoie, left, an event volunteer. The event has become a family tradition each year to celebrate their family’s heritage in the lumber industry.
The St. Isidore Carnaval provided fun and entertainment for hundreds of people on the weekend of Feb. 13-15.
Carnaval de St-Isidore is an annual francophone cultural event that features various outside and inside recreational activities, snow taffy, ice sculptures, traditional food and so much more. The event started in 1982 and is still a very popular event for people around Alberta to attend.
“Carnaval 2026 was a success, participants in abundance, weather, food, activities, smiles and reconnecting with friends and family was exceptional,” says committee president Chantal Monfette.
“The approximate numbers of attendees at this time are 1,400 Friday and Saturday. That does not include all of us, the artists and the school kids which would add 500 from Tuesday to Saturday,” she adds.
Monfette says this year’s theme was Royon do Bonbon or Candy Kingdom. Their goal was to make a very colourful, joyful event to make it kid friendly and provide a happy atmosphere for everybody.
The three-day event focused on family fun with a scavenger hunt, face painting, dancers and music, sleigh rides, a Carnaval King and Queen competition, balloon twisting, crib tournament, maple snow taffy, musical entertainment and, of course, a poutine kiosk.
“It’s an important event for our community to promote our Francophone culture and to be able to spend a week with the school kids and weekend with friends and family,” says Monfette.
“The overall reactions were very positive,” she adds. “Working so hard as a community to organize an event of this caliber and having positive comments is wonderful. Bravo to all the volunteers and a huge thank you to the organizing committee.”
Monfette says sharing the francophone culture and food is important to ensure the longevity of traditions and to help create pride in their history and all that is to come.
To ensure you don’t miss next year’s event, follow Carnaval de St-Isidore at carnavaldestisidore.ca.
Emily Plihal Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
St. Isidore Carnaval Mascot Grand Duck was participating in all of the carnaval fun including log sawing! He is a major attraction for all the children at the event.St. Isidore Carnaval King Danny Lavoie, left, and Queen Mariya Roy stand in front of the maze made from snow. This is the first time in many years the maze was able to be made of snow, in recent years they’ve had to make the maze out of straw square bales.Part of the St. Isidore Carnaval tradition is outside game competitions to get the crown into the fun of the event. This cross-country ski group competition challenges the teams to work as a team. This group is led by Queen Mariya Roy and Jake Nelson.St. Isidore Carnaval Cultural Committee president Chantal Monfette says the event was attended by hundreds of people and was a lot of fun for everyone. She is pictured with a sculpture of an M&M.Children were ecstatic to be able to play on a magnificent tube hill all day. Hundreds of children and their parents enjoyed the fresh air and all the recreational fun throughout the day.Organizers of the St. Isidore Carnaval welcome visitors. In front, left-right, are Alain Lavoie, Rachelle Bergeron, Chantal Monfette, Isabelle Marois, Josea Gagnon, and Christine Nadeau. In the back row, left-right, are Renee Mussio and Simon Lavoie. Their team has been together for many years of event planning and their passion for the community shines through the event each year.The Carnaval committee decorated the cultural centre in vibrant coloured candy decorations to fit in with their theme Royon de Bonbon, Candy Kingdom.Grandpapa Francois Cote, left, holds his granddaughter Scotty Alexander beside her father, Travis. Cote and his family have been attending the St. Isidore Carnaval for many decades and he is now able to share the tradition with his granddaughter and son-in-law.St. Isidore Carnaval King Danny Lavoie participates in the pinata event on Saturday afternoon. Dozens of people watched as various participants tried to break the pinata suspended high in the air.Isabelle la Wonderful provided cheerful and joyful entertainment for children on both Friday evening and Saturday morning. Isabelle wears a colourful clown-like outfit and is a mix between a magical fairy and oddballs in a circus. She takes children and their parents on a journey through crazy scenes, each more improbable than the last.
