The French speaking community had a great day as they celebrated Tintamarre 2026 around the Prince Albert area on Wednesday
School students, teachers, and others gathered at the City Hall and chanted in unison celebrating the annual Acadian tradition.
“We brought our students from grade 2 to 12 to participate in the annual Tintamarre in downtown PA to celebrate Francophone culture and to make some noise so that every body will know that we exist,” said Stephanie Gaudet, a teacher at Ecole St-Isidore in Bellevue. “Kids get to mingle with other students that also speak french and experience some francophone music that they possibly haven’t heard before.”
The parade stopped at the steps of City Hall to Plaza 88 where the noise and celebrations continued.
“All year long in our school we work on listening to music and exposure to francophone culture and vocabulary,” Gaudet said. “It’s an Arcadian tradition from when they got deported and the came back to Arcadia and to remember that we are still here. We are thankful to the Francophone community in PA for organizing this.”
French speaking students (from Grade 2-12) and participants on Parade from the City Hall to Plaza 88 during the 2026 Tintamarre Celebration on Wednesday Mar. 18
The month of March is set as the Francophonie month, where countries around the world celebrate the French language through a variety of activities. Gaudet said it’s a wonderful opportunity to promote the benefits of learning French as a second language.
“It opens many doors,” she explained. “You also get the opportunity to live a culture that is different from your own. (You) listen to different kinds of music, different kinds of foods and interact with others. It gives the chance to travel and learn new things.”
Soraya Ellert, the directrice générale, Societe canadienne -francaise de Prince Albert said the strong turnout on Wednesday was a great sign.
“It shows that French is present in our community,” Ellert said. “We are French speaking people in our community. It’s held once a year to celebrate french in our community. It’s an old tradition that is spreading around Canada.”
A snow man with flag built by french speaking students in front of the City Hall during the 2026 Tintamarre Celebration on Wednesday Mar. 18
There were other activities to make the Tintamarre a wonderful one such as the parade, raising of the flag, a musical concert at the Plaza 88 featuring Plywood Joe, a band from New Brunswick. They also played at the Rock Trout Cafe on Wednesday night.
The SCFPA organizes this traditional French event to celebrate the language and culture in Canada. Students who attended were excited to take part.
“We are celebrating the French culture today through the Tintamarre,” said Matthew Tessir, a grade 12 student at St-Isidore in Bellevue. “Its important to express yourself and embrace who you are and what you do. The French language and culture is very interesting.”
Tessir is also considering furthering a career in French following his sister, who is going to be French teacher soon.
