SHAWINIGAN. The River Festival is back in force for a fifth year as a multitude of water activities will be presented from July 5 to 7 at the Parc de l’île Melville in Shawinigan.
Both novices and more experienced rowers will find what they are looking for with the proposed program, with more than 300 participants expected.
Races and activities in canoe, kayak, rabaska, surfski, outrigger, and paddleboard are offered.
The president of the event Jérémy Léveillé and his acolytes announced a new partnership with Hydro-Québec to ensure the safety of participants. “The water flow of the river was very high last year, so this partnership with Hydro-Québec will provide increased security for the flow,” expresses the young president.
The organizers have proven the effectiveness of the presentation of the event in recent years so much so that the Canoe-Kayak Canada Canadian Championship, marathon component will be back this year.
Paralympic athlete Mathieu St-Pierre serves as honorary president this year. “I couldn’t refuse when you watch Jérémy and Luc Désaulniers work for the event. The River Festival will continue to grow and like the organizers, I have always had the mentality of filling the river with as many people as possible to have fun, and that is the goal of the Festival. »
Several categories presented in recent years are back, such as the C2 race of three stages over two days, but this time, an evening stage will be held on Saturday July 6 so that the boaters can train for the Michigan event which is done at night.
New this year, there is a race for young people on Sunday morning in collaboration with the Shawinigan Canoe Club, not forgetting the free parent-child race on Saturday morning. All this in a family context in order to introduce young people to paddling.
A new fun activity was also put forward: the Broadway can hunt where participants will have to find the most beer cans on Banana Island before returning to the bank within an hour. All equipment is provided for this activity. “This is a new development that we are very proud of. It’s a bit of a nod to the Classic which has already been nicknamed the can race,” adds Jérémy Léveillé.
This is in addition to an area for athletes, an artisan zone and a family zone to get everyone moving on site. “It was important for us to have the athletes’ zone, we want to pamper our participants! », Expresses the president.
It is possible to consult the complete program and register at www.festivaldelariviere.com.
