Celebrating the traditions of the world for 21 years running
The Festival des Traditions du Monde (FTMS), Sherbrooke’s annual festival celebrating cultural diversity, announced the programming for its 21st edition on Wednesday morning at a press conference held in Quintal Park, where the festival itself will be held in just under two months’ time. Set to take place from August 8 to 12, the festival promises to once again offer visitors the chance to travel around the world without ever going further than Fleurimont through a collection of concerts, artistic presentations, cultural workshops, and diverse dining opportunities.
FTMS Executive Director Malika
Bajjaje gave a snapshot of the programming for 2018, explaining that more than 500 artists from all around the world will be attending this year’s festival, making the event a rich meeting place of cultural activity and a place where different traditions can be not just shared, but blended in order to make something new. As an example she highlighted the work of Tunisian musician King Abid, whose work is deeply influenced by Jamaican rhythms.
The musical lineup for 2018 alone includes everything from celtic rock to flamenco and Afro-cuban hip-hop to traditional Swedish chants.
New to the festival this year will be the addition of a “viva italia” soirée focused on celebrating different aspects of Italian arts and culture, and the end result of a musical residency between two indigenous music groups, the Daraa Tribes of Morocco and Canada’s Red Tail Spirit singers.
More information about the festival and this year’s lineup is available online at ftms.ca/en.