Saint John and Quispamsis are preparing to host the 41st edition of the Jeux de l’Acadie, or the Acadian Games.
Around 1,000 Acadian youth from across New Brunswick and P.E.I. will take part in the event in early July.
Greater Saint John was supposed to host the Games in 2020, but they were postponed twice due to the pandemic.
Michel Côté, chair of the organizing committee, said that even though COVID-19 measures have been lifted, they will be limiting big gatherings as much as possible to be safe.
Organizers said the event has also been shortened to three days to minimize gatherings and reduce some financial burdens for parents, who will have to look after accommodations.
“Before, all the youth would be sleeping in classrooms in a school and eating in a cafeteria in the same place. We went away from that,” Côté said during the official launch on Thursday.
“We were scared when we started planning for 2022 that we would get a call like a week before the Games saying ‘no, that’s not going to happen,’ so that’s why we had to go this type of format.”
The Jeux de l’Acadie officially launched in Saint John on June 9, 2022. (Image: Brad Perry)
Côté said they have been preparing for the Games since they first submitted their bid in 2018, so it feels good to get to this point.
He said it is important for Acadian youth to get together in a format like this, adding the event is about more than just competition.
“We have the youth from all over the Maritimes come together and be able to share their culture, speak French with one another because a lot of them are in English majority communities. It’s to be able to get them to connect together,” said Côté.
Côté said about 100 volunteers have already signed up and they are looking for around 100 more. You can find more details on the Jeux de l’Acadie’s website.
The Games will take place during the Canada Day long weekend from July 1 to 3.
