The organizing committee of the historical festival Les Seigneuriales de Vaudreuil-Dorion, produced by the Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, is delighted with the success of this 32nd edition. From June 6 to 9, this great celebration transported Vieux-Vaudreuil back to the days of New France, to the delight of all generations.

The theme, A Family History, was reflected in the various program components. A great family spirit was felt through the many challenges of the weather, as everyone was committed to the smooth running of the event. People were out in force, and the mission of bringing history to life in an educational and entertaining way was accomplished, despite the vagaries of Mother Nature.

To kick off the festivities, a parchment-making activity was held on Thursday at the Maison de la famille de Vaudreuil-Soulanges. The little ones were treated to a colorful visit from our town crier, who used puppets to tell funny stories. 

On Friday, Michel Bélisle's lecture proved popular with history buffs and those curious to learn more about Robert Unwin Harwood. At 5 p.m., the Oyez oyez Inn opened its doors for the evening's festivities. And where there's fun, there's music! The audience immersed itself in the traditional repertoire with a performance by the group Garçons à marier. This was followed by the famous Concours de la grande menterie en NouvelleFrance, where Christiane Lévesque took everyone by surprise when she unexpectedly took to the stage to pay tribute to Museum Director Daniel Bissonnette. While demonstrating how women dressed in New France, she recounted Daniel's quest to become a mill-lover. She ended by presenting him with a souvenir from Créations Jobidon to mark his last edition before retirement! Hosts Eric Michaud, spokesman for the Seigneuriales de Vaudreuil-Dorion, and Francis Désilets continued the evening, accompanied on stage by the not-so-redheaded but very loquacious red hen, who stole the show from our liars. Back after a few years' absence, Marc-André Fortin did double duty, winning both the audience's "Coup de Coeur" and the jury's vote. 

On Saturday afternoon, Benoit Grenier, historian and full professor at the Université de Sherbrooke, gave a lecture entitled Une histoire de familles... seigneuriales. Then, in the evening, Le Diable à Cinq treated festival-goers to a high-energy show.

On Sunday, the public auction took place in front of the church, much to everyone's delight. The crier took the opportunity to pay tribute in his own way to Daniel Bissonnette. This was followed by a parade through the streets to the traditional May planting on the Museum grounds.

The public enjoyed a number of enriching encounters, whether with agri-food producers and artisans at the Public Market, with Sébastien Daviau on a tour of Vieux-Vaudreuil, or with sculptor Gérard Poirier exhibiting at the Museum. Many memorable exchanges also took place thanks to the many re-enactors of life at the time, and presenters of ancient trades, whether on the Museum grounds or at First Nations Place, located in Esther-Blondin Park.

Many children also loved making their own Cyprienne, the Museum's mouse button, designed by illustrator Johanne Mitchell. The castelet puppet theater, with its colourful characters, was also a hit with the whole family.

The great success of this 32nd edition was made possible by exceptional teamwork and the dedication of everyone involved. "We would like to thank our major partners, the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion, the Government of Canada, the Hormisdas-Pilon Foundation, Développement Vaudreuil-Soulanges, Winpak, the Maison de la famille de Vaudreuil-Soulanges and Production Oyez Oyez, without whom the event would not be possible. Like the volunteers, organizers and re-enactors, they make it possible to share and bring history to life for visitors. They're all part of the Seigneuriales family," says Christiane Lévesque, executive producer of this human-scale event.

Although the 2024 edition is just behind us, the committee has already started thinking about how to make the 2025 edition just as unique and authentic. To make sure you don't miss a thing, the general public is invited to subscribe to the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lesseigneuriales. See you there!