PEI

Rustico comes alive with Acadian culture

Red, white and blue flags will be out in full force in Rustico this weekend as the community celebrates Acadian culture.

Lennie Gallant concert, duathlon, kitchen party highlight 22nd Rendez-vous Rustico festival

Lennie Gallant returns to his hometown of Rustico for a concert Sunday night. (Darrell Theriault)

Red, white and blue flags will be out in full force in Rustico this weekend as the community celebrates Acadian culture.

The 22nd annual Rendez-vous Rustico festival will be centred in and around St. Augustine's Square in South Rustico.

The community of Rustico just comes alive with Acadian colours.- Andréa Deveau

"The community of Rustico just comes alive with Acadian colours," Andréa Deveau, executive director of Conseil Acadien de Rustico, told CBC Radio's Mainstreet P.E.I.

The event features a duathlon, pancake breakfast and kitchen party on Saturday, and ends with a concert by Rustico's Lennie Gallant Sunday night at St. Augustine's Church.

'Beautiful countryside'

Deveau said the duathlon, which begins at 9 a.m. at the Centre Acadien, has always been popular at the festival.

"It gives people the opportunity to see the beautiful countryside of the north shore here in Rustico," she said.

The kitchen party features a youth concert, an open mic and a performance by the trio Doc.

'The community of Rustico just comes alive with Acadian colours,' sayd Andréa Deveau. (Wikipedia, user Makaristos)

Traditional Acadian dinner

Sunday begins with a mass, followed by a flag raising and free barbecue. A traditional Acadian dinner will be served from 5 to 7 p.m.

Gallant, who has been performing his show Searching for Abeigweit in Charlottetown, returns to his hometown for a concert beginning at 8 p.m.

With files from Mainstreet