Sharing the Pleasure: Bring friends and relatives to an entertaining day of fun

World music, circus acts, outdoor games, and comedy will also be featured. Musicians will perform gypsy, Brazilian and African music on the Big Top stage, and clowns, acrobats, actors and burlesque artists will perform a little further away at the Hydro-Québec venue.

Pre-teens and teens, ages 10 to 17, will also find plenty to do as they can try their hand at the video games Rock Band on a giant screen and Dance Dance Revolution. They'll also get a crack at wall climbing and skateboarding. Throughout these activities, two expert graffiti artists will demonstrate their creativity on a mural to a backdrop of music provided by a guest DJ.

Of course, for their part, children can thoroughly enjoy the activities that have made the family festival such a huge success since it first hit the Laval scene in 2000: giant inflatable games, face-painting, a tour of the farm and tropical greenhouse, pony rides, mini-train tours, and canoe, kayak, and rabaska trips.

"Since it was created in 2000, Laval's Fête de la famille has brought together Laval residents from all backgrounds, all ages, and all neighbourhoods, in a festive family atmosphere. This day of festivities has something that will appeal to everyone," enthusiastically explains Laval mayor Gilles Vaillancourt.

This year's family festival will have a distinctly green tint, with participants offered an excellent opportunity to become more aware of environmentally responsible practices. Among the initiatives to be experienced by visitors are recyclable and compostable products. The waste (refuse) generated by the event will be recycled or composted.

All activities are free and there will be no charge for parking at the Centre de la Nature for Laval residents who have an Advantage Laval Card. The city, however, urges families to use public transit and take advantage of the family weekend rates offered by the Société de transport de Laval (STL). In this family weekend transit plan, an adult paying regular bus fare can bring up to three children, aged 11 or under, to the Centre de la Nature free of charge.