La Kermesse Franco-Americaine Festival

The La Kermesse Franco-Americaine Festival (French: La Kermesse Franco-Americaine Festival, lit. 'The Franco-American Kermesse Festival') is a festival in Biddeford, Maine, which celebrates the state's French and French Canadian heritage. It is colloquially shortened to 'La Kermesse' (French: La Kermesse, lit. 'The Fair').^[5] La Kermesse began in 1982 with the motto "C'est Le Temps" (French: C'est Le Temps, lit. 'It is the time').^[4][6]

Biddeford

Festival is held in Biddeford, which is located in Southern Maine.

La Kermesse Franco Americaine Festival

La Kermesse Festival Bicentennial Pin-Back Button[1]
Venue	Saint Louis Field[2]
Location	Biddeford, Maine
Organized by	La Kermesse Festival Board of Directors[3]
Website	www.lakermessefestival.com[4]

History

Established in 1982, La Kermesse has been a celebration of French Canadian culture in Maine with live music, games and entertainment.^[6][7] In 1997, the Festival shifted to include all groups in the city.^[7] Throughout its history the festival has used a green frog as its mascot and pin-back buttons to confirm entry.^[8] These buttons get changed every year and so people collect and trade them.^[1][8] Fireworks are also a prominent feature of the festival.^[9] After being postponed by COVID-19 in 2020,^[10] La Kermesse returned in 2022.^[11]

Struggles

In 2009 and 2010, the Festival faced significant financial difficulties and nearly shut down.^[12] After the festival survived these difficult times, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the festival to be postponed in 2020^[10] and 2021.^[13]