Five Days, 40 Ships and Endless Fun

Nova Scotians got a taste of this summer's hottest ticket, when the entertainment lineup for this year's edition of the Grou Tyme Festival was unveiled today, June 16.

Grou Tyme -- which literally means a big party -- is joining Tall Ships Challenge 2004 for an extraordinary celebration of l'Acadie from July 29 to Aug. 2 on the Halifax waterfront.

Artists from around the globe will come together for a party to rival all others when they help celebrate the 400th anniversary of l'Acadie during the World Acadian Congress. Grou Tyme will bring together an unforgettable lineup of artists from France, Louisiana, Quebec, Ontario and Acadie.

Music lovers interested in Cajun, swing, jazz or just the best toe tappin' music this side of the Bayou, will find something for their taste at the event, which offers fun for the entire family. Entertainment will include the bohemian sounds of France's Samarabralouf, Louisiana's rockin' fiddler Waylon Thibodeaux as well as Nova Scotia's own East Coast Music Award winners Blou -- to name a just a few.

The full lineup of entertainers and schedule of events is available at www.groutyme.com . For full details on the Tall Ships Challenge 2004, see the websites at www.novascotia.com/tallships and www.cbc.ca/tallships2004 .

More than 40 ships are expected to take part in Tall Ships Challenge 2004, drawing more than 700,000 people to the Halifax waterfront.

The weekend's activities will also include the annual Halifax Regional Municipality Natal Day celebrations. To accommodate the Tall Ships Challenge 2004, the annual Bridge Mile race and Bridge Walk will take place on Canada Day, July 1 for this year only. The 10th annual bridge mile will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. while the 22nd annual bridge walk will take place between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on the Macdonald Bridge. For more information, see the Halifax Bridge Commission website at www.hdbc.ca .

Tall Ships Challenge 2004 -- A Salute to l'Acadie is presented by the Waterfront Development Corporation. The event is sponsored by the province, Halifax Regional Municipality, Grou Tyme Acadian Festival, Aliant, Atlantic Lottery Corporation, Alexander Keith's, Sobeys, Ford, Casino Nova Scotia, Captain Morgan, The Herald, McCain, Pepsi, Trade Centre Limited, CanJet, Halifax Port Authority, Bishop's Landing, Atlantic Photo Supply, Peller Estates and Ombrelle. CBC is also a sponsor and the host broadcaster of the event.