Frequently Asked Questions
About Us and Contact Info
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This festival is New England’s original celebration of the French-Canadian classic, poutine! Restaurants from all over New England will entice you with their spin on this Québécois treasure.
All attendees have the opportunity to sample poutine (a healthy portion) from our participating restaurants! Our restaurants will also be competing against each other for the “Best Poutine Of The Fest,” and only one will get to raise the Ceinture de Championnat/Championship Belt.
This year’s event takes place on the grounds at the Budweiser Brewery in Merrimack, NH! Merrimack is located less than an hour from Boston and is fifteen minutes from Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.
We will have music, great beer, games, children’s activities and some phenomenal poutine. Yes, you read that right…our event is kid friendly. We’ll do our best to keep your kiddos busy with activities. Maybe they’ll pick up some French?
We have also invited several food trucks to supplement your poutine intake.
This event is benefitd the Franco-American Centre of New Hampshire, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Manchester, NH. All proceeds help support the Centre’s mission of preserving French language, culture, and heritage in New Hampshire and beyond.
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NH PoutineFest benefits the Franco-American Centre (FAC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that celebrates French language, culture, and heritage in NH and beyond. In addition to offering French classes for youth and adults at all levels of language learning, it organizes educational, cultural and social events that bring together people that value the contributions of French-inspired communities.
The Franco-American Centre and NH PoutineFest work to celebrate French heritage throughout NH.
Funds raised from our events allow the FAC to continue supporting regional French language. With an accent on the state’s Franco-American / French-Canadian immigrant heritage, the FAC’s outreach efforts support new immigrant groups from across the francophone world.
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Email us at info@poutinefest.com if you’re a vendor, sponsor or volunteer interested in participating.
The best way to follow us on social is on our NH PoutineFest Facebook page!
We’re also on Insta @NHPoutineFest
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That’s awesome, we’d love to talk to you about it! You can email us at info@poutinefest.com or send us a message at facebook.com/nhpoutinefest.
Food & Drinks
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Phenomenal. No really, poutine is french fries, cheese curds and gravy.
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No :). All tickets include samples from our vendors. They are what we call a healthy scoop.
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There will also be water, soda, and beer available for purchase at the event.
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Absolutely!
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We tinkered with this a lot. We describe it as a “healthy” scoop.
All ingredients are provided by the restaurants. Each restaurant is able to choose the style of french fries and other toppings they use.
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Most of the restaurants do use meat in their gravy. However, we will have regular French fries available.
Please make us aware as you are entering the event.
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Yes, there is a dining tent on site.
Location & Travel
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Budweiser Brewery
221 Daniel Webster Highway
Merrimack, NH 03054 -
The DoubleTree by Hilton Nashua is the official hotel of NH PoutineFest. We have secured a special rate.
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FREE
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Yes, the pickup spot is located just beyond the Anheuser- Busch employee lot. There will be a sign.
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We feel silly saying this, but YOU did! A recent analysis conducted on Google Trends revealed that the Boston, MA-Manchester, NH metro area has the second most searches for poutine in the United States right behind (wait for it….) Seattle-Tacoma. They lost to the Patriots, but won in poutine searches, huzzah!
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NH PoutineFest 2023 is an outdoor event. It will take place rain or shine. Some of the event will be covered on the chance it rains. There will be no refunds or exchanges of tickets.
Tickets
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Tickets go on sale 8/12/2023 at 10 am!
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A link to purchase tickets will be available right here on www.nhpoutinefest.com on August 10th, 2023.
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ALL paid tickets INCLUDE SAMPLES
Première - 11:30 AM Entry ($74.99)
By far our most popular ticket! Limited quantity available. This ticket includes early entry to the event at 11:30 AM, the Official 2023 NH PoutineFest T-shirt, NH PoutineFest Winter Hat, and of course samples of vendor poutine.
General Admission - 12:45 PM Entry ($54.99)
We all have morning activities (hi soccer parents) so this is a great option for those who need a later start. This ticket includes entry to the event at 12:45 pm, the Official 2023 NH PoutineFest T-Shirt, and samples of vendor poutine.
Child - Sampling ($14.99)
A child ticket (children 6-12) includes two randomly selected samples, a French-Canadian themed cookie, and the Official 2023 NH PoutineFest T-shirt. This is not restricted to a specific entry time, they just need to accompany their parents at their entry time.
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Not at this time.
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Yes - $14.99 for kids who want to eat. All other children under 12-years-old are free.
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We are planning fun activities to keep the kiddos busy. Having an approximate head count helps us prepare!
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ID is not required. Unless you’re buying beer :)
Event Date
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Saturday October 14th, 2023.
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We love Halloween and poutine! Great combo
What You Can Bring
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Absolutely!
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You can bring in one completely sealed water or soda into the event. The bottle should be small enough to be carried in your hands.
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All bags will be checked prior to entering the event.
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Z Lawn chairs and picnic blankets are permitted.
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Yes
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We love animals, but NO pets, please.
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We are guests of Anheuser- Busch, their policy is no weapons on site. Please be mindful of this.
No pets please.
No drugs or outside drinks (except for our 1 sealed drink policy).
Language & Accessibility
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Oui! Cherchez des bénévoles qui portent des autocollants “Je parle français” ou venez nous rendre visite au point d’info du Centre Franco-américain. On parle français!/ Yes! Look for attendes wearing “Je parle français” stickers or visit the Franco-American Centre info table, we speak French!