Experience the French Colonial New Year's Eve Tradition of La Guiannee at Fort de Chartres

Les Amis du Fort de Chartres announces the French Colonial holiday tradition of La Guiannee at Fort de Chartres, December 31.

The annual French Colonial holiday celebration, La Guiannee at Fort de Chartres, will take place on Friday, December 31, from 7-9 p.m. at Fort de Chartres State Historic Site, in Prairie du Rocher, Illinois. The event is open and free to the general public.

The Prairie du Rocher La Guiannee Society visits the site to play period music and sing. La Guiannee singers will visit houses and Fort de Chartres in a traditional New Year’s Eve celebration dating back to 1722, the La Guiannee singers will visit houses and Fort de Chartres in the early French town of Prairie du Rocher and sing for the residents. The site and residents provide refreshments for the singers at each stop. It is cosponsored by Les Amis du Fort de Chartres, Fort de Chartres State Historic Site, the Prairie du Rocher La Guiannee Society, and Illinois Humanities.* For more event information contact Les mis du Fort de Chartres by email at [email protected].

Fort de Chartres State Historic Site, which includes its historic Powder Magazine structure, widely considered the oldest building in Illinois, is located only an hour from downtown St. Louis, at 1350 IL Route 155, 4 miles west of Prairie du Rocher, Illinois.

The site is operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Natural Resources. IDNR protects the state’s historic resources, which contribute to education, culture and the economy. IDNR sites include ancient burial mounds, forts and buildings erected by settlers, and homes connected to famous Illinoisans. For more site information, call Fort de Chartres State Historic Site at 618-284-7230 or visit fortdechartres.us. 

*Illinois Humanities, the Illinois affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that foster reflection, spark conversation, build community, and strengthen civic engagement.”

About Les Amis du Fort de Chartres:
Les Amis du Fort de Chartres, “Friends of Fort de Chartres,” is a not-for-profit organization made up of volunteers striving to preserve, protect, and interpret the physical structural and cultural heritage of Fort de Chartres in the 1700s. More information about Les Amis du Fort de Chartres and its efforts sponsoring special events at Fort de Chartres, can be found at fortdechartres.us/les-amis-du-fort-de-chartres/ and at facebook.com/LesAmisduFortdeChartres/.