The "Top 100 Ontario Festivals " for April 2008 –– March 2009 were unveiled recently at Festivals & Events Ontario’s annual conference during the prestigious President’s Gala in London, Ontario and Mattawa Voyageur Days was included on this year’s list.

" The Voyageur Days Committee was ecstatic when we learned the news! This is the first time that Voyageur Days made the TOP 100 since its inception. It is a HUGE honour to be named as one of the best festivals in all of Ontario," said Jacques Begin, festival co-chair.

" There is significant market value in being named in the Top 100, including specialized promotion in the annual Festivals & Events in Ontario Guide which will be ready for distribution in mid-March," said Executive Director Gary Masters, in a media release.

The guide will list Mattawa Voyageur Days, the Canadian National Exhibition, Toronto Film Festival, Mississauga Waterfront Festival, Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa, Ottawa International Jazz Festival, Niagara Grape and Wine Festival, Octoberfest Kitchener Waterloo, Collingwood Music Festival and The Northern Lights Festival Boreal in Sudbury and ninety other festivals and events from across Ontario.

This program created by Festivals & Events Ontario (FEO) and sponsored by VIA Rail Canada, the Top 100 Ontario Festivals represent excellence for the province’s festivals and events industry, with events vying annually for inclusion in the "Top 100".

There are more than three thousand annual festivals and community events staged in Ontario each year, ranging from one day street fairs to internationally renowned multi day festivals. The events that make the list are selected through a nomination process that include a set of predetermined criteria.

"FEO takes great pride in honouring these topnotch festivals and events currently enjoyed each year by our visitors and residents alike," said Masters.

Certificates of Recognition have been prepared for all Top 100 Ontario Festivals. And FEO will be mailing them out in the very near future.

" Those of you who sponsor and support Voyageur Days and attend should be so very proud of playing a huge part in making this a reality. Mattawa Voyageur Days Committee will work extremely hard, as always, to bring to you all a top notch festival experience again July 24 - 27, 2008," said Jacques Begin.