For a hot blast of music from leading French-Canadian artists, head for Granville Island every day between February 11 and 18. All shows are free at Place de la Francophonie, as the area between the market and the Granville Island Hotel will be designated during the Winter Olympics.

“The general idea is that La Place is where people will go to party,” communications manager Suzanne Gauthier told the Straight. “In the daytime we have processions and parades, and in the evening we have two concerts on the outdoor Air Canada Stage, which is being constructed on the parking lot beside Performance Works. After that, we have two acts in Performance Works itself. We wanted to have a mix of artists, some of them very well-known and others just breaking.”

The roster confirmed so far includes Robert Charlebois (regarded as Quebec’s Elvis), Cajun accordionist Zachary Richard, grande dame of Acadian folk Edith Butler, and leading pop and rock acts Eric Lapointe, Les Porn Flakes, and Karkwa. More info at www.placefranco2010.ca/.