Charlottetown – French Acadian music, dance and comedy join The Charlottetown Festival this summer with three Island groups performing throughout July and August at the Confederation Centre of the Arts. Gadelle, En Acadie, and Vishten bring their bilingual shows to Studio 2 on selected dates between July 15 and August 22.

“Announcing these performances today completes the line-up for the 2009 Charlottetown Festival, and local audiences and our visitors from around the world will be as excited as we are with the new season,” says Anne Allan, Artistic Director of The Charlottetown Festival.

Gadelle brings together four well known women from the Island who have performed in various groups including Barachois, Les Girls and Clack’Azing.

Popular Prince Edward Island Music Award winning group Vishten performs one night only, August 19, as part of a busy summer that will see them performing at home, across the continent and in Europe.

“There are no finer Acadian traditional bands to be found anywhere worldwide,” says long time music promoter Grady Poe. “When it comes to traditional Acadian music, PEI lies at the heart of the revival.”

En Acadie is a new act with Islanders Anastasia DesRoches, Julie Arsenault, Christina Gallant-MacLean and Mylène Ouellette along with special guests each show.

“We can't wait to perform at the Confederation Centre this summer,” DesRoches says. “You can expect songs, fiddling, step-dancing and a few laughs! People will also see some of the Acadian community’s finest performers. Of course the show is bilingual so we invite everyone to come and see us.”

Tickets for all of these performances are now on sale at the Confederation Centre box office, by calling 566-1267 or toll free 1-800-565-0278, and online at www.charlottetownfestival.com .