Canadian athletes aren’t the only ones heading to Paris this summer. On the sidelines of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Seine Canada Festival, created for the occasion, will welcome several local artists to the heart of the French capital starting Saturday.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity to showcase our Canadian and Quebec artists during a major event like the Olympics, when all eyes around the world will be on Paris,” said Geneviève Borne, spokesperson for the event. Reached in Paris, the DJ was particularly excited about the idea of launching the festivities on Saturday evening, the day after the Olympics opening ceremony.
The Seine Canada festival is completely free and will be held for around forty days, from July 27 to September 8 precisely. The event will take place at Fluctuart, a contemporary art gallery located on the Seine, in the 7e district of Paris, a few steps from the legendary Pont Alexandre III, the Grand Palais and the Concorde.
On Sunday, it is the artist and performer Coeur de pirate who will take to the floating stage. Robert Charlebois, Fouki and Alanna Sterling will also be on the program.
“The idea was to present more established artists, already known in France. But also emerging artists to allow discoveries, like Ontarian Alanna Sterling who will give several concerts,” explains Geneviève Borne. Surprises are also to come since the programming is not yet completely finalized.
In addition to these musical performances, other artistic fields will be highlighted, including visual arts, gastronomy and urban art. The opera Albertine in five timesinspired by Michel Tremblay’s play of the same name, will be offered two evenings. The artist LeBicar will present a work representing each province of Canada.
On the quay, in front of the Fluctuart, there will also be organized sporting activities including basketball, BMX and skateboarding, in partnership with the Montreal Jackalope festival.
“It’s kind of our headquarters. We want to create a meeting point so that everyone can meet up and have a good time,” emphasizes Geneviève Borne, inviting Quebecers and Canadians who will be in Paris to join them. “Radio-Canada will broadcast the competitions on giant screens installed at the Fluctuart. Not everyone was lucky enough to have tickets to see the Olympics in real life, so this will be a way to come together to follow the events and support our Canadian athletes,” she adds.
Although this is the very first edition of the Seine Canada Festival, Geneviève Borne hopes that the event will spawn offshoots and return for the next Olympic Games.