Regional music festivals are betting a lot on a return to normal this summer, after the climate of unprecedented crisis of the past two years. But if the organizers have much more heart for the party, they believe that the pandemic has revealed the fragility of an industry that does not emerge not unscathed.
The years 2020 and 2021 have been very difficult. Plans had to be made and then undone. It was extra stress and it was complicated for everyone. After all, we’re in the entertainment business because we love showcasing artists and developing ideas. For two years, it was therefore depressing, ”drops the general manager of the Emerging Music Festival (FME) of Rouyn-Noranda, Magali Monderie-Larouche.
This feeling, other organizers of musical festivals located in different regions of Quebec have experienced. This is the case of La Noce, in Chicoutimi, which barely had time to hold three “normal” editions before the ax of COVID-19 fell on the musical community, causing widespread cancellations in 2020, at the time where festivals were about to announce their lineups.
“We found ourselves in great uncertainty for two years, because we didn’t know how loyal the public could be to the event. We didn’t know if he would come back, ”recalls Éric Harvey, chairman of the board of directors and co-responsible for the programming of the Chicoutimi festival.
Both at La Noce and at the FME, but also at the Festif de Baie-Saint-Paul, the Festival musique du bout du monde and the Festival de la chanson de Tadoussac, 2022 promises to be a great collective sigh of relief. “It’s much easier to organize a festival without health constraints. It’s almost easy, compared to what we experienced with the pandemic. We also feel it in the team and it leaves room for more creativity. It’s a breath of fresh air that we couldn’t wait to experience,” said Julien Pinardon, general manager of the Tadoussac festival, which will hold its 38and editing.
Same story in Charlevoix, where the general and artistic director of the Festif, Clément Turgeon, believes in a real summer “cultural revival” next summer. And the public is already responding, he adds. The proof: less than 24 hours after the opening of the box office, 16,500 tickets have been sold at the Festif, while La Noce has already sold the vast majority of its “passports” for the event.
Renewed creativity
This already very real craze, three months before the start of summer, Clément Turgeon attributes it to a clear desire “to meet in large numbers at summer events”. And since there are several music festivals outside the major urban centers of Quebec, each one is betting this year on renewed creativity to stand out.
At La Noce, we opted to return to a historically important site in the region, the Pulperie de Chicoutimi. “We see that the neo-hippie colorful wedding formula appeals to people. They embark. In 2022, it will be The Wax Wedding, with candles, astrology, tarot, witchcraft, etc. This will be the visual signature of the site,” explains Éric Harvey.
In Tadoussac, the organizers have chosen to exploit more than ever the natural setting of the village on the North Shore, with a stage on the beach and another located at the rest area overlooking the mouth of the Saguenay fjord and the St. Lawrence estuary. “Perhaps the pandemic has influenced, at least in part, the formula. We want more outdoor shows, and Tadoussac lends itself well to that,” argues Julien Pinardon.
At the Festif de Baie-Saint-Paul, the health crisis above all made it possible to experiment with new sites last year, such as a field located near the bay, or a ” pity à sable” which has proved its worth as a setting conducive to more rock shows. Next July’s edition will therefore retain certain positive achievements resulting from the adaptations imposed by this crisis. “We present a mix between ideas from the 2021 COVID edition, such as the pity with sand, and the classics of the Festive! sunny days, such as the floating stage on the Rivière du Gouffre, the large main stage or the rue Festive. Added to this are redesigned sites and a return to multiple shows accessible free of charge.
Relaunch Challenges
If the expected return of the crowds is beneficial for the festivals, they are not out of the woods. The pandemic has left its mark, especially when it comes to building teams capable of carrying — very often at arm’s length — events that can be summed up in just a few days, after months of preparation.
“The pandemic has highlighted the fragility of compensation for many contract workers in the cultural field, such as technicians and other contract workers. We still feel it today and these are impacts that are likely to last for a few years. Some simply left the industry. It therefore demonstrates the importance of securing jobs, ”explains Julien Pinardon.
The challenge, in this year of recovery, is accentuated by the labor shortage in Quebec, particularly in the regions. “The impacts of the crisis, which have led many people in the cultural sector to seek employment elsewhere, coincide with a general labor shortage. We are a regional festival, so we feel it directly. We opened positions and we had few applications, compared to what we saw a few years ago, ”argues Magali Monderie-Larouche.
In this context, the director general of the FME bluntly mentions a need for reconstruction. “Even if the pandemic has passed, it is an environment to rebuild. It is certain that we will still need help. We will also have to be patient, because we did not come out of there unscathed. And to build a succession among the workers, it will also be necessary to increase wages, but it is money that cannot go into programming, ”she explains.
The same need to rebuild is very real for the next generation of musicians, add Julien Pinardon and Magali Monderie-Larouche, after two rocky years for festivals that normally make it a point to make room for emerging artists.
Clément Turgeon therefore hopes that Quebec will learn from the crisis. “It made us realize how important culture is to identity. Having withdrawn for too long the opportunities to connect to music in real life, to vibrate all together in front of shows, makes us realize that culture and events are invaluable values and that it is important to give them a higher status than at present. »