This text is part of the special Culture Montérégie notebook
From Chants de vielles to the International Hot Air Balloon Festival, including Lumifest and the Classica Festival, festival-goers will have plenty to enjoy this summer in Montérégie.
20 years for Chants de vielles
This festival on a human scale, which takes place from June 28 to 30 in Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu, deserves our full attention. This year it celebrates its 20th anniversary and invites the public to come together around singing, music, dance and storytelling from here and elsewhere in the company of around sixty artists from Quebec , Cape Verde, the United States, Ireland and Scotland. This year, in the heart of the charming setting offered by the Richelieu valley on the banks of the river, Le Vent du Nord, Lucibela, Mélisande, Yves Lambert and the Grand Orchester, Lysandre Chartrand, Papagroove, La Machine, Barka – Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra , Skye Consort and Emma Bjorling, Nicolas Pellerin and Les Grands Hurleurs, Catherine Pépin, among others, will share the four scenes of the village.
Note also that the Chants de vielles festival welcomes the Bretons of Skolvan for their first appearance in Quebec in a 40-year career, but also presents (from May 31) the exhibition Scenes of indigenous life. I spy… the cornin partnership with La Maison des Peuples Autochtones, with original works of scenes of indigenous life by the ethnographer painter André Michel, a film-meeting activity with the filmmaker André Gladu and several sung hikes.
Furthermore, Chants de vielles stands out particularly for its avant-garde eco-responsible commitment. Since the first day, the Montérégie festival has offered options for composting, washable tableware, such as its iconic reusable mug, and the filling of water bottles, in addition to raising participants’ awareness of the environmental cause and climate change by encouraging them in particular to carpooling. And its actions on the site during the celebrations are very concrete, since an activity is organized to make musical instruments for children with recycled objects and plants found in the surrounding area and another to make flaunting, from t -shirts from old editions, and volunteer identification buttons which are compostable with wild flower seeds.
In the heart of the Flows of words
This international festival of contemporary and traditional living words is in full swing in Montérégie. For its fifth edition, which takes place until May 25 mainly in Verchères, Flots de mots has chosen the theme Anchorages in order to offer festival-goers warm and intimate events, rooted in the local cultural landscape, sharing and openness. In this regard, part of the programming this year extends to storytelling shows which take various forms, for example life stories and tales from oral tradition, and presents for the first time its two projects intended for toddlers. children from CPEs and schools, Les P’tits Flots and Leshistoires bandenières.
Two shows particularly caught our attention. Firstly there is Milkman’s Daughter (Thursday, May 23 at the Marché des arts Desjardins in Sorel-Tracy), where Arleen Thibault, daughter, goddaughter and great-granddaughter of milkmen, remembers family anecdotes and looks at the truths and myths of this profession more than ever threatened, to the rhythm of the music of Robin Servant. Then, go to the Jardins et des Lys in the old village of Verchères (Saturday May 25) for a stroll accompanied by the tales of Saulo Olmedo and Mireya Bayancela.
Time for classical music
The Classica Festival, founded in 2011, is back from May 23 to June 16 to continue to give pride of place to the meeting between classical music, artists, emerging musicians and the general public. New this year is the Les Grands Accords Classica concert series, including Starmania, which will be held on June 8 at the Saint-Antoine-de-Padoue co-cathedral in Longueuil. It is of course a classic reinterpretation of the essential work of popular culture created by Michel Berger and Luc Plamondon at the end of the 1970s, produced on the occasion of the 20e anniversary of the symphonic version. Among the rest of the programming, several shows are also on the agenda. Sublimes Rêveries, this evening of chamber music with the Classica Quartet and Meagan Milatz who explore the works of French masters Gabriel Fauré, Reynaldo Hahn and Théodore Dubois, will take place on Wednesday, May 29 at the Sainte-Famille church in Boucherville, while the concert Tribute to Francis Dompierre with Louise Bessette will be held at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Saint-Lambert on Friday, May 31.
Colorful events
The Brossard Cultural Fest is expected on August 9 and 10 at Poly-Aréna Park with concerts by artists and musicians whose reputation is well established and international dishes to discover in around fifteen stands. The groups Bleu Jeans Bleu and Ayrad will perform on Friday, while Shauit, The Cuban Martinez Show and Sara Dufour will take the stage on Saturday. This event also promises to appeal to visitors of all generations thanks to activities and entertainment on the site, such as a large inflatable games park, fair games and, the highlight of the show, fireworks after the performances Saturday evening. In addition, access to the Cultural Feast is free and without reservation…
Lumifest, the digital arts and street food festival created in 2016 in collaboration with the Society of Technological Arts of Montreal, the City of Longueuil and the Association of Merchants of Rue Saint-Charles, aims to democratize work artists in digital arts and to promote the architectural and cultural heritage of Vieux-Longueuil. Each year, it offers interactive installations, shows enhanced with augmented reality, musical performances and gourmet stations. If we don’t yet know the dates and guests for the 2024 edition, it’s a safe bet that there will be something for everyone and that the public will be amazed. Enough to be impatient!
Faster than music
The Sorel-Tracy Gib Fest has promised for more than four decades to highlight the culture, sport and traditions of the region. From July 11 to 21, the festival welcomes many distinguished musical guests: Daniel Boucher on the first day, Karkwa on July 12, Sara Dufour the next day, an evening in tribute to Linkin Park on July 15 with Linkin Road, Les BB by Ludovick Bourgeois (Patrick’s son) on the 16th, Fredz on the 18th and Salebarbes on July 20. And this is just an overview of the programming, because many shows are organized every day. The famous Gib Fest races return for a 39e edition on Wednesday July 17 with two distances, the 1 km reserved for under 12s, and the 5 km. Not to be forgotten are the regional dishes that will be cooked during the festival, notably the gibelotte from the Sorel islands, whose cultural heritage dates back more than a hundred years. Hurry and put Gib Fest on your July calendar because 2024 passports, valued at $75, are currently on sale for $60…
Finally, how can we not mention the legendary International Hot Air Balloon Festival which returns from August 9 to 11 and 15 to 18 in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu? The event is already shaping up to be extraordinary with Charlotte Cardin, Avril Lavigne, Bryan Adams and Simple Plan, but also Ragers, Rêve, Les Shirley, Alex Burger, Emi Jeen, Andréanne A. Malette, Vendou, Léonie Gray and even Blesse — and the list is much longer — will give concerts to which festival-goers can access with the Front-Stage Experience or Terrace Experience options which offer privileged access for an additional fee. Obviously, the hot air balloons are also unmissable. The RE/MAX Magic Nights allow us to take a completely different look at these giants of the sky during a show under the stars where balloons are held on the ground and illuminated by flames. As for the flights, they can be observed either from the mainland from the aptly named boulevard des envolées, or directly from the air with two daily departures, at dawn or at dusk.
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