As soon as we arrived at the Berri-UQAM station on Sunday, on the platform of the yellow line, we felt the overflowing energy of electronic music lovers, eager to reconnect with their favorite Sunday ritual. Piknic Électronik was finally back, for a 20e consecutive year. The duty went there to understand how its founders transformed a small party among friends into an emblem of Montreal, the model of which is now taken up abroad.
In the metro, festival-goers headed, of course, to Parc Jean-Drapeau, where the event has been taking place since the very beginning. Under the May sun, we thought we were in the middle of summer, alongside the colorful public of Piknic, all smiles, made up of both tourists and regulars, young and old, sometimes wearing very classic clothes, sometimes extravagant outfits with queer and colorful accents.
“That’s exactly what made our success: our ability to attract all kinds of people, to welcome families, while offering programming worthy of the best nighttime events, but in broad daylight,” says Nicolas Cournoyer, vice-president public affairs and social responsibility at Multicolore, co-founder of Piknic Électronik with three friends aficionados of electronic music.
The last time that The duty spoke with him, it was in 2017, for the 15th anniversary of the event. He said that it all started when he and his friends organized a party “somewhere around Saint-Jean”, under the famous sculpture Three discs, by Alexander Calder, on the island of Sainte-Hélène. He explained that he was motivated by the idea of introducing more experimental artists to the general public, while the Montreal scene was not as institutionalized and accessible as it is today.
Five years later, we see that the event has not stopped evolving. “From 2017, we multiplied the evenings Off Picnic, where we charge more expensive tickets, which allows us to invite internationally renowned artists”. This year, DJs such as Bonobo, Peggy Gou, The Blaze and Charlotte de Witte will be there.
Regular programming is not left out either, with guests like Louie Vega (last Sunday), Nicola Cruz and Anthony Naples. True to its initial mission of showcasing local talent, Piknic will also present Prioi, Fred Everything, Pascale Project and Ouri, among others. “We want to cast a wide net and offer several styles,” explains Mr. Cournoyer. The people who come here, especially on Sundays, are there to make discoveries”.
Sugar Shack and Winter Piknic
In 20 years, Piknic Électronik has taken many forms. The event even spawned another well-known festival: Igloofest. “Around 2005, we were already attracting a few thousand people. We saw the potential of outdoor events. So we launched the electronic sugar shack, where we set up a scene in the parking lot of a sugar shack. We even chartered buses to help people come,” says Mr. Cournoyer.
The man who cut his teeth at the Jazz Festival and the Francofolies explains that little by little, Piknic has become “a full-time, year-round job” for him and his team. “It was also in 2005 that we organized our first Piknic des neiges, which has become, over the years, Igloofest. There was nothing going on outside during the winter at that time. It worked very well. We just celebrated our 15e edition last year. »
Several milestones have also marked the history of Piknic, says Mr. Cournoyer. He remembers the time he convinced the British DJ Matthew Herbert to perform in Montreal after meeting him at the restaurant, or the arrival of the Toronto duo Mstrkrft: “It was our first big crowd. We were nearly 6,000 people, it was packed. I said to myself “ok, we are in another league”. »
Today, the event is produced by Multicolore, which also manages Igloofest and MEG Montreal, among others. The Piknic Électronik concept has also been exported to several cities, including Melbourne, Australia, Santiago, Chile and São Paulo, Brazil, starting this year.
happy reunion
On Sunday, we felt the effervescence of the first years more than during previous editions, since Piknic was finally back under Calder’s sculpture, after having spent a few years at the Plaine des jeux, further east, while the site original was undergoing a facelift.
“This Calder sculpture is my house! It feels good to find her, ”said Jen Kyle, who came with her young son, whom she held on her shoulders. “I came to Piknic when it was free, it must have been at least 15 years. I like everything: the environment, the view of the sunset, the music. There has always been a family and inclusive environment.”
The younger ones were of the same opinion. ” This is so cool. We’ve been coming every year for three years. The music is always good. It’s even better this time on Calder,” said Luis Ganario, mid-twenties, who came with his friends Clara and Hunter for the latter’s birthday. All three hope to be able to return as much as possible this summer.