Great return of the International des Feux Loto-Québec

It’s the return of the International des Feux Loto-Québec this summer after an enforced break of almost three years that hurt the industry. The opening show – titled I remember – will be presented on Saturday evening.

Frederik-Xavier Duhamel
The Press

“It’s going to do a lot of good,” believes Paul Csukassy, ​​technical director and fireworks chief for the International des Feux. “I think Montrealers are waiting for that. »

“It’s been very tough on the pyrotechnics industry,” Csukassy says of the past few years and the pandemic. “There was no need to create a crowd, and that was mainly the purpose of fireworks in general. »

Some companies have had to shut down, he said, and many workers in the industry have moved to other sectors. As a result, the players who remain are struggling to find enough explosives workers to meet the intense seasonal demand in a context of labor shortages.

Eric Cardinal of GFA Pyro, the team behind Saturday’s opening show, knows that. “It was hard, we lost people […] the first year it was terrible,” he admits. “This year, we are coming back in force, it feels good. »

Saturday’s show was originally scheduled for last September, before being canceled by Public Health due to the health situation.

A ballet of 150 drones will precede the GFA fireworks, unheard of in Montreal, according to Mr. Csukassy. “It’s great, they’re going to love it,” says Jeff Clarmo of Northstar drone shows, who is handling this part of the evening.

The International des Feux Loto-Québec takes place until August 6 in Montreal. This year, Mexico, Canada, Italy, Croatia, England and, for the very first time, Hungary, are in competition.

The Jacques-Cartier Bridge is pedestrianized for three hours on show nights. Motorists will have to find another way than the Jacques-Cartier bridge to enter or leave the island of Montreal.