This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
For his 21e edition, the Nuit blanche of the Montréal en Lumière festival plans a program filled with the most diverse activities which will take place until dawn.
“La Nuit blanche is an opportunity for everyone to discover several forms of art in places where we might never have set foot. We thus maintain the public’s taste for culture. The fact that everything is free creates accessibility, and it is this concept that is very interesting,” explains the general director of L’Équipe Spectra, Jacques Primeau. He promises that this edition will be one of the most notable in terms of content and assistance.
Outfit under the theme “What is your creative fantasy?” » the Nuit blanche de Montréal, which takes place on March 2, offers from 6 p.m. the opportunity to immerse yourself in the most diverse artistic worlds where there is something for everyone. On the menu: poetry, theater, concerts, visual projections, dance shows, workshops and much more. The many activities are grouped this year around seven thematic routes which allow people to plan their evening itinerary. Night owls will be able to roam the city as they wish, choosing from the events that interest them.
This year, the activities offered once again go beyond the limits of the Quartier des spectacles in order to attract festival-goers from all over the metropolis. They will take place in eight centers scattered throughout the neighborhoods of Montreal, from Old Montreal to Ahuntsic, via Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Rosemont–La-Petite-Patrie.
To make travel easier, the STM is also extending its metro hours this year, with service running all night. The same goes for paratransit and buses.
The heart of the festival
Although Montreal will remain awake from one end to the other, it is the Quartier des spectacles which remains the heart of Nuit blanche. With the return of the iconic Poetry Night, hosted by Marie-Andrée Lamontagne, festival-goers will be able to relive the literary frenzy of the 1970s, 1980s and 1991. And this, thanks to film documents projected continuously which will recount the highlights of these three editions.
You will see Michèle Lalonde reciting her emblematic poem again Speak White and hear the no less important performances of Gaston Miron and Claude Gauvreau. These Quebec literary figures marked the “greatest celebration of words” that Quebec has ever known, according to The Pressin 1970.
It will also be an opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of 13 Quebec poets, including Joséphine Bacon, who is the guest of honor of the event, Thomas Mainguy, Pierre Nepveu, Rita Mestokosho, Pierre Morency. This event is presented at the Urban Show at Place des Arts.
For its part, the Belgo building will be in full swing, as artists from various disciplines will perform in front of an audience. In addition to dance, painting and sculpture performances, visual exhibitions and short film screenings will also be broadcast across numerous galleries, artist centers and studios.
Visual arts enthusiasts can also transform themselves into film actors for an evening at the Espace NFB. Festival-goers will be able to have their photo taken with an authentic statuette, that of the honorary Oscar awarded to the NFB in 1988, in their hands on a red carpet. Another activity will allow you to become the star of your own film, thanks to an animation station which will project the image of the person directly into the short film.
For those who want to dance until the wee hours, several rhythmic evenings to the sounds of entertainers will take place in the metropolis. The MTelus room offers, from midnight to 6 a.m., the Moonshine evening, organized by a multidisciplinary collective which creates events linked to African club culture. During this event, as well as for all others that continue after 3 a.m., the City authorizes establishments to sell alcoholic beverages all night.
For the whole family
Museums and cultural halls will also open their doors until dawn. For the occasion, some of these establishments will be the scene of unique and immersive shows.
This is the case of the Phi Center, which innovates by presenting its Fantastic fair, in a universe made up of strange characters, fortune tellers and nomadic performers. The visitor is immersed in an atmosphere that mixes sound and light.
The Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art, at Place Ville Marie, offers a creative workshop for young and old, inspired by the mural by Canadian artist of Senegalese origin Anna Binta Diallo. The premises of the establishment also suggest people to explore the exhibition Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russiawhich documents this feminist punk rock band’s protests in Russia.
For its part, Tohu invites you to discover a journey in the form of a circus evening, songs, rap, visual art, outdoor activities and step dancing. Frédéric-Back Park, located next door, will be the scene of traditional dance workshops, guided night tours and snow sculptures. Festival-goers will also be able to slide on sleds on site.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.