Visit Anticosti, elsewhere in Quebec
La Fabrique culturelle, Télé-Québec’s digital cultural platform, is touring a few festivals this summer with an immersive 360-degree virtual reality experience that invites you to travel to the Quebec island, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Anticosti. Getting into the greatness gives a close-up view of the natural splendors of this little-known corner of the country, which is difficult to access for ordinary tourists, captured here by photographer Éric Deschamps (whose animal photos can sometimes be admired in our pages). The tour stops at the end of the week at the Jardins de Métis, which otherwise offers other natural wonders to contemplate for its 25e birthday.
Pleasures on the Plaza
In recent days, Plaza Saint-Hubert has become a pedestrian alley, where, we hope, it will be pleasant to stroll until the start of the school year. This first seasonal pedestrianization arrives at about the same time as the second edition of PlazaPalooza, a small festival of activities, workshops and free shows, combined with the traditional flea market of this legendary commercial street. On the menu until Sunday: giant game boards, workshops of skateboard and bike repair, DJ performances and concerts from artists from all walks of life, including Naomi, Laroie and Milk & Bone.
In concert (free) at the park
Among the abundant (free) cultural offerings offered during the summer season across Quebec, there are two concert series that begin on the weekend and continue until the start of the school year. In Montreal, the concert series Les arts s’invitent au Jardin will liven up Sunday afternoons at the Botanical Garden, with performances by Matt Holubowski, Helena Deland and Soleil Launière, among others. Yéyé rocker Guillaume Bordel will open the series on Sunday at 2 p.m. In Laval, the Zones musicales will set up shop in various parks on Île Jésus for some forty free concerts. 2Frères and Rafaëlle Roy will kick off the festivities at Parc Bernard-Landry on Sunday evening. Throughout the summer, you can also go hear the Orchestre symphonique de Laval, Mônica Freire and Michel Pagliaro, among others.
The dance from within
Le Diamant is offering a “world premiere” — and free of charge — of Sylvain Émard Danse’s brand new creation, entitled Choir. The fifteen-minute 360-degree multisensory experience gives the viewer the impression of being at the center of a choreography, surrounded by a dozen almost tangible dancers. Enough to make you want to move too, and even risk a few dance steps, or even reproduce parts of the choreography. And there is probably a way to learn it by heart since the work is presented continuously, every day from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., until July 21.