What to see, what to do for Canada Day? Here are the cultural suggestions of our journalists.
Posted at 9:00 a.m.
The Great National Show in Ottawa
The great national spectacle of Canada Day, the 1er July, will feature talented artists and performers, such as Charlotte Cardin, Ariane Moffatt, Sarahmée, Salebarbes, Sebastian Gaskin and Cindy Bédard. Hosted by Isabelle Racicot and Ali Hassan, this major musical event will allow the public to discover artists from all over the country. The show will be broadcast live on ICI Télé and CBC TV, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. (local time). And also, live and catch-up, on ICI Tou.tv. It should be noted that this year, the activities of the 1er July are presented at two new sites in Ottawa and Gatineau: Parc des Plaines-LeBreton, where the evening show will be held, and Place des festivals Zibi.
The spectacle of the Old Port of Montreal
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The Canada Day show is back in the Old Port of Montreal with, among others, Marc Dupré.
The Canada Day spectacle is back in the Old Port of Montreal. The Montreal evening will vibrate to the rhythm of percussion and navigate through different musical styles: Algonquin music, Latin sounds, pop or even Acadian folk… The musical performance will take place on the main stage of the Carré Saint-Pierre at 7:30 p.m. and will feature the artists Samian, Annie Villeneuve, Marc Dupré and Joseph Edgar, among others. The traditional fireworks of 1er July are scheduled immediately after the show, at 10 p.m.
On the Plains in Quebec
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Singer Brigitte Boisjoli during Philippe Laprise’s Carte Blanche evening at Place des Arts, in 2019
In the national capital, the day of the 1er July will begin late morning with an official ceremony on Dufferin Terrace. From noon to 2 p.m., a large family celebration will then take place on the Plains of Abraham. In the evening starting at 8 p.m., on the stage of the Edwin-Bélanger bandstand, near the Citadelle, singer Brigitte Boisjoli will offer the public her show My 40 years, with his greatest hits. The first part will be provided by two drag artists from Quebec: Jojo and Gabry Elle.
The QW4RTZ quartet in Laval
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The a cappella vocal quartet QW4RTZ in rehearsals in 2015. Pictured are Louis-Alexandre Beauchemin, Philippe Courchesne-Lebœuf, François Pothier-Bouchard and François Dubé.
This year, the Canada Day show is also back at the Center de la nature de Laval, with an eclectic musical offer. In the program, we find the a cappella group QW4RTZ, a vocal quartet from Trois-Rivières that combines humor and vocal prowess. On the other side of the river, the borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro offers activities all day long: fair, parade of allegorical floats, entertainment and ambulatory shows in the parks with the KUMPA’NIA troupe. In the evening, at 9 p.m., the group Papagroove will move the public with their catchy jazz fusion music that draws its roots from Afrobeat.