It was under the tunes of Gens du pays that the Saint-Jean parade strolled through the streets of Montreal on Monday afternoon. Despite the bad weather forecast, the rain stopped just in time to allow the National Day parade to finish its journey dry.
The wind, however, caused some problems for the organizers who were assembling the pieces of the procession before the start. Director Richard Blackburn was notably forced to adapt his show because of the strong winds. “We had to give up a lot of visual elements,” explains the artistic director.
Nevertheless, his vision “of a parade which is a joyful demonstration, a festive pile-up” was probably realized.
Flag bearers, choirs, dancers, jugglers, stilt walkers, musicians: the dynamic performances assembled by Richard Blackburn brought the parade to life. The acrobats of the Acting for Climate troupe were particularly remarkable, dazzling spectators of all ages with their aerial somersaults.
Every five minutes, whistles sounded and the marchers turned toward the crowd. This is the signal to sing the unofficial anthem of Quebec, Gens du pays, to the great pleasure of the crowd who joined the chorus.
The predicted rain did not cool the Quebecers, who came en masse to attend the procession. Spectators created a guard of honor on each side of Rue Rachel, waving their flowers and greeting the marchers. The filled balconies of the buildings on the street offered a unique view of the procession to their residents.
The leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, was one of the politicians who came to celebrate Saint-Jean in the metropolis. According to him, the national holiday represents a time of coming together. “We come together, regardless of our differences […] I find that it creates humanism, it creates links between people,” maintains the MP.
Andréa Kpenou agrees.
She and her 4-year-old son attended their first parade, after 12 years in Quebec. “What struck me when coming here was really the diversity, which I find extremely beautiful,” explains the Montrealer of French origin. “It feels good to be here and to feel this diversity and I am proud to be in Quebec,” says Andréa.
She even found the parade too short. “I liked that it was a little more circus, but I would have taken triple that! » she exclaims.