(Montreal) Like many municipalities, Montreal was able to properly celebrate the 190th anniversary of Quebec’s National Day, under a sky as blue as the Fleurdelysé flag.
Neither the beaten earth nor the ground, still damp from the early morning precipitation, prevented thousands of people from gathering at the end of the day at Maisonneuve Park.
“In unison, let us say I love you, I love you to our French language, I love you to our culture and I love you to all that is most beautiful about us”, launched in the opening ceremony the president of the Quebec National Day Committee in Montreal, Marie-Anne Alepin. “Whatever our origins, it is together that we create this beauty. »
It was under the theme of nostalgia that the artists took turns one after the other to make the field of lilies in front of them dance and sing. French-speaking disco has mixed with the choruses that make up Quebec music today.
From Claude Dubois to Patsy Gallant via FouKi, Queenie, or even Éléonore Lagacé and Judi Richards, all generations were on stage.
Hosted for the third time by Pierre-Yves Lord, this year’s edition once again brought together Quebecers around the same culture that is unique to them.
“We want to come together and allow Quebecers to connect their hearts together,” explains Pierre-Yves Lord, shortly before going on stage. “It’s our history and it’s always interesting to remember where we come from. »
This year’s edition, entitled Une chance qu’on s’a, was intended above all to be a gathering place for Quebecers from Montreal and elsewhere.
“We saw it with the eclipse that, sometimes, just an astronomical coincidence allows us to remember why we are on earth and that we are good when we are all together,” he adds. “This year, the eclipse was the first part of the national holiday and we will try to tap into those emotions.”
Even though he left us last April, the legendary Jean-Pierre Ferland was not far away. Artists have paid tribute to him on several occasions by singing the music that marked his long career.
Le Vent du Nord also paid tribute to Karl Tremblay, who passed away last November, by resuming The Merchant Marine and Tant qu’on aura de l’amour by Cowboys Fringants.
A moment of unity marked the evening when Claude Dubois shared the stage with Innu artist Kanen as they covered the famous song Labrador together, in their respective languages.
Many came to share with their children the excitement of Saint-Jean-Baptiste that they had known in their childhood. This was the case for Marie-Eve Bouchard, who came with her children and her husband to celebrate Quebec pride. Her cousin even made the trip from Chicoutimi especially for the occasion.
“For us, it’s important to take part in the festivities. This morning, we went to the Biodôme, then we went to see the parade and we finished here, she said. We were afraid [that there would be rain], but we planned everything, umbrellas and coats, because we couldn’t miss it. »
For Marie-Eve Bouchard, the national holiday is above all a way to come together and celebrate together what it is to be Quebecois, whether you were born here or have recently left your luggage in the French-speaking province.
“It’s a party that everyone is invited to, we all come together and become one,” she says. It’s a party for everyone. »
This is an observation shared by Geneviève Dufort, who only had to cross the street to enjoy the atmosphere of the festivities.
“It’s Quebecers’ national holiday, so much the better if you come and celebrate with me and if you feel like a Quebecer,” she said. There are a lot of immigrants in the area and they are happy to celebrate with us here. »
The first part of the evening ended with a final tribute to Jean-Pierre Ferland in which all the artists sang Une chance qu’on s’a in unison.
The evening continued with a performance by Monsieur PY, accompanied by archive images, in which he remixed around fifty songs that have shaped Quebec musical culture.
Le Vent du Nord closed the festivities by setting Maisonneuve Park alight to the rhythm of traditional music.