The traditional Bonhomme Ball is making a remarkable return to Quebec Carnival this year with a completely wacky version being presented on January 27th after an eight-year absence.
Organizers promise an unforgettable evening in the Château Frontenac ballroom, where chic dresses and tuxedos are appropriate. To make the experience even spookier, the Carnival collaborated with Circus Machine for the art design. Fashion designer Marie-Chrystine Corbin was given free rein to design and make the costumes.
“I had a lot of creative freedom. Based on the atmospheres of a supernatural universe, I imagined the characters. It's candy. It’s rare that we operate with so few restrictions,” said Ms. Corbin, owner of Corbin Boutique.
Fashion designer Marie-Chrystine Corbin, owner of the Corbin boutique, and Gabriel Meagher-Gaudet, project manager for the Quebec Carnival program, gave an overview of the crazy atmosphere that awaits participants on January 27th at Bal de Bonhomme. Photo Diane Tremblay
To fulfill this mission, Ms. Corbin and her team designed and manufactured 16 costumes and 25 accessories for the employees who will provide the service. It was able to start production around November 15th.
“It's so exciting. I cope well with adrenaline. The adrenaline of creation drives artists. It's still a short time frame to get all this done as I also have to take care of my shop. It’s a short period of time, but it went very well,” she says.
Ms. Corbin is working on putting the finishing touches on an ice cream man costume that promises to be a real eye-catcher. Each costume requires approximately 25 hours of work.
The Bonhomme Ball is back at Carnival. We promise a crazy atmosphere. Image: Quebec Carnival. Photo provided by Quebec Carnival
An expected return
“There hasn’t been a Bonhomme Ball since 2015. It's the big return this year to the ballroom of the Château Frontenac. We are bringing back the winter spirit, the Nordicness, in a big event, a masquerade ball. Of course, Bonhomme will be in the spotlight,” recalls Gabriel Meagher-Gaudet, project manager for the Quebec Carnival program.
Unlike the more “classic” balls that have marked the history of Carnival, this time the event promises to transport participants to a place where the unexpected will play a large role. Image: Quebec Carnival. Photo provided by Quebec Carnival
Unlike the more traditional balls that have marked the history of Carnival, this time the event promises to transport participants to a different place where the unexpected will play a large role. The artists, including acrobats, will embody the symbolic characters of the evening.
“The characters don’t communicate in French. You really come from another world,” Mr. Meagher-Gaudet warned, without revealing all of the evening’s beats.
In 1995, Jacques Parizeau, Prime Minister of Quebec, took part in the traditional Bal de Bonhomme carnival. Archive photo
Circus Machine was guided by Nordicness, music, poetry and acrobatics in its staging, embodying them in epic creatures halfway between animality and humanity.
Tickets are available at the point of sale for $195 (lepointdevente.com).
The 70th Quebec Carnival, held in collaboration with Loto-Québec, officially begins on January 25th with the Cité de Sliding, set up on three Quebec coasts and immersed in giant slides for a few days (until January 28th). The Côte de la Pente-Douce, the Côte Ross and the Rue de la Promenade-des-Sœurs will be transformed.
Free shuttles depart from Place Jean-Béliveau in collaboration with the RTC and travel to each coast during Cité de Sliding opening hours.
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