The 70the The Carnaval de Québec opened on Thursday evening before several hundred people gathered at Place Jean-Béliveau for a festive evening that treated the audience to the “greatest opening number” in its long history.
The organization had also promised a free number of unprecedented scope and intensity with 50 artists delivering a 30-minute performance.
“I’m happy to share this with you,” Bonhomme said in the middle of a photo session just before the official count.
Marcel Tremblay / QMI Agency
“We are celebrating 70 years and we won’t stop this year. Carnival is being reimagined with an exceptional team,” added Mayor Bruno Marchand.
The protocol portion was reduced to just under five minutes and the traditional handover of the city keys to Bonhomme, who is celebrating an important anniversary, was integrated into the show.
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Anywhere in Quebec
“It’s very fragmented. It's a nice piece of land to open. What we wanted to find everywhere this year was a break with convention, a relief from winter. We want to play with the forbidden and allow ourselves to do things that we are not allowed to do for the rest of the year. And in 2024 that doesn’t mean there will be alcohol on the streets!” says General Director Marie-Eve Jabob.
In this sense, by Sunday for this activity, several carnival visitors have already been able to take advantage of the opening of the Pente-Douce Coast, the Ross Coast and the Rue de la Promenade-des-Soeurs to glide to new areas in Quebec. For better speed, experts rely on slight cooling.
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“We are very pleased to be able to offer this and hope it is a success,” Ms Jacob added.
Due to the extreme cold, the Quebec Carnival organization had to postpone its official opening last year.
On Thursday evening it was quite the opposite near the Videotron center, when a perfect sky and a thermometer around freezing point did not make anyone suffer, quite the opposite.
Marcel Tremblay / QMI Agency
“I didn't think I'd see so many people on a Thursday,” said an enthusiastic audience member near the stage.
A great opening
In a mix of dance, music, pyrotechnics, archival video projection and allegorical floats, artists Math Duff, Sara Dufour, Sarahmée, Rémi Chassé and Nicolas Pellerin performed outside under the stars.
“For me it is the greatest opening number I have ever done in my life,” said artistic director Jean-François Blais, who has a long history of success in the field.
“It's a birthday, so we wanted fireworks,” concludes Marie-Eve Jacob.
Quebec Carnival announced more than 100 activities across five main locations last October. In all districts, the activities offered were initially created by and for local people.
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