From Tour de l'île to Osheaga, events are keeping hope alive
Some organizations planning in-person proceedings, while others will stay online
Montrealers survived one summer without any of the events that make Montreal summers worthwhile, but local organizers are determined not to let it happen again.
The Grand Prix is looking iffy at this point, but the city's other big gatherings are exploring all options so they can take place in some shape or form.
“We've been working really hard, trying to plan an adapted version of the Tour de l'île,” said Jeanfrançois Rheault, president of Vélo Québec, which oversees the spring bike ride around the city.
“Outside has physical distancing by design, and people on bikes have to keep a certain distance anyway. We've received positive hints from public health, but we don't have approval yet.”
Given the uncertainty, the Tour de l'île has been pushed back from its usual late-may, early-june date, and will likely take place later in the summer.
Though they're in the midst of a standoff with the city over Osheaga's future at Parc Jeandrapeau beyond 2023, festival director Nick Farkas says his team will find a way to stage the indie-music celebration's COVID -delayed 15th edition this summer. It's scheduled for July 30 to Aug. 1.
“We're going to decide by the end of the month,” said Farkas, VP of booking, concerts and events for promoter Evenko. “No matter what happens, our goal as a company is that whatever's permitted, we'll do it. We're not taking another summer off.
“We need to do concerts. If it's all-canadian, if it's for 500, 1,000 or 5,000 people — whatever's permitted in August, we will do.”
There is similar resolve over at the St-ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival.
“We're doing it,” festival director Amy Blackmore said of the annual theatre free-for-all, which marks its 30th edition from June 1 to 20.
“We're just gonna go for it. We're gonna Fringe. It's going to be different, but it's going to have the same vibe. It will still feel like the Fringe we love.”
Blackmore and her crew are planning a scaled-down hybrid event featuring 30 to 35 live shows (instead of the usual 115) and an online component.
We're just gonna go for it. We're gonna Fringe. It's going to be different, but it's going to have the same vibe.
“We really feel we have a responsibility to the community to offer some kind of incredible programming this year,” Blackmore said, “especially after such a long winter.”
L'équipe Spectra, which organizes the Montreal International Jazz Festival and Les Francos, preferred not to reveal its plans but hopes to make an announcement in the next two weeks.
“Montreal is still in a red zone,” a spokesperson said by email. “We continue to monitor all the various elements. As soon as we have public health, the (Quebec) government and city of Montreal's approvals, we will gladly talk about our festivals.”
In February, Just for Laughs president Bruce Hills told the Montreal Gazette the festival would program comedy shows live, online or in a hybrid format, July 15 to 31, according to what is permitted by public health guidelines.
The Fantasia International Film Festival has made the difficult decision to go all-online for a second straight year.
“It seems like the only responsible thing to do,” said Mitch Davis, co-director of the annual horror-action-alt-cinema bonanza.
That said, its virtual edition was a hit last year, and Fantasia promises to repeat the feat, screening over 100 features for its 25th edition, Aug. 5 to 25.
Over at Mutek, Montreal's “international festival of digital creativity and electronic music,” director Alain Mongeau is keeping his fingers crossed while waiting for word from the city and province.
Mutek is planning a hybrid event, Aug. 24 to 29, after having shifted its dates to September last year to avoid Quebec's ban on summer festivals.
“This year, we want to present (live shows), so that our artists can perform in front of audiences,” Mongeau said. “We want to offer people an opportunity to get outside, and experience something else than looking at a screen.”