Special Events
Quebec is known to be a festive province that celebrates all seasons and all events with style and spirit. We have listed a few of the most famous events below, but be sure, Quebec has hundreds of others just waiting for you!
Carnaval De Quebec
Every winter Quebec City, like the rest of Canada, is transformed into a beautiful winter wonderland. During this time, the city celebrates this with a 17 daylong carnival, known as the Carnaval De Quebec. It is said to be the largest of its kind, and allows participants to celebrate in all things winter, snow and sub zero temperatures. The mascot for this wintertime event is Bonhomme Carnavale, a toque-wearing snowman that lives in a palace made completely of ice. This palace, which is built with a new design each year, is one of Carnaval De Quebec's biggest and most well known attractions. Other fascinating attractions involve the long list of carnival activities, which include, dog sled races, a soap box derby, dance parties, and the annual snow bath.
(Red Bull) Crashed Ice
This event is a world tour in the winter extreme sporting event, ice cross downhill (or downhill ice cross), which involves downhill skating in a cityscape, on a track which includes steep turns and high vertical drops. It is similar to ski cross and snowboard cross, except with ice skates on an ice track, and is sponsored by Red Bull. This event, happening in the month of March brings a whole group of spectators and spectacular performances by all athletes as well as musical groups.
Festival D'Ete De Quebec
Not only do Quebec City residents know how to celebrate Winter, they certainly know how to celebrate summer. During the first week of July, the city hosts a celebration with equal grandeur to its winter counterpart. Eleven days of street performances and indoor and outdoor concerts bring over one million visitors to Quebec's capital each summer for the Festival d'Ete de Quebec. This music festival offers musical acts of every genre. With rock, pop, reggae, electronic, blues, folk, classical and other performances, there is a little something for everyone to enjoy.
Festival Montreal En Lumiere
There is no doubt that Canadian winters can be long and cold but Montreal's Festival Montreal En Lumiere (High Lights Festival), is the compete opposite. Over the course of 11 days near the end of February and beginning of March, when winter is about to end, Quebec residents celebrate the beginning of spring with a festival of lights. Many displays of luminescence can be seen from the streets, from projections that cover entire buildings to fireworks that highlight the night sky. Family activities are held throughout the event's entirety, including ice sliding, skating, concerts and live musical performances.
Not enough to satisfy your need to see Quebec in all its glory? Click here for other special events and festivals happening all over Quebec!