Festival International de Percussions de Longueuil
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Imagine a music festival like hearts beating in time for five days. This dream has come true for the Festival International de Percussions de Longueuil. Indeed, for the last 11 years, the Montérégie city of Longueuil has been welcoming over one hundred thousand curious individuals and percussion fans. In addition to creating a festive atmosphere, the musicians brilliantly bring out the rhythms that set the tone for daily life in the featured country. Quebecgetaways.com met with the founding Executive and Artistic Director of the Festival, France Cadieux, to learn about her recipe for success.
Quebecgetaways.com (QG) – How did you come up with the idea to establish a percussion festival?
France Cadieux (FC) – I came up with the idea while in Guadeloupe. My spouse and I attended a percussion festival featuring a carnival parade. That's when we said,"Why don’t we have this back home, in Longueuil?" It took us a year to prepare the project that was held in Venise-en-Québec. The following year, we were ready to launch in Longueuil, and this adventure has continued for eleven years.
QG – What experience do you want festival goers to enjoy?
FC – We want them to feel as if they are visiting another country. They get a chance to meet musicians from the featured country who use instruments from their own culture. Inviting Mexico made this year a particularly interesting one, because we were able to discover Mayan culture. For the first time, we built a Mayan temple with an exhibition of artifact reproductions, in cooperation with the Canadian Museum of Civilization...
QG – What makes you stand out from other festivals?
France Cadieux,
Festival International de Percussions de Longueuil
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FC – First off, not many festivals are entirely dedicated to percussion. Also, our visitors can participate in activities in a variety of ways. They have an opportunity to learn some dances, play an instrument or build one. Finally, we aim to present festival goers with a unique, once-in-a-lifetime program.
QG - What is your proudest achievement?
FC - I'm always impressed to hear much talk about our festival abroad, in the featured countries. They are always very proud to promote their musicians that we’ve invited to Canada. I am also very proud to have created this festival by ourselves. We are all still volunteers, but haven’t lost the same driving passion that we had eleven years ago.
Summary
Event: Festival International de Percussions
Founding Executive and Artistic Director: France Cadieux
Dates: July 10 to July 15, 2012
Annual visits: 187,000 visitors in 2011
In 2010, the Festival International de Percussions won the Prix Coup d’Éclat, awarded by Festivals et Événements Québec, for its promotional campaign highlighting its environmentally friendly actions.
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