Igloofest
 |
Late January 2011 in Montréal, negative 20 degrees Celsius. Tuque, coat, three layers of sweaters, snowsuit, mittens, socks, more socks, boots and a good dose of self-mockery: I have the perfect getup to take on Igloofest’s musical mayhem and nearly insane temperatures. And laughing about it! Forget pride; my friend Amélie and I look like we’ve gained 30 pounds, but everyone is beautiful, well… in neon! Yes, we had entered the wacky universe of multi-coloured one-pieces, electronic music and the very essence of a winter party in Montréal.
Close-up of a wild evening, live from the Quays of the Old Port.
The Art of Not Taking Yourself Seriously
Going to Igloofest is candy for the eyes, ears, attitude and humour. Even if I must admit I don’t know a thing about electronic music… I found myself in a flood of 10,000 people (one must enjoy overcrowding!), daringly competing with one another as far as clothing goes and not taking choreography seriously. All this already warms one’s heart up just right, thank you, and is sure to put a smile on your face… a huge smile. And if fortune favours you, you will even enjoy a lovely snowfall, the big flakey kind dancing innocently between two speakers. Stick out your tongue!
Rouillé? No way!
As for music, Ghislain Poirier got things rolling with a version of La Ziguezon that doesn’t have a thing to do with “tout rouillé, tout rouillé.” The crowd was pumped. Everyone was jumping and quite warm, we included. I even got a chance to fly over the crowd while bodysurfing and happened to cross paths with… a panda. This gives you a feel for the atmosphere!
Anne Marie at Igloofest
 |
Indeed, no matter your preference for electronic music, marked or not, Igloofest offers a memorable experience to help you survive winter and discover your true mettle. No expertise is required to have fun, and every evening has its own feel that you can discover beforehand thanks to musical excerpts published on the event’s website. Let your gut guide you!
To finish, a special tip of the hat for Igloofest’s 2012 mobile application Cabine d’essayage, which showed me just how classy I could look in a pink one-piece.
Igloofest is happening on January 12-13-14, 19-20-21 and 26-27-28, 2012.
|