Ok, yes, it sounds like crazy talk to recommend going north in winter, but trust me, there’s a good reason.
Montréal, a city firmly established on the gay map, is gearing up for the 16th edition of the Montréal en Lumière, a fancy way of describing the fun-and-light show that commandeers the downtown every year. For 10 days, from February 19 to March 1, the festival will transform the Quartier des Spectacles and the Place des Festivals, two well-known nightlife districts, into a winter wonderland of LEDS and other flashy-sparklies to peel away the dark.
Of course, it’s not just razzle-dazzle that impresses. Think of Montréal en Lumière as a midwinter celebration announcing that the worst of winter is over. However incrementally, the days are getting longer — and remember that this is Canada, where they have some loooooooong winter nights, so little bit more of daylight they get helps. While Father Frost may still be a-lurking, the Montréalais will be partying it up with foods from five continents — done by masters of the trade, of course — art installations, music performances, and the signature “Nuit Blanche,” an all-nighter that brings everything to a fever pitch (200 mostly free activities including art installations, musical performances, food and festivities) before finally closing the party down until next year.
Take that, “Snowmageddon.”
Every year, as an added bonus, Montréal en Lumière works in conjunction with a “featured country” that adds a bit of foreign flair to the mix. This time around, Switzerland gets the royal treatment. Individual cities and regions get in on the fun, too: Washington, D.C. has its time in the sun and Lanaudière, the region due east of Montréal, also gets in some face-time.
As a side note, in 2013, during the 68th General Assembly, the United Nations and UNESCO proclaimed that 2015 would be the “International Year of Light and Light-Based Technologies” in order to highlight the role of light in all cultural, economic and political aspects of society. Montréal en Lumière was pretty much just counting the days, and lets be honest, where would the gays be without the retina-frying laser light-shows at the Black and White Parties?
This is a major event, one of the biggest on Montréal’s calendar, and many goings-on happen concurrently, so it is wise to call up the Website and make a detailed plan of attack. For more information, go to www.montrealenlumiere.com/home.aspx.