Quebec City Festival Kicks Off Today; Runs July 7-17

The Festival d'été de Québec will be in full swing in just eight days, with festivalgoers by the thousands converging on Quebec City from July 7 to 17. To make this event a success once again this year, Festival management, city representatives and representatives from the Réseau de transport de la Capitale explained the control and security measures in effect that make Quebec City so safe and friendly!

"Every year, foreign journalists are impressed by how calm Quebec City remains during the Festival activities. How so many thousands of happy, smiling festivalgoers can be seen in the streets, even after rock concerts that draw the noisiest crowds," pointed out the General Manager of the Festival d'été de Québec, Daniel Gélinas.

"We think that it's our collective pride in this event - Quebec City residents love their Festival and it shows - coupled with the way authorities and public services work together to make things easier for the thousands of local fans and visitors, that accounts for the behaviour we observe and the comments we receive," added Étienne Talbot, Director of the Office of Tourism Development and major Events for the City of Québec.

Service Centre

New this year, a service centre will be set up at Place George V to give festivalgoers help and information- where to find the Hydro-Québec ticket booth, the Desjardins bike parking area, an RTC kiosk or a Bell Info-Festival booth. The service centre will be open from noon to midnight every day.

Day pass

Day passes are available for all Festival evenings except the Sir Elton John and Metallica concerts on July 9 and 16. These give ticket holders the same privileges as the Hydro-Québec passes, including access to the shows on the Bell Stage on the Plains of Abraham and the Molson Dry Stage at Parc de la Francophonie, to Palais Montcalm, the Grand Théâtre de Québec and all the indoor shows presented by Groupe Voyages Québec. They can be purchased at the ticket booth.

Festivalgoers who leave a site must have their RFID day pass or bracelet scanned by an attendant if they wish to re-enter the site later that same day.

Configuration of the Plains of Abraham/ Bell Stage

Like last year, there will be a single entrance to the Plains of Abraham. All festivalgoers must go through the Cross of Sacrifice entrance. "We can handle 30,000 people an hour. Our infrastructure is so efficient that other festivals are copying us," commented PatRick Martin, Production Director for the Festival d'été de Québec.

Gates will open between 6 and 6:30 every evening. To speed up admission, it is best not to bring a backpack. No glass containers, cans or rigid water bottles are allowed on the site. Firecrackers and fireworks are also prohibited.

The three exits remain the same: the Cross of Sacrifice, the Discovery Pavilion and beside the Concorde.

Because huge crowds are expected for the Sir Elton John and Metallica concerts, a giant screen zone will be open to the public behind the stage. The pass is needed to enter this area. As a safety measure, the Festival d'été de Québec advises parents coming to the Metallica concert with children under 12 to go to this area. Only children 12 and older with a Hydro-Québec pass will be allowed in front of the stage.

This year, chairs are allowed on two evenings, July 7 and 15, for the opening show and the Jean-Pierre Ferland concert. Chairs can always be left at the entrance to the Plains of Abraham to be picked up later.

"We have also made the signage on and around the sites more clear and effective, especially for visitors who are not familiar with the different sites," Martin added.

Parc de la Francophonie Site / Molson Dry Stage

The RFID bracelet is also mandatory to enter this site. Bracelets will be checked at the regular entrances on Grande-Allée and St-Amable. Again, the Festival recommends getting here early for the best places.

Place D'Youville Site/ LOTO-QUÉBEC Stage at Place Metro

Access to this stage is free. The pass is suggested but not mandatory.

Traffic

As usual during the 11 days of the Festival and as a safety measure, the City of Québec will modify traffic and this could result in temporary closings. For details on all these measures, the public can consult the city's website at www.ville.quebec.qc.ca or can subscribe for advance e-mail reports on all news releases.

Public Transportation

To help people leave the sites faster, the Réseau de transport de la Capitale (RTC) has also beefed up its bus service for these 11 evenings. More busses have been added, there is free parking, and the Desjardins shuttle to Place de la famille Le Lait is back again this year. Customers are asked to consult the RTC website www.rtcquebec.ca or to call customer service at 418 627-2511.

For more program details, go to the Handy Tips section on the Festival website at www.infofestival.com.

Montreal Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. THE WIZARD OF OZ (The Côte Saint-Luc Dramatic Society)

20.8% of votes

2. LITTLE WOMEN (Starcatcher Productions)

18.4% of votes

3. COMPANY (Arts Undergraduate Theatre Society)

11.8% of votes

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