Fte nationale celebrations return across Quebec this weekend

Quebec's national holiday, Fte nationale, returns in earnest this weekend, after most festivities were cancelled or reducedin the past two years due to the pandemic.

With public health restrictions like masks and distancing no longer mandatory,concerts, events and parties are expected to draw large crowds throughout the province.

There are5,000 activities planned in 650 different places across Quebec over the long weekend. Most events are free, and can be found on the Fte nationale website.

On Thursday evening, Quebec City and Montrealboth hosted large concerts with some of Quebec's leading musical and entertainment talents.

The show in the provincial capital was heldon the Plains of Abraham and included performances by Innu songwriter Scott-Pien Picard, one of the concert's lead acts,as well as by Sara Dufour, Richard Sguin, Florent Vollant, Marjo, Marc Labrche, Laura Niquay, Marco Calliari and Pp et sa guitare.

In downtownMontreal,the Grand Spectaclewas heldat Place des Festivals with some of Quebec's leading musical talents, including Sarahme, Les Louanges, Fouki, Patrice Michaud, Michel Pagliaro, Jay Scott and Alicia Moffet.

The showincluded performances by 30 dancers and musicians.

Back in Quebec City, activities on Grande Alle also began Thursday., with street acts like circus performance crew FlipFabrique.

If you're looking for something that connects you to nature instead of big live concerts, a 20-minute drive northwest of Quebec City, in Wendake, you'll find an immersive nighttime walk calledOnhwa' Lumina.

The walk, produced by Moment Factory, is a kilometre-long pathway with light, sound and video projections. Tickets are $29 for adults.

If you're hoping to catch a specific Quebec artist's show, here's a list of some famous musicians and the cities they will be performing in:

• Coeur de Pirate: Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
• Les Cowboys Fringants: Sherbroooke.
• Vincent Vallires: Lavaltrie.
• Ariane Moffatt: Gatineau.
• Marie-Mai: Joliette.
• For more, you can visit fetenationale.quebec/.

Friday is the third edition of Festihood, a celebration of Fte nationale in Montral-Nord, hosted by Hoodstock, an advocacy group based in the borough.

Festihood starts at noon in the parking lot of theMaison culturelle et communautaire de Montral-Nord at 12004 Boulevard Rolland. There will be a parade that will showcase 30 local artists and distribute 20,000 meals to residents.

The event will have "a family-friendly celebratory vibe that will bring life to the hood all afternoon," according to a news release by Hoodstock.

Closures

Grocery stores, SAQ and SQDC outlets are closed on Friday, June 24, but open for the rest of the weekend.

Retail stores and shopping centresacross the province are also closed. Dpanneurs, or corner stores, are generally open. Some pharmacies may be open, as the decision is left up to owners.

Gas station are allowed to be open. Municipal offices and libraries are closed and public transit will operate on a reduced schedule on Friday and Saturday.

Exceptionally, Service Canada passport offices will remain open, because of the significant delays and lineups that have occurredin the past week.

Holiday history

The roots of the holiday can be traced back to thepagan custom of celebrating the summer solsticeby lighting bonfires on the longest day of the year. Historians say the customwas adoptedby Catholics in the 4th Century, who eventually named it Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day.

The day has been celebrated in Quebec since the territory was a French colony known as New France in the 17th Century.

It took a political turn in the 19th Century when newspaper editorLudger Duvernayadvocated for the province to have a national holiday for French Canadians, inspired by St. Patrick's Day celebrations by the Irish in Montreal.

In 1977, former premier Ren Levesque changed the name for the holiday in Quebec from St-Jean-Baptiste Day to Fte nationale, distancing it from its religious roots and embracing its nationalist sentiment.