“We wondered how to share this responsibility for people’s safety. Are we ready to experience flooding? We have access to a super beautiful room where we can accommodate 250, 500 and even 750 people, if that’s allowed,” explains M.I Haddon.
For FEQ Director of Programming Louis Belavance, the resilience revealed last week is good news. “But no promoter in Quebec who has managed to create a project that works with these ads is qualified. It remains very positive and at some point, the restrictions will go away. We were committed to doing our best and presenting the best scenario within the constraints that we had.”
not at any cost
The FEQ team quickly realized the complexity of returning to its main position in accordance with health instructions, adds Mr. Bellavance.
“We saw that it took half the plains to reach 2,500 people [en distanciation]. The Francophonie park, in the present context, seats 700 spectators. This is not even the ability of the Armory under normal circumstances.”
The director of programming says he was the first to push for FEQ to welcome more festival-goers this year. But not at any cost.
“There’s a limit to saying we’ll leave our shirt there for 2,500 people,” he explains. We want to talk to 150,000 people. We want 90,000 spectators on the plains. If it is possible and realistic to go to 2500, At what time. If it’s too complicated, there’s no need to go crazy with him.”
Louis Belavance assures us that Quebec’s 100% programming plan has been clear for a long time and that he has no intention of changing it.
“It’s not like we’re hesitating between introducing Brian Adams on the Plains or what we’re announcing today,” he says. There was no question about the presence of international artists or English Canada. These are the same artists we announced who would have found themselves in bigger places and would have defended themselves quite well, I’m sure. But we didn’t consider the FEQ in good weather. What we have there, it works, it’s solid, and it’s controlled.”
