MONTREAL – The city of Montreal is asking people to stay away from the Montreal Wish Lantern Festival scheduled for this Monday at the Kondiaronk Belvedere in Mount Royal Park.
A Facebook invitation for the festival shows that 11,000 people plan to attend the festival. The invitation says that the lanterns are “simple to make and entirely biodegradable” and that they don’t “pose any harm to the city.”
The invitation even includes a link to a how-to website.
But city officials see things differently. They warn that the festival does not have a permit to hold the event; in other words, it’s not authorized by the city.
City councillor Réal Ménard also noted that the mountain cannot be the site of large public gatherings unless they are organized with the city because they risk public security.
“The impacts of such an event make them inappropriate for the Mont-Royal heritage site.”
Friends of the Mountain, the Mont-Royal office and the Montreal Police department are all opposed to the event. The city says it has tried to communicate with the organizers to tell them they cannot hold the festival.
That’s why the city issued a press release to inform Montrealers that the event is illegal and ask them not to participate. The fire department and the SPVM will be on hand June 20 ready to intervene if necessary.