MONTREAL – Every year, Montrealers gather in the downtown core for the annual Saint-Jean-Baptiste parade.
This year’s theme, “My Quebec, I love it ‘this much'” aims to highlight Quebec’s grandeur; the beauty of its expansive landscapes, its culture, and greatness of spirit.
Colourful floats representing 12 different tableaus were designed specifically to evoke these feelings and wow the crowds.
PHOTO GALLERY: Fête nationale parade in downtown Montreal
The first canvass, “My Quebec and its grand voices,” featured none other than Quebec songstress Geneviève Leduc who belted out a never before heard song written especially for Friday’s fête.
The parade kicked off at 1 p.m. on the corner of Ste-Catherine and Guy streets and ran 2.2 kilometres along Ste-Catherine all the way to de Bleury Street.
Over 1,500 acrobats, percussionists, bands, choirs and dance troupes shimmied their way along the designated route.
READ MORE: What’s open and closed this Fête nationale
The end of the parade signaled the beginning of neighbourhood festivities, with get-togethers planned around the island.
Quebecers have been celebrating June 24, in one way or another, for over 180 years now.
The first Saint-Jean Baptiste Day harks back to 1834 and featured a banquet attended by Ludger Duvernay, founder of the event, and other dignitaries. The soirée was held to celebrate French Canadians.
In 1977, the Quebec government, then headed by René Lesvesque, declared June 24 a national holiday for all Quebecers and the statutory holiday became known as la Fête nationale des Québécois.
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