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Music Festivals Make Memories
It’s August in Quebec. The weather has already started to cool after a busy season of summer festivals. Holland America’s Maasdam is in port, and visitors from around the world practice their French with the locals. It’s just another sunny, windy day in one of North America’s most beautiful cities, and then the sounds of drums and bagpipes approach from the distance, signifying a music festival...
The spectacle of a parade is always fun for families, and the music in this parade is top notch. Banners announce military bands from all over the world—Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic, and all over Canada. This parade means that it’s time again for the Quebec City International Festival of Military Bands, held every August for nearly a decade.
I had the pleasure of attending this five-day festival, and not knowing much about military bands, I expected a lot of marching and drilling. Certainly there was plenty of that, but the festival’s several events were diverse and infused with great artistry. The festival kicked off with a decorous opening ceremony and a Bavarian night of food and music hosted by the German band.
The next evening, the Belgian Royal Navy Band and the Quebec 22nd Regiment Band performed in the sit-down Grand Concert. Selections included both popular and classical songs from the bands’ home countries and cultures as well as combined songs with over 100 musicians on the stage at once. Some musicians even showed off their vocal talent. The Grand Concert, held every year for the festival with a different combination of bands, would probably be challenging for little wiggle worms to sit through. Yet patient teens who play in the school band may especially appreciate the music—just trying to count how many instruments the percussionists play in one song is entertaining.
The Military Band Festival’s keystone event and its top choice for families occurred the next evening, at the Quebec City Military Tattoo held in the Pepsi Colosseum. A tattoo, by definition, is an evening performance of military exercises for entertainment. The artistic director for this extravaganza of over 600 musicians (at times all appearing and playing in unison) traveled to the biggest tattoos in the world, including Edinburgh, Scotland’s, for inspiration to bring back to Quebec.
The result is a collection of marching music played by musicians of many ages and nationalities, and it also included dance and multi-media presentations. One of the most fascinating parts for me didn’t involve a band at all—in a beautifully staged tribute to the Inuit people of Northern Canada, rangers hired as emergency police in sparsely populated areas accompanied female traditional throat singers.
The Tattoo proves great for families not only because of its high-energy performances, but also because of its partnership with Expo Quebec, Quebec’s equivalent of the state fair, which sets up for the year right next to the Pepsi Colosseum. Families may use their Tattoo tickets to gain free, day-of entrance to the Expo. Rides, livestock, and cultural exhibits will keep you entertained during the day until it’s time to see the show.
The day after the Tattoo, not only is there the festival parade, but there are also free concerts at various spots around Quebec City. This is a convenient day to experience this charming city while taking in some open-air music. The performing bands are strategically placed in popular and picturesque areas. You might listen to a band on the Terrace Dufferin, with the Saint Lawrence River in front of you and Le Chateau Frontenac Hotel behind you.
Le Chateau Frontenac is the majestic building that you often see in photographs of Quebec’s ramparts. Then, take the funicular down the ramparts and into the Quartier Petit Champlain for food and window shopping. Head over to Place-Royal to watch street performers, view archeological excavations, and visit the highly interactive, great-for-kids Place-Royal Interpretation Centre. Since just walking through Quebec is a memorable experience, never mind ducking into its many shops and museums, the opportunities to make a day of it are plentiful.
In 2008, Quebec City celebrated its 400th anniversary, and festivities at the Quebec City International Festival of Military Bands continued to reach a new level. For more information on the festival, visit www.fimmq.com.
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