The Quebec City Summer Festival was founded in 1968 by a group of artists and entrepreneurs from Quebec City who wanted to emphasize the artistic, tourist and economic potential of the province of Quebec. During the 1970s and 1980s, the festival focused on francophone and world music. However, this prevented it from growing and expanding so the organizers decided to diversify the music program.
Since the early 2000s, the Quebec City Summer Festival has featured a lot of world-class artists and bands from different countries. Past international headliners include Iron Maiden, Metallica, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Journey, The Rollings Stones, Rammstein, Aerosmith, Lady Gaga, Foo Fighters, Sting, Muse, Elton John, Lionel Richie, Billy Joel, Deep Purple, Stevie Wonder, and many more. The festival encompasses different genres and styles of music including rock, pop, hip-hop, jazz, world music, classical music, EDM (electronic dance music), etc. It is the quality of music that matters, not style.
The Quebec City Summer Festival has three main outdoor venues with a total capacity of over 120,000. The main stage is located at the Plains of Abraham, a picturesque historic area in the Battlefields Park. With a capacity of 100,000, it is the largest outdoor stage in North America. Two smaller stages with a capacity of 10,000 each are set up in the Park de la francophonie and at Place D’Youville.
Besides, the festival uses several indoor venues in downtown Quebec located within walking distance from another. For example, the Grand Théâtre de Québec and the Impérial Bell host classical music concerts, while several bars and nightclubs present jazz, world and electronic music. The program of the festival also includes street performances and children’s events.
The Quebec City Summer Festival is famous for its urban setting and eclectic music selection. Every year, it attracts about a million music lovers from Canada and abroad over 11 days filled with music and fun.
Photo: Nathalie
