Years active Since 1968 | Dates 6 Jul – 16 Jul 2017 | |
Genre Pop music, folk music, rock music, electronic dance music, punk, hip hop, classical music, francophone music, world music Location(s) Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Capacity 120,000 (Standard) 3,000 (Gold) 2,000 (Silver) 2,000 (Signature). Similar Osheaga Festival, Montebello Rockfest, Montreal International Jazz Festi, Ottawa Bluesfest, Heavy MONTRÉAL Profiles | ||
The Quebec City Summer Festival (Festival d'été de Québec in French, also known as by its acronym FEQ) is an annual 11-day music festival in downtown Quebec City normally starting on the first Thursday of July.
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With its 127,000 passes sold, a total attendance of about 1.5 million festival-goers year in year out and its hundreds of performances spread over a dozen venues, the festival has established itself as a major player on the music festival circuit. Its main stage ( the largest of its kind in North America ) is located on the historic Plains of Abraham with a site capacity of over 100,000 (102,000 at The Rolling Stones concert in 2015). The festival is also known for its eclectic musical selection and its urban setting, with most venues in the downtown area and within walking distance of each other.
History
The festival has been taking place annually since 1968. First editions were organized by a group of businesspersons and artists of Quebec City in order to show the artistic, economic, and tourist potential of the region. During the 1970s and 1980s, the festival specialized in musicians from the Francophonie and world music.
The festival grew substantially during the last decade after its decision to diversify its music offering and go after international headliners from genres across the board, including rock music, punk, hip-hop, classical music, francophone music, world music and most recently electronic music.
The festival reached the million spectators mark for the first time in 2007 and sold-out passes for the first time in 2010, a feat it repeated every year since then.
Setting
The three main outdoor venues of the Festival are the picturesque Plains of Abraham (Capacity 100,000), the Parc de la francophonie (Capacity 10,000), and the Place d'Youville (Capacity 10,000). The primary indoor venues are l'Imperial and le Grand Théâtre de Québec, presenting classical music. Bars and nightclubs throughout the city complement the selection by offering jazz, world, and electronic music. There are several "arts de la rue", or street performers throughout. Finally, a site called the "Place de la famille" hosts animation and events for children.
Main Bands ( From 2010 to now )
2010: Iron Maiden, Rammstein, Rush, The Black Eyed Peas, Arcade Fire, Dream Theater, Santana, Billy Talent, Steve Winwood, Roger Hodgson.
2011: Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold, Elton John, Hollywood Undead, Dropkick Murphys, John Fogerty, Ben Harper, The Black Keys, Simple Plan.
2012: Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Skrillex, Lionel Richie, LMFAO, The Offspring, Our Lady Peace, City and Colour, Sarah McLachlan, Metric, Mastodon.
2013: Def Leppard, Guns N' Roses, Tiesto, Bruno Mars, Wu-Tang Clan, The Black Keys, Weezer, Rush, Stevie Wonder, Foreigner, Ellie Goulding.
2014: Journey, The Killers, Lady Gaga, Billy Joel, Bryan Adams, Soundgarden, Snoop Dogg, Queens Of The Stone Age, Cypress Hill, Deadmau5.
2015: The Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters, Boston, Megadeth, Jack Ü, Keith Urban, Deep Purple, The Doobie Brothers, Iggy Azalea, Milky Chance.
2016: Rammstein, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Duran Duran, Selena Gomez, The Cult, Ice Cube, Brad Paisley, The Lumineers.
2017: Metallica, Muse, P!nk, Kendrick Lamar, The Backstreet Boys, Lady Antebellum, Flume, Melissa Etheridge, Bobby Bazini, Kelsea Ballerini.