A noisy – and musical – demonstration against the closure of the La Tulipe cabaret

Hundreds of people demonstrated with songs in front of the La Tulipe performance hall, to oppose its potential closure caused by a judgment from the Quebec Court of Appeal.

These defenders of Montreal nightlife and Quebec culture expressed their support for the emblematic enclosure on Papineau Avenue. The citizen initiative, nicknamed “The beautiful racket in support of La Tulipe”, came to the world on Wednesday and reached more than 5,000 people on Facebook.

A room that has seen it all

“It doesn’t make sense that this is happening,” commented Montrealer Raphaël Pépin-Tanguay, 21, known for his musical project Velours Velours. We have a room which has been there for a century, which has seen it all, which is a landmark [monument] of Montreal music and the flowering of culture.

“It shouldn’t be the start of something. We should not try to break this really important excitement in cities like this.”

The gathering, which caused the closure of Papineau Avenue between Mont-Royal and Gilford, was supervised by officers from the City of Montreal Police Service and took place without a hitch.

A landlord who doesn’t make friends

Dissatisfaction with Pierre-Yves Beaudoin, owner of the adjacent building and responsible for the numerous noise complaints having placed La Tulipe in this precarious position, also mixed with the festive atmosphere of the gathering.

“It angers me that a single person is capable of closing down Quebec culture,” defended Plateau native André-Philippe Duchamp, 66 years old. They should have acted before, both Mayor Rabouin and Mayor Plante. It’s a sensitive issue.”

Let’s recall the facts: Pierre-Yves Beaudoin got his hands on the neighboring La Tulipe building in 2016 and received authorization to convert it into a residential building. An administrative error is responsible for the granting of this permit, admitted the mayor of Plateau-Mont-Royal, Luc Rabouin.

Since then, the owner, a well-heeled real estate investor, has submitted no fewer than 20 noise complaints against the performance hall, relying on the City’s anti-noise regulations. In 2023, the Superior Court forced La Tulipe to begin soundproofing work. The most recent judgment of the Court of Appeal, which prevents the room from making a perceptible noise in the neighboring premises, could prove to be the final nail in the coffin of La Tulipe.

A “tsunami” of closures?

This decision shocked many, since it could harm other performance halls in Plateau-Mont-Royal and, by extension, the rest of Montreal.

“If we let an owner do this, we open the door to a tsunami,” said 73-year-old Laval resident Francine Metthé. We want to keep our heritage. We’re not at the edge of the forest, it doesn’t look good.”

In order to protect the Plateau’s nightlife, Luc Rabouin announced that bars, restaurants and performance halls would be exempt from article 9.1 of the municipal by-law against noise, cited in the judgment. We do not know, for the moment, if this measure will be sufficient to save the fate of La Tulipe.