A first performing arts festival for children in Quebec

For the first time, the Grand Théâtre de Québec will present, on February 23, the Big Bang festival, which is aimed at young children.

The Big Bang Festival is an event that integrates adventurous artists and sound installations in a day of activities dedicated to families. The concept was born 20 years ago in Belgium and quickly spread to the four corners of Europe. Ottawa, Vancouver and Sao Paolo were added, as well as Quebec in 2023.

It was the company Les Incomplètes which had the idea of ​​creating a branch in Quebec by presenting a first edition two years ago as part of Printemps de la musique. Laurence P. Lafaille, the instigator of the project, explains that it was a dream to create a performing arts festival aimed at young audiences. She saw a first Big Bang in Brussels and she fell in love with it.

This year, the Grand Théâtre de Québec decided to partner with the company specializing in creation and production for young audiences in order to become the host of the event. They presented the concept to me, and I loved it and joinedimmediately says the director of programming, Christian Noël.

I had a very, very careful thought before saying yes, that is to say 34 seconds, because it is right in the axis of development that I wish to bring since my arrival at the Grand Théâtre to the programming , is to make a place for the family in the institution that is the Grand Théâtre.

The Big Bang festival is a day dedicated to musical activities. Fun shows, musical boxes, interactive stories, brass band, dance, DJsound sculptures are part of the offer during this day where the cultural establishment will be occupied from all sides. Christian Noël explains that there will be no conventional shows in theaters, with the exception of the Telus studio. The idea is that families will storm the Grand Théâtre to make it their own. The activities therefore take place in rather unusual places.

There will be performances in foyers, in the entrance hall, in artists’ dressing rooms, in rehearsal rooms and even in places like the freight elevator or the conservatory library. Where people don’t usually go.

Activities take place all day and sometimes simultaneously. Among the 17 activities offered this year, around ten are free.

There is a way to spend the day at the Grand Théâtrerejoices the programming director, who has sought, since his arrival at the Grand Théâtre, to attract young audiences. Last year, I had already started a first season of shows in the family series with around thirty performances. This is a first, there was none at the Grand Théâtre historically. And there, the Big Bang is like the logical continuation of that, with a fabulous angle.

The Big Bang festival takes place on February 23 at the Grand Théâtre. The full program is available online (New window).