Finally! Here is phase 2 of the project Enter the historypresented by Desjardins: Parallel village! The Village Québécois d’Antan, in collaboration with Moment Factory, unveiled its brand new tourist experience for the summer season which officially began on June 26, 2024, just like the daytime experience. Being recognized as a Quebec flagship and considered the tourist locomotive in Centre-du-Québec, the organization wanted to add several new features to its offer.
Parallel village: A strangely offbeat immersive evening
This summer, the Village Québécois d’Antan in Drummondville is kicking off the Parallel village : a brand new immersive evening created in collaboration with Moment Factory, to be experienced at night and with friends. While the time machine is disrupted and reveals astonishing parallel dimensions, visitors will discover the places, both inside and out, and the past in a way that is as surprising as it is improbable. Through a multimedia scenography integrating light installations, video projections and original soundtracks, they will be transported into an offbeat universe where history is transformed, deformed, and switches from reality to surreal. And to make the pleasure last, they will be able to enjoy drinks and bites, thus taking advantage of the novelties that the village offers in night mode.
« We look forward to inviting tourists and locals to (re)discover the village from a quirky and festive angle this summer. It is with pleasure that we are collaborating with the Village Québécois d’Antan for a second year, this time offering an evening experience, in the form of a stroll. Moment Factory has extensive expertise in creating immersive nighttime experiences and showcasing natural or heritage sites. Village Parallèle is part of this lineage.» François Morel, producer at Moment Factory.
A new gourmet offer available day and evening
Wishing to offer an enhanced, more friendly and colorful food offering, several new items have been added to the menus of the Village’s various points of sale. Developed in collaboration with Nicolas Camirand, a well-known restaurateur in the region, the classics of yesteryear have become popular! Available day and night, you can enjoy, among other things, crazy popcorn, surreal chips, quirky donuts, multidimensional slushes, unusual lemonades and a host of new products, in addition to the great classics. In the evening, to make the most of your evening with friends, a variety of drinks is available!
A new direction and new characters by Benoît Laroche
It’s officially the return of the characters to the wonderful houses! From the hat maker, to the Village patentmaster, including the photographer’s house, the switchboard operator, the lamp operator and the post office, if you missed it last year, now is the time to come and visit! Once again this summer, the Village comes to life with a new staging by Benoît Laroche: “ Come discover our brand new story, that of the election of a mayor for our Village. Come and meet these new characters who will share their stories, their chatter and their tales from the Village enhanced with a brand new sound environment. » mentions the director.
When it’s hot, we cool off at the Village!
By popular demand, the La Bassine water feature is making a comeback! For the pleasure of young and old, visitors will once again be able to cool off at the water point on hot summer days. This addition follows that of the misters, strategically placed in the Village, as well as the various points of sale which now offer more frozen products in order to maximize the visitor experience on very hot days.
The involvement of major partners
For the realization of the project Make history, the Village Québécois d’Antan is proud to count on the involvement of various partners – thus totaling an investment of more than 10.5 million dollars. “ The Village administrators and team would like to thank the partners who made this major project a reality, namely the Government of Canada and Canada Economic Development under the Tourism Assistance Fund, the Ministry of Tourism of the Government of Quebec under the Tourism Recovery Assistance Program, the City of Drummondville and Desjardins. » underlines Jean-Mathieu Sigouin, president of the Village Québécois d’Antan.
Yves Grondin, deputy mayor of the City of Drummondville and municipal councilor for district 8 also underlines the importance of the Village in the tourist environment for the region: “ Drummondville is a city known for its economic development, of course, but let’s not forget that among the first letters of nobility of our city’s reputation, there is also the influence of its artistic, cultural and tourist universe. Whether it is the Village Québécois d’Antan, the Mondial des cultures, the Légendes Fantastiques, its many festivals and events, Drummondville is a place historically recognized for its entertaining attractions. The investments made for this project today, and the partnership with Moment Factory, are the continuation of a new impetus given to the VQA to propel even higher the number one tourist attraction in the Centre-du-Québec. The City of Drummondville is a proud partner of this renewal, and we will continue our involvement to ensure the best benefits for our community.»
Following the success of the 2023 summer season, Paul Gagné, General Manager of Caisse Desjardins de Drummondville, shares with us the pride of the organization: “Concretely seeing the impact of the $1 million financial contribution granted by Desjardins to the Village Québécois d’Antan to maintain the recreational and tourism vitality of the Centre-du-Québec region is a source of great pride for our organization. It is important for Desjardins to support this project, which aims to improve the customer experience by adding new technologies at the cutting edge of trends in the tourism industry. We invite our entire community to come and experience the Parallel Village this summer. »
« A big thank you to all the employees and the many stakeholders who made these wonderful projects possible! Everyone’s effort is well worth it and we have reason to be proud of our Village. We are more than ready to welcome visitors! We are excited to see you again on June 26 for the grand opening of the summer season. » mentions Geneviève Legault, general director of the Village Québécois d’Antan.
Open during the day from Wednesday to Sunday and in the evening from Wednesday to Saturday, you can take advantage of the summer to come and visit the Village twice rather than once…and even several times! For more information, visit our website: https://villagequebecois.com
Photo credit: Le Village d’Antan de Drummondville
