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Spectacular Celebrations

Quite a show!

The poster announces that Gilles Vigneault will be performing at the Saint-Eustache church. Under the title “Vigneault,” written in blue, a black and white photograph of the church is placed next to another black and white photograph of Gilles Vigneault, smiling. In the lower left-hand corner of the page, we can see Tête de Noix, the logo of the Fêtes.

A poster for Gilles Vigneault’s show at the Fêtes du Vieux Saint-Eustache, 1974

Many shows take place during the Fêtes du Vieux Saint-Eustache, especially at the church. These days, as more and more people turn away from religion, church attendance is in decline. So, the organizers are proud to bring new life to the venue with performances by artists like Gilles Vigneault, Louise Forestier, and Félix Leclerc.

However, according to your new friends, those shows are nothing compared to the closing evening of the Fêtes, which is sometimes called the Veillée des seigneurs.

A black and white photograph of six men busy opening bottles of beer to pour it into small paper cups. In front of them is a table with dozens of cups and several cases of beer.

The beverage service at the Fêtes du Vieux Saint-Eustache, 1977

The grand finale

On the last evening, people party hard! Just buying ice cream at the corner store during the shows is a near impossibility! Beer is everywhere, from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. The guy at the corner store is said to make enough for the whole year in one night!

On the day of the famous closing event, there are stages set up all along rue Saint-Eustache. You wander from stage to stage to see who will be performing. You often have to elbow your way in to get close to the stage. In just a few hours, you manage to see Le Rêve du diable (the group your sister is obsessed with), La Bardasse, La Bottine souriante, three young folk groups, and Monsieur Pointu and Ti-Blanc Richard, two fiddlers. You’ve never seen anyone play the fiddle with a little axe or a hockey stick like Ti-Blanc Richard!

The black and white photograph shows a stage right in front of the Saint-Eustache church. On the stage, a group of musicians is rehearsing before the beginning of the Fêtes. The stage is decorated with large pieces of patterned fabric.

The stage in front of the Saint-Eustache church, 1979

 

As the performances draw to a close, you look up at the sky to take in the spectacular fireworks coming from behind the church. For you and the organizers, these fireworks mark the end of a very full week.

A photograph, edited to look like a comic strip, of a man sitting on a chair, singing into a microphone with both his arms raised. He seems to be on a stage inside a big tent. Behind him are four people standing and one person seated.

Louis Bricault, organizer of the Fêtes du Vieux Saint-Eustache, circa 1976

The last night of the Fêtes by Louis Bricault. Listen to the audio excerpt in French, the written transcription is available in English.

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