Quebec kicks off Fête nationale celebrations

A person wears miniature Quebec flags on a hat during a Fête Nationale event in Trois-Rivières, Que., Monday, June 24, 2024. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

Culture and Communications Minister Mathieu Lacombe kicked off the Fête nationale celebrations on Thursday.

Organizers promise powerful, unifying, and pride-inspiring moments.

Bianca Gervais and Sébastien Diaz will act as national co-spokespersons. Well-known figures in Quebec’s cultural community, the couple will share their passion and love for Quebec.

“The Fête nationale is the perfect opportunity to showcase our culture, our language, our music, our artists, everything that unites us. It’s an inclusive celebration that takes place across Quebec. It’s a gathering on June 23 and 24 to celebrate our nation together,” Lacombe said in a news release.

For the first time, and every year thereafter, the Fête nationale will commemorate a specific event. This year will be an opportunity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first public performance of the iconic song “Gens du pays,” written by Gilles Vigneault and composed in collaboration with Gaston Rochon.

“This love song for Quebecers has spanned generations, inspired gatherings, and warmed hearts,” and it “will be honoured throughout this year’s celebrations,” the news release states.

Comité de la Fête nationale du Québec in Montreal president Marie-Anne Alepin emphasized that “this is the ideal time to celebrate our love for Quebec, the true beating heart of French America.”

“Through the festivities we are offering you, we are proudly affirming, more than ever, the modernity, dynamism, creativity, and uniqueness of our nation, always open to the world. Join us in this celebration. It embodies who we are,” she added.

The Fête nationale now has a new visual identity, which will be updated annually. A Quebec illustrator will have the opportunity to add their artistic signature to the event’s official poster. For 2025, Jérôme Mireault has been chosen to imagine the visual universe of this major celebration.

In addition to the grand spectacle on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City, the parade and the grand show at Maisonneuve Park in Montreal, the 17 regional representatives of the Fête nationale have their own programming.

In Laval, the celebrations will take place on June 23 at the Centre de la nature. The evening will begin at 7 p.m. with a performance by DJ Montana. As for the big show in Laval, it will begin around 8:30 p.m. and feature Côeur de Pirate, Bruno Pelletier, FouKi, Sara Dufour, Muzion, Vulgaires Machins, Zaho, Rau_ze, and Kat Pereira. It will conclude with a performance by the Urban Science Brass Band.

The patriotic lyrics will be written and performed by Florence Longpré, Elkahna Talbi, and Ines Talbi.

“The City of Laval is proud to offer its citizens a major festive and unifying event, in a spirit of community and celebration,” said Mayor Stéphane Boyer. “The Fête nationale is a precious opportunity to celebrate our history, our culture, and our Quebec identity. It is also a powerful moment when music, our artists, and our creators bring us together and nourish our sense of pride. Through their words and melodies, they bring to life who we are, what we share.”

Events planned in other regions will be announced in the coming weeks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 15, 2025.