When France and Portugal face off Sunday in the European Championship final, there will be a subtle streak of Canadian talent involved. Circo de Bakuza, a Montreal-based production company, is responsible for pulling together the Euro 2016 pre-game show, a massive feat that features acclaimed French DJ David Guetta, Swedish singer Zara Larsson and an estimated 3,000 volunteers. The Canadian organizers say they’re well aware of the high stakes involved in the internationally-televised event, and they’re up for the challenge. “We are thinking about 400 million people (will be) watching the opening ceremony, so it's a great showcase of our work and our talent,” said Vincent Drolet, president and partner of Circo de Bakuza. Circo de Bakuza is no stranger to pressure. Since winning the contract for the Euro Cup last year, the company spent thousands of hours organizing an estimated 50 pre-game shows for each match during the tournament. But organizers admit that Sunday’s final will be especially tough to pull off. “There is a match right after, so we have to make sure that we leave the pitch in a pristine condition,” Drolet said. The match will be held at the Stade de France, a stadium in Paris capable of seating approximately 80,000 spectators. The stadium made headlines during the Paris attacks in November 2015 after three suicide bombers detonated explosive belts outside during a game. One other person in the vicinity was killed in the explosion. Despite memories of the recent tragedy, Jean-Francois Martins of the City of Paris says fans have flocked to the venue. “It has been tough, obviously… (but) the Parisians themselves have a very good reaction,” said Martins. After the Euro Cup finals, Circo de Bakuza has plenty of future gigs in the works. The production company is responsible for an upcoming ceremony commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Montreal Olympics, and Drolet has publicly announced his interest in scoring the contract for the 2024 Summer Olympics. With a report from CTV Montreal Bureau Chief Genevieve Beauchemin
