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Surveying the audience packed onto the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City as fireworks went off above Post Malone on Friday night (July 12), Louis Bellavance looked out at the crowd of more than 100,000 people and said proudly, "This tonight is the biggest show anywhere in Canada or the United States this summer."
The artistic director of Festival d'été de Québec (FEQ) was not exaggerating. While North America boasts some major festivals like Coachella and Osheaga, it's hard to argue with the sheer scope of the nightly headlining shows at FEQ. Every year, the biggest stars of multiple genres take that massive stage, look out into the audience and can't believe how many people are there to experience music together. And yet, outside of Quebec, 56 years in, FEQ remains somewhat under the radar.
This year's FEQ took place from July 4-14 and boasted headliners from 50 Cent to the Jonas Brothers, Nickelback to the Zac Brown Band. We were there for the last three nights of the festival, starting with that Post Malone show, the biggest of all 10 nights.
Post Malone is one of the most ubiquitous stars in music right now, as collaborations with artists like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Morgan Wallen keep him in the consciousness of many different genres, from hip-hop to pop to rock to (most often lately) country. The heavily tattooed singer's fluid appeal and chart saturation makes him a perfect FEQ headliner, one that will unite every kind of fan together to create that rare and fleeting communal feeling concert-goers are always searching for.
After opening sets by Canadian band Valley and rising pop/country artist Jessie Murph, the set was teed up with a crowd singalong to "Sweet Caroline," before a string section heralded Post's entrance onto the stage. He started with his 2018 hit "Better Now," with huge fireworks erupting at every chorus. Throughout the next two hours, he played hits from the Ozzy Osbourne-sampling "Take What You Want" to "Sunflower," "Congratulations" and the recent No. 1 hit "I Had Some Help."
He broke out some adorably silly dance moves and basked in the applause after every song, which seemed to take him aback. At one point, he even brought up a Quebecer from the audience named Felix, who joined him on stage to chug from a red solo cup and then strum an acoustic guitar while Post Malone crooned "Stay." After that, Felix was the talk of the festival.
Stephane Bourgeois, Courtesy FEQ
A Yearlong Strategy
While FEQ gets major artists for those mainstage performances, Bellavance says it's not only about getting the biggest acts. "All of them have a function, a role to play in what we're building," he says.
It's about finding the right types of genres and acts that resonate with the Quebec audience, which can sometimes differ from the rest of Canada and the United States, he says. R&B doesn't play as well as in other markets, nor do many English Canada rock bands. That's not to say rock doesn't go over well, though — Mötley Crue packed the mainstage on the final night, Sunday, July 14, with a crowd much more multi-generational than you might think for a band whose sound and antics peaked in the '80s.
Arkells is an example Bellavance shares. They've played arenas in Ontario, but the Hamilton band aren't as much of a draw in Quebec. So this year, FEQ slotted them before Nickelback, with the band's populist energy in front of that large crowd building momentum into what they hope will be a club show they can book in Quebec City later this year.
Bleufeu, the company behind FEQ, has two festivals and four clubs, so they build a year-long strategy. Something similar happened with Canadian artist Talk, who is from Ottawa, but started his breakout in Quebec City and is now a Canadian chart mainstay.
It's happened for American acts too, with artists like Milky Chance and Noah Kahan starting to blow up at FEQ before they reached their headlining status elsewhere, he says.
From Quebec to the World
It works for acts local to the province too, with Montreal's Charlotte Cardin playing before Peter Gabriel and Sting in 2016. "That was a turning point in her becoming one of the most iconic pop singers in Canada right now," says Samantha McKinley, Vice-President of Brand Strategy and Public Affairs at Bleufeu.
While building those huge acts on the main Bell Stage, there's also an appeal to Quebec fans. A pass for the whole festival is $150 for 10 days, which makes it one of the least expensive festivals in the U.S. and Canada, according to a study by Casino.org. That means something like one out of four people in Quebec City comes to the festival, says McKinley. "If you remove babies and prisoners, everyone is here. They grew up with this gigantic festival. They're all hooked on music and shows because of it."
The programming reflects that, with 60% of the lineup from Canada and about 50% from Quebec. Francophone favourites Karkwa and Alexandra Stréliski each got big moments on the 2024 mainstage, while acts like hip-hop group Alaclair Ensemble packed smaller stages with fans rapping along to every word in French. Around the edges, there was plenty of opportunity for music discovery, from the Tuareg desert blues of Bombino to Innu group Maten. The beautiful and historic city of Quebec City is also ripe for discovering, with shows mostly taking place at night and leaving plenty of time for walking the steep fortified streets.
Stephane Bourgeois, Courtesy FEQ
One new addition this year was Saturday night (July 13)'s all-Spanish mainstage night of J Balvin, Ivan Cornejo and GALE. FEQ has booked Latin artists before, but never as big as this. It was clear people travelled for the event, with Colombian superstar Balvin spotlighting all the flags in the front row and fans from Spanish-speaking countries around the world. Mexico, Spain, Peru, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Honduras and Colombia were all "in la casa," he said. In a sparkly suit, with multiple dancers, alien imagery on the gigantic screens, and a big pop sensibility, Balvin's set brought the energy of a big EDM set where the crowd seems propelled by the highs and lows of the music.
The most impressive thing about FEQ is its pure scope and size, especially relative to the size of Quebec City — considerably lower in population to bigger Canadian markets like Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. But it's built something that feels like its own huge ecosystem, its own world. When you see it, you get it.
