Igloofest goes Nordik for Montréal’s 375th

There may not be any actual igloos, per se, but the same concepts of warmth and community under one roof are still two of the big drivers behind Montréal’s annual Igloofest outdoor dance party. And this year, as part of the wintry Hivernales portion of the city’s year-long 375^th birthday party, Igloofest is far more than simply a celebration of the best that electronic music has to offer: it’s an expanded, family-friendly festival for all. With a beat.

Over the course of six (up from four) weekends this year – January 12 to February 19 – dance enthusiasts by the tens of thousands will warm themselves to the sound of leading edge electro while immersed in Igloofest’s magical multimedia environment. Custom-designed stages, as well as immersive video and laser light displays, are all diamonds in a setting that’s equally spectacular in its own right: the Jacques-Cartier Quay in the picturesque Old Port of Montréal, in the glow of Old Montréal.

As mentioned, Igloofest falls under the umbrella of Hivernales, which runs from January 6 to March 11. It’s a blanket term covering numerous events, from the opening Barbegazi Winter Action Sports Festival to the Classique Montréalaise pond hockey tournament; from the Montréal en Lumière arts and culture festival to the Fêtes des Neiges outdoor winter fun fest and much, much more. And this year, Igloofest is all about the much more as well as they take on a Nordik theme.

“Of course, there will be the main Igloofest event, 12 nights over four weekends, but for the city’s 375^th anniversary we wanted to go a bit further and become a bit more accessible,” says Igloofest co-founder and executive producer Nicolas Cournoyer. “We wanted to get more people involved, and different kinds of people.”

T’as l’goût de revoler un peu? Va glisser dans la SUPER-GLISSE @videotron mobile. #iglootips

Une vidéo publiée par Igloofest (@igloofest_mtl) le 29 Janv. 2016 à 19h22 PST

Like families and kids, specifically, and what better way than installing a giant winter slide in Place Jacques-Cartier. The Nordik Chute will hearken back to those very first toboggan chutes at the original winter festivals over a century ago, albeit with an Igloofest twist. The slide will be open Thursday through Sunday over the six weeks. Then there’s the Nordik Village, an interactive circuit created by Montréal designers presenting different visions of winter dwellings. And Igloofest’s first-ever Nordik Games will roll out over the fest’s final two weekends (February 11 and 18). The tongue-in-cheek Games – featuring the “Christmas Tree Toss,” “Dig Out Your Car” and “Build Your Tempo,” for example – are a humorous nod to winter living in Montréal.

“We wanted to have something really fun that the whole family could do,” says Cournoyer. “People will see things that they’d normally see in winter in Montréal, but in a funny way.”

And as always, an expansive programme of top-tier local and international DJs working the entire spectrum of electronic music creation, from genre pioneers to new generation ground breakers, will be on hand to satisfy whatever the party heart desires. Among those will be a pair of DJ legends: British house heavy hitter Carl Cox (January 13), and France’s Laurent Garnier (January 27).

“Personally, I’m really looking forward to January 20, which is a tag team set between Josh Wink and Steve Bug – it will be really happy, dancey, groovy music,” enthuses Cournoyer.

For folks who like their techno on the harder side of turntable, look for German tech-house DJ Chris Liebing on January 21 and “The Baron of Techno,” the U.K’s Dave Clarke, who will play on the final night, February 4. Also of note on that final weekend, “for younger kids who like the loud stuff,” is the Kannibalen Records evening with Snails and Apashe. And finally, to wrap things up in the mass party style to which we’ve become accustomed, Igloofest will be throwing two huge outdoor dance parties, on February 11 and 18, and both are free and open to the public.

Up next:Barbegazi kicks off the outdoor winter action for Montréal’s 375th