Montréal’s Digital Spring 2015: 1 season, 90 organizations, 150 happenings

Spring in Montréal is always amazing, but this spring in Montréal promises to be particularly awesome because digital fever will be sweeping the city with the second edition of Digital Spring (known locally as Printemps numérique). But aside from the 100,000 participants who enjoyed the fun of the first edition, everyone is probably scratching their heads, wondering: “Digital Spring? What is that?”

From March 21 to June 21, Digital Spring showcases and celebrates the capital of the digital arts in North America, a.k.a. our cutting-edge city of Montréal. Organized by the Conférence régionale des élus (CRÉ) (in English: regional conference of elected officials) in partnership with organizations from creative milieus or those interested in digital arts, Digital Springs showcases the organizations, artists and projects from the wide world of digital to the general public.

So, what’s on the menu? Digital newbies and mavens alike will have the chance to enjoy interactive spaces, visual and audio performances, immersive experiences, 3D productions, cutting-edge electronic music, vernissages and world-class events. Where’s it all happening? City-wide. You can check out Digital Spring anywhere from the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium to the ELEKTRA 16 Digital Arts Festival to Piknic Électronik to the International Symposium on Immersion and Experience. There’s a LOT going on, everywhere.

The first edition was a huge hit, and proved to be a veritable showcase for digital arts. “We were thrilled by the quantity and quality of the events. It showed just how incredibly creative Montréal is,” says Marie-Claire Dumas, CEO of the CRÉ de Montréal. “Between March 21 and June 21 last year, the city was absolutely buzzing: on some days alone, participants could choose from as many as five different activities. There is real energy powering this movement. We’re just starting to discover people, encourage networking and highlight new initiatives. Digital Spring 2015 is going to be very exciting!”

A Digital Spring of renewal and illumination

This second edition will showcase, light, and will tie in with UNESCO’s International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies.

And this being Montréal, participants can rejoice in the knowledge that many activities are free. Starting March 21, you can go to printempsnumerique.info for all the programming details. Happy digital discoveries!