13th edition of the Week-ends du monde - Week-ends du monde: more of a people-gatherer than ever!

MONTRÉAL, July 6, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - The Week-ends du monde presented by Loto-Québec are back at Parc Jean-Drapeau again this year, on the weekends of July 8-9 and 15-16, from noon to 10 p.m.  Festival-goers will be enthralled by the wide array of free shows and activities celebrating Montréal's cultural diversity through dance, music and culinary discoveries.

For this 13^th edition, the Week-ends du monde are moving to Île Notre-Dame, providing festival-goers with a site that is more welcoming than ever. All the communities will be gathered together in the same place, thereby fostering the exchange and sharing of cultures. The various communities will be sharing the site over the four days of the event, and visitors will be invited to travel from stage to stage for a one-of-a-kind musical and festive world tour.  

A highly colourful weekend
The event gets underway on Saturday, July 8 with the ever-popular Jamaïca Day, where reggae music, arts and crafts, and the country's traditional cuisine will be featured. Meanwhile, Québec-Maghreb: La grande fête event invites you to come and discover the best of its three major cultures with a celebration marking the end of Ramadan. To finish the day on a high note, Ayrad and Papagroove will take the stage at 7 p.m. for an opening show that blends local and international musical influences.

The cultural celebration continues on Sunday, July 9 as the Festival cubain de Montréal and the Mexico: Union et tradition event takes to the stage. Come and experience Cuban culture through its variety of musical genres and discover the charms of the Mexican community, its unique and spicy flavours, and its folklore, through traditional dance and music performances. Sunday evening promises to be electrifying, with Normand Brathwaite and Mélissa Lavergne of the Belle et Bum show playing host to a fantastic musical celebration where many guest performers, including Elage Diouf, Boogat, Nomadic massive and Las Bandidas, will stir the passions of music lovers.

Daily at the Week-ends du monde
Flavours to discover
Every day at Place des Saveurs TV5, the epicurean visitors will be happy to taste a variety of savoury and exotic dishes. Appease your taste buds by treating them to traditional food fare, both local and from other parts of the world, and take advantage of this unique opportunity to discover an array of new flavours. 

Festive vibes
During the two weekends, festival-goers will be invited to learn the basics of Latin dances in a festive and lively setting! This year, the popular Fiesta latina has been further enhanced by the addition of two segments: the Mini fiesta, which is offering dance workshops for children, and the Fête québécoise Lafleur, which will allow audiences to rediscover Québec's traditional dances.

Have fun together
Again this year, the Week-ends du monde are presenting a family-oriented program. This weekend, BAM and Mélou will be appearing at Parc Jean-Drapeau to entertain and excite the kids in attendance. Moreover, there will be a wide range of activities for the entire family, including circus workshops, face-painting, drum workshops, basketball, an interactive sound experience and much more! 

Thank you to our partners
The Week-ends du monde presented by Loto-Québec are produced by the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau, which benefits from the financial support of the City of Montréal and Tourisme Montréal, in collaboration with Coca-Cola, Molson Coors, Breyers, Parks Canada, Lafleur, CKOI, The Beat, Journal 24 heures, Journal de Montréal, TV5 and Télé-Québec.  

"Because it's programming shares and celebrates a variety of traditions through dance, music and food, Week-ends du monde at Parc Jean-Drapeau represents perfectly Loto-Québec's mission as a provider of entertainment. We support events in the four corners of Québec, generating to important social and economic spinoffs in a number of regions and enabling festival-goers to experience a world of entertainment," stated Lucie Lamoureux, Director of Social Commitment at Loto-Québec.

The mandate of the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau is to manage, administrate, develop, protect and animate Parc Jean-Drapeau. Since the Parc is located just a few minutes from downtown Montréal, the best way to get there this summer is by using public transportation. For any information on Parc Jean-Drapeau's activities please visit the parcjeandrapeau.com.

SOURCE SOCIETE DU PARC JEAN-DRAPEAU

Véronique Caissie, Social Media and Media Relations Advisor, [email protected], 514 872-6679