MONTREAL, July 17, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - The Fête des enfants de Montréal is back at Parc Jean-Drapeau on July 19-20, and this year's theme is Come and get moving as an array of free activities and shows are in store for children aged 12 and under and their families. This year, the Fête des enfants de Montréal is taking on a sporting tone with several new features that are sure to delight people of all ages.
"The Fête des enfants de Montréal is an event that contributes to the family character of Parc Jean-Drapeau and Montreal," stated Daniel Blier, Executive Director of the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau."Over the course of this one weekend, the Parc turns into an immense playground for thousands of youngsters who will be able to enjoy a diversified program to get active, to learn and to be entertained. And it's all happening on this magnificent site situated in the heart of the Saint Lawrence River."
"The Fête des enfants de Montréal was first presented in 1999 with the aim of encouraging intercultural exchange and making it easier for families of different backgrounds in the various cultural communities to integrate into the daily life of Montréal, in a festive setting. I invite the children and their families to come out in full force to get moving, mosey around the site and have fun with us on July 19 and 20 at Parc Jean-Drapeau," said Mary Deros, associate adviser to the Mayor of Montréal and city councillor for the Parc-Extension district.
Sports activities and discoveries
The Fête des enfants de Montréal is an event featuring such classics as the Zone Gonflée à bloc, an area where children can enjoy a host of inflatable structures or the Zone Découverte, a discovery zone consisting of such popular activities as an origami workshop, Chinese calligraphy or a fun-filled piñata game.
For children who are more acrobatically inclined, the Zone Haute voltige, the hire-wire zone, not only offers performances by Cirque Carpe Diem but tryouts on the flying trapeze, as well. And the popular Zip-line is back with a smooth ride on descent cables over a span of 60 feet.
The Zone Grands champions and Zone Coup de circuit are two other sports-oriented areas doing their part to get children moving. This section includes introductory workshops with the Montréal Impact's official soccer schools, the WIXX Outdoor Challenge, which consists of a course that has 12 obstacles, the climbing tower, an introduction to rhythmic gymnastics, the playground which is being turned into an animation centre of multi-sports disciplines, an introduction to tennis on courts adapted for children, introductory workshops for water polo and synchronized swimming, as well as katag, a lively game featuring foam swords, and special meetings with Canadian Olympic athletes.
The Zone des Petits explorateurs, an area specially designed for young explorers, includes the World Financial Group make-up factory, inflatable structures, a merry-go-round, circus workshop and Olympiades.
And when it's time for a cultural break, the Biosphere, Environment Museum and the Stewart Museum are two interesting places to visit.
Free shows
This year the main stage is playing host to many shows that will put a smile on young people's faces. It all begins on Saturday, July 19, with the appearance by the dynamic clown Atchoum, followed by a series of songs and choreography from the wonderful world of fairy tales, with L'aventure magique. A bit later, Marie-Martine and her interactive show will take to the stage, followed by those two likeable heroes, Églantine et le capitaine Pompidou.
Then on Sunday, July 20, the spotlight is on Télé-Québec characters, including Thomas the locomotive, Toc Toc Toc, the Argonautes and the host of the Génial quiz game, Martin Carli, who will fascinate families with some surprising experiments.
The Fête des enfants de Montréal is produced through the participation of our many partners: the City of Montréal, World Financial Group, Minute Maid, WIXX, Société du patrimoine d'expression du Québec, SAMAJAM, CKOI, Rythme FM, The Beat 92.5, Cogeco Métromédia, 24 Heures, Le Journal de Montréal and Télé-Québec.
The mandate of the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau is to manage, administrate, develop, preserve and animate Parc Jean-Drapeau. For any information on these two events and on activities at Parc Jean-Drapeau, please go to the website: parcjeandrapeau.com.
SOURCE: PARC JEAN-DRAPEAU
Martine Venne
Société du parc Jean-Drapeau
514 872-6679 or [email protected]
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