Plaza St-Hubert celebrates its 50 years with a parade under the stars

The annual Défilé des rêves for families begins at 7:00 pm

MONTREAL, Nov. 23 /CNW Telbec/ - As part of the festivities surrounding the traditional Défilé des rêves, Plaza St-Hubert is offering a grand outdoor fairytale experience to the delight of all! Plaza St-Hubert's Société de développement commercial (SDC) invites all families to come and marvel at the arrival of the real Santa Claus, and other well-known characters beloved by both children and adults.

The Défilé des rêves will get underway at 7:00 pm on Friday, November 26 at the intersection of Bellechasse and Jean-Talon Streets. Several floats, as well as a lively parade, are featured in the line-up of activities on St-Hubert Street. Everyone is welcome to join in the fun, tap their toes to the beat of folk music, and offer a hearty welcome to Santa Claus and his entourage of colourful superheroes.

"Plaza St-Hubert's 50^th anniversary is an excellent occasion to revisit the traditional parade, while maintaining its magic and fairytale quality, and we are convinced that our Défilé des rêves will be an enormous success," explains Mike Parent, Director General of the SDC. 

Always innovating even after 50 years

The parade will be broadcast live on USTREAM.

For the first time, the Plaza, in partnership with Lozeau (an 80-year-old business on St-Hubert Street), will present exclusive live coverage of the annual Défilé des rêves on the Ustream website. Anyone who can't attend the parade in person can still experience all the magic and excitement at: www.ustream.tv/channel/defile-des-reves.

Chasseurs de rêves

Children won't want to miss the birds, conceived by the company Chasseurs de rêves, these large, vibrantly coloured, multi-talented puppets will bring the Plaza to life in this exclusive Montreal premiere. Warmly welcomed by crowds last summer as part of Cirque de Soleil activities, these impressive birds will have children dreaming and singing along to the music.

Festivities every weekend in December

Plaza St-Hubert business owners are offering weekend activities and entertainment from noon to 4:00 pm, November 27 to December 19. Plaza clients are invited to hop on board and take a sleigh ride with Santa Claus and the Dream Fairy! Sleigh rides are free; voluntary contributions will be accepted on behalf of The Children's Wish Foundation, proud benevolent partner of the Plaza.

For more information about Plaza St-Hubert's Défilé des rêves and holiday activities, please visit: www.maplaza.ca.

About Caisse Desjardins de Lorimier, Official Presenter

Official presenter of the Défilé des rêves, Caisse Desjardins De Lorimier is the major financial partner of Plaza St-Hubert's SDC. Their social and cooperative orientation perfectly complements the mission of the SDC; the Caisse wants to make this anniversary parade a unifying and inspiring event. Caisse Desjardins De Lorimier's mission is to provide its members with quality financial services that meet the needs of all of its customers. The Caisse is a cooperative group that is solidly rooted in the community and dedicated to social development. Listening to its community members and partners, the Caisse solidly supports initiatives to increase the collective well being and autonomy of all parties. It also supports and promotes cooperative education.

About the Children's Wish Foundation, Beneficiary Partner

Plaza St-Hubert's SDC will continue to support the Children's Wish Foundation during the annual Défilé des rêves and month-long festivities. To raise awareness about how important wishes are in providing hope and help to heal sick children, the Wish Foundation cause will be front row centre throughout the course of this fabulous family celebration.

Created in 1984, the Children's Wish Foundation is dedicated to fulfilling the wishes of children suffering from high-risk, life-threatening illnesses. The goal of the Foundation is to never refuse a wish from an eligible child. Since its inception, the Foundation has fulfilled more than 16,000 wishes across Canada and nearly 5,000 in Quebec alone!

These two organisations have collaborated for three years, during which time several Plaza merchants have played their part in fulfilling many children's wishes.

About Plaza St-Hubert and the SDC

Plaza St-Hubert is a major commercial artery in the City of Montreal, comprising nearly 400 businesses between Bellechasse and Jean-Talon Streets. The mission of Plaza St-Hubert's SDC (Société de Développement Commercial) is to promote and raise the profile of commercial development on St-Hubert Street. The Corporation strives to make the impossible possible in order to foster business success, defend the interests, and meet the needs of its merchants. Above all, the SDC reinforces the vital role of the street in terms of cultural, social and sustainable commercial development, and seeks to promote a feeling of belonging and pride among merchants, residents and clients.

For further information:

Information:
Roland Mailhot
Phone: [phone]
Email: r[email protected]

Source: SDC Plaza St-Hubert