/R E P E A T -- Week-ends du monde - Parc Jean-Drapeau hums to the beat of dance, music and culinary discoveries!/

MONTREAL, June 29, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Week-ends du monde presented by Loto-Québec are back at Parc Jean-Drapeau, from 2 to 11 p.m. on the weekends of July 4-5 and 11-12. This free event, which celebrates Montréal's cultural diversity, is a people-gathering activity featuring dance, music and culinary discoveries. Starting this Saturday, visitors will be treated to a diverse program and they are invited to attend an opening night activities, which brings together the cream of Montréal's electronic music artists, in collaboration with Mundial Montréal.

"Parc Jean-Drapeau has gained an outstanding reputation for the quality of its outdoor cultural program, and the Week-ends du monde event is a fine example of such excellence," said François Cartier, the Marketing and Communications Director for the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau. "Over the last two years, this event has attracted close to 400,000 festival-goers who have a wide array of activities to choose from in terms of a musical and food experience."

An opening weekend that boasts a diversified program
The event gets underway on Saturday to the beat of the rumba, with a newcomer to the program - the Venezuelan Festival - and, on an adjacent stage, the Festival Fuzion latine de Montréal, in which every Latin music style is featured. The ever-popular Jamaica Day is back this year, welcoming artists of its musical genre, while the free version of Piknic Électronik delivers its heady blend of African and reggae music. Then, in the evening, the opening show ushers in the 11^th edition of the event with the tropical sounds of songwriter-composer-singer Samito, the singer-composer-vocalist Valérie Daure, star of Québec's francophone hip-hop scene, Poirier Sound System original beats of the Caribbean with Face-T and Fwonte, and to finish with a flourish, a wildly eclectic performance in sound by Kid Koala with his high-energy Vinyl Vaudeville show.

The next day, Sunday July 5, the Dominican Festival sets up at the Parc with its wide range of musical styles, everything from merengue to salsa and reggae. Also returning in 2015 is the popular Eurofest: European cultures in Montréal welcome local artists. Meanwhile, artists from Montréal's alternative music scene provide the entertainment on Sunday evening, as Colectivo, 10 musicians who perform festive and high-powered music, take to the stage. They will be followed by the Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra and their gypsy fanfare music from Eastern Europe. Everything is set for an evening to have a blast!

Family segment
New to Week-ends du monde this year is a segment of the program specifically intended for children. Starting this weekend, Arthur L'Aventurier and Krystine arrive at Parc Jean-Drapeau with their highly entertaining show. There is a wealth of other things to do, including the Breyers make-up zone, inflatable games, parades, dance workshops, participation activities and a wide variety of entertainment.

A winning formula
Daily during the four days of the event, the various communities will be sharing the main stages set up on the site, and the public is invited to rove from stage to stage at their leisure. There will also be performances on satellite stages all day long.

As a partner in Québec's entertainment industry, Loto-Québec supports events that generate social and economic spin-offs for the community via its sponsorship program. "Thanks to partners like Week-ends du monde at Parc Jean-Drapeau, we are able to play a role in bringing people together throughout the province of Québec," said Lucie Lamoureux, Director of Social Commitment at Loto-Québec.

Every day at Week-ends du monde
Every day, Week-ends du monde has culinary discoveries to offer. Head over to Place des Saveurs where visitors can taste food fare that is varied, unique and original. Other activities for festival-goers during the two weekends include percussion instrument workshops with the SAMAJAM school or dance lessons with San Tropez dance school. At last, a colourful collection of characters will be providing entertainment on the trails that run along the site.

Week-ends du monde presented by Loto-Québec are produced by the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau in collaboration with Ville de Montréal, Coca-Cola, Molson Canadian, Breyers, Énergie, Virgin Radio, Rouge-FM, Métromédia, Journal 24 heures and the Journal de Montréal.

The mandate of the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau is to manage, administrate, develop, protect and animate Parc Jean-Drapeau. For any information on Parc Jean-Drapeau's activities, please go to the website: parcjeandrapeau.com.

SOURCE SOCIETE DU PARC JEAN-DRAPEAU

or to set up an interview with artist Valérie Daure: Martine Venne, Société du parc Jean-Drapeau, 514-872-6679 or [email protected]