Hey, Quebec’s Having Birthday!
This year Quebec City is celebrating its 400th birthday which, for North America, is an amazing hallmark. Jamestown, in Virginia, was settled earlier but hung on by its fingernails for years while the French administered Quebec into a thriving community from the get-go.
The organizers of celebrations rely on getting the word out to draw people. This accomplished by offering events, both spectacular and introspective, which will make the people glad they came. In Quebec’s case it was the big outdoor Urban Opera, a $6.3 million show which would go from July 3-6. As well, the event was counting on Pope Benedict XVI to come and celebrate the first North American Catholic settlement north of Florida.
However, the Pope must have better things to do because he turned down the offer. And now the Urban Opera has been canceled. It seems that the Quebec 400th anniversary society have realized that very few people had the expertise to carry out the event and that it was “almost impossible” to go ahead for technical and logistical reasons. The international profile has already been hampered by the fact that the Queen — Canada’s head of state — won’t attend the festivities since she was apparently not invited by the Canadian government.
Nevertheless, Quebec City is such a beautiful place that any celebration will will draw crowds. The Winter Carnival is proof of that.
So put Quebec in your plans for this summer. From Halifax it’s a leisurely 2-day drive.
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