The scope of the event is truly remarkable, bringing together 750,000 visitors from around the world, more than 10,000 participants in 120 events, a 2.2-kilometer parade, and 428 CHAUVET Professional fixtures on the massive main stage and surrounding areas.
But the iconic Fierté Montréal (Montreal Pride Festival) has always been about far more than size, even though it is one of the largest pride festivals in the world. At its core, this 11-day event in Montreal’s Olympic Village revolves around a deeper meaning, based on the idea of all people living life to the fullest.
This ebullient philosophy was reflected in the theme of this year’s festival: Blossom Here, Now! It also radiated from the uplifting lighting and production design created by Gil Perron, which transformed the main stage and the sprawling site in and around Olympic Village into a visual wonderland that surprised and delighted at every turn with bold color combinations and lively scenic elements.
Working with a dedicated team that included site LD Kevin Beland Laflamme, master electrician Penelope Tremblay (assisted by Christian Mercier and Ryan Germundson), Perron artfully used his massive rig to conjure a fast-moving stream of fresh and original images that spoke to the “express yourself” theme of the event. Casting aside the familiar prohibition against using too many colors at once, he and his team dipped into the wells of their collective imagination to ring the main arena and wash the stage with a rainbow of hues.
The explosion of colors didn’t result in muddy confusion either. Perron ensured that all parts of his broad palette stood out by artfully separating them and using variously shaped set pieces to create demarcations. Larger scenic pieces weren’t merely lit at this festival; they were animated with distinctive colors rarely found in ordinary palettes. For example, a massive high-heeled shoe outside the stadium glowed against the starry night sky in a unique shade of lilac purple.
Helping to bring this inspired vision to life outside the stadium were 48 COLORado Q40 IP65-rated RGBW rectangular wash lights, whose intense output was bright enough to bring every piece they illuminated to life. Over at Pride Park, 196 COLORado Quad Par fixtures and 44 Ovation Reve E-3 IP full-spectrum fixtures ensured that vibrant colors flowed everywhere.
At the main stage, where shows were run by LD Fahed Hamammi, Perron flew his fixtures on a series of four semi-circular truss structures measuring 60, 40, 32 and 24 feet in diameter. He arranged these structures in a horseshoe configuration to “offer an open-arms visual and signify inclusion”.
The flown fixtures made it possible to create a wide variety of looks with lush washes, bold aerials, evocative light angles—and, of course, colors, colors, and more colors. They included 64 Rogue Outcast BeamWash 1 units, 48 Maverick Force 1 Spot, 16 Maverick Force 3 Profile, 11 Maverick Storm 2 Profile, 14 COLORado PXL Bar, 12 COLORado Q40 Wash, and 19 COLORado Quad Par fixtures.
The Outcast BW1 is definitely the best bang for the buck. The PXL Bar is just a fun device for so many reasons. The Q40 is so damn powerful and saturated… wow. And the Storm 2 is great as FOH, said Perron.
Beyond the fixtures in his powerful rig and the sheer size of this undertaking, there was another, more indefinable quality that made the lighting at Fierté Montréal stand out—pride. “We’re all incredibly proud of this one”, said Perron. True to the festival’s theme, he and his team channeled that pride and saw their creative energy blossom.
