At the Pentapic Music Festival, winter and spring came together under a single lighting design. Louis-Xavier Bonneau and the Onedot team used the colour, movement and power of CHAUVET Professional fixtures to capture the contrast between the two seasons and complement the energy of the performing artists.
Pentapic is an annual music and sports event held every April at the foot of the Sommet Morin-Heights ski resort, located 83 kilometres north of Montreal. In this unique setting, the team developed a visual concept capable of blending into the snowy landscape while conveying the energy and warmth associated with the arrival of spring.
We used a rich palette of cool tones to reflect the winter atmosphere surrounding the base of the mountain. We then introduced warmer colours to evoke the arrival of spring and create a sense of seasonal transition. Yellow also played a key role in the design, as it was the event’s primary colour, explained Bonneau.
Twelve high-output CHAUVET Professional Rogue Outcast 2 Beam fixtures, supplied by FX Production, helped develop this colour narrative. Beyond their outstanding colour-rendering capabilities, the Rogue units, mounted vertically on two towers, played an essential role in giving the festival lighting its own personality, heightening the excitement and complementing the music of the various artists.
"To create dynamic and versatile looks that could adapt to the wide variety of artists performing throughout the event, we incorporated two different lighting effects into our design", said Bonneau. "We positioned the powerful Rogue Outcast 2 Beam fixtures on both sides of the stage to deliver intense visual punches and high-energy moments. By contrast, we installed a luminous box on the roof of the container to create softer lighting patterns and more immersive atmospheres whenever required".
The Rogue fixtures proved highly effective for the production. Their powerful output, IP-rated construction and overall reliability made them perfectly suited to this outdoor environment. They provided everything we needed to create impactful, high-energy looks while enabling the team to work with confidence despite the weather conditions, he continued.
Although the festival coincided with the transition into spring, winter was still very much present and posed significant challenges for the production. The snow created logistical difficulties throughout the setup, and at times equipment became stuck while being transported to the stage.
The artists also needed protection from the weather conditions. The Onedot team used a shipping container as a DJ booth to provide additional shelter and carefully monitored the use of smoke and haze.
Ultimately, the team successfully overcame the challenges of winter, allowing the audience to enjoy its invigorating atmosphere while also discovering the first signs of spring: a combination that turned the Pentapic Music Festival into a very special celebration of April.
