Quebec City's 400th anniversary, celebrated in 2008, commemorated the founding of Quebec City in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain. Quebec City is the oldest francophone city in North America. Along with Acadia, the city represents the birthplace of French America.
La Société du 400e de Québec, the organization responsible for planning the festivities, was chaired by Daniel Gélinas.
Together, municipal, provincial and federal levels of the Canadian government invested approximately $155 million in the events and infrastructure created for the celebration.
Celebrations took place all over the world. In Canada: Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Regina, Toronto, Ottawa, Gatineau, Montreal, Fredericton, Halifax, Charlottetown, St. John's, Whitehorse, Yellowknife, and Iqaluit; in the United States: Washington, Jamestown, New York, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Lafayette, and Miami; in Argentina: Cordoba, in France: Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Reims, La Rochelle, and Brouage (the birthplace of Samuel de Champlain); in Belgium: the Flemish Region, Brussels, Wallonia, and Namur; in Italy: Turin, Rome, and Milan; in the United Kingdom: London.
History In 1908, Quebec City celebrated its 300th anniversary at a magnitude never before seen in the city. The Prince of Wales, the future King George V, attended the celebrations, which were mainly focussed on the city's military history. One of the lasting legacies was the creation of The Battlefields Park in the heart of the city. The site, approximately , includes the Plains of Abraham, the Martello Towers and the Parc des Braves.
On December 1, 1998, after Quebec's second unsuccessful bid to host the Winter Olympics (for the 2002 and 2010 Games), the mayor of Quebec City, Jean-Paul L'Allier, suggested turning the city's efforts towards organizing a celebration in 2008 for the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City.
Organization of the celebrations
The Société du 400e anniversaire de Québec (SAAQ) was a non-profit organization responsible for planning the festivities and events during the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City. Their mission included organizing and promoting events and activities, working with other groups and encouraging contributions to and raising funds for the project. Preparations for the celebration began in 2000, when the organization was formed. Locals from Quebec City and regional organizations were invited to a town hall in 2001 to welcome proposals for the celebrations. Between its creation and the end of January 2008, 11 directors left or were dismissed from the organization. On January 2, 2008, Daniel Gélinas, the head of the Quebec City Summer Festival, became the president and chief executive officer of the Société du 400e. After his appointment, many officials were dismissed as part of an organizational restructuring.
A total of 185 full-time employees were hired to cover planning and operational activities leading up to and during the event. They were overseen by a board of directors, as well as four commissioners from the three levels of government and the First Nations community. Approximately 1,500 volunteers devoted nearly 52,000 hours to helping the festivities run smoothly.
Major provincial institutions also created their own programming for the occasion. The Museum of Civilization (now the Canadian Museum of History), the Musée National Des Beaux-Arts du Québec, the Opéra de Québec, and the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec celebrated the 400th anniversary of the city through themed history, art and/or music. Over 2 million visitors participated in the various activities and shows that were offered.
Funding All three levels of government contributed funding for the events and new infrastructure planned for the celebrations. $140 million was spent on infrastructure: construction of the Promenade Samuel-de-Champlain, creation of Espace 400e and redevelopment of Bassin Brown, Pointe-à-Carcy and Baie de Beauport. Another $65 million went to the Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport to expand its terminal to better accommodate the visitors expected for the celebrations. The Société du 400e received $85 million to organize the festivities: $40 million from the Government of Canada, $40 million from the province of Quebec and $5 million from Quebec City.
Of the $40 million given to the Société by the federal government, $10 million was dedicated to promoting the festival; $9 million was allotted for the development of Espace 400e; $6.6 million to fund the festival from July 3–6 during the actual anniversary; $2.8 million was devoted to fund francophone activities; $2.6 million to create the Moulin à Images (Image Mill); $2.5 million for the opening show Coup d'envoi (The Kick-Off) on December 31, 2007; $1 million for the show Le Chemin qui marche (The Walking Road), and another $1 million for other shows.
The organization had a goal of generating $5 million in revenue through sponsorships, on-site concession and ticket sales, and the sales of official merchandise including food, clothing, household objects, dishes, books, and DVDs. In the end, the Société raised $21 million, most of which was used to add more concerts to the festival schedule and extend the celebrations from the original closing date of October 2008 until the end of the year. Despite receiving money from both provincial and federal levels of government the Société refused to finance Canada Day or Saint-Jean-Baptiste Daycelebrations as part of the 400th anniversary.
Development and preparation Just as The Battlefields Park was created for the 300th anniversary of Quebec City, several major construction projects were undertaken for the 400th anniversary celebrations.
Baie de Beauport: Full redevelopment to create a year-round recreational site. The size of the beach was doubled and buildings, sports fields, and pedestrian and cycling paths were added to the site. An effort was made to preserve the natural habitat and provide protected areas for birds. Estimated to cost $19.3 million, the work was completed in the summer of 2008 and paid for by the Government of Canada. Bassin Brown: $7.1 million site redevelopment to create an Interpretation Centre and new lookout points with views of the Saint Lawrence River and the city skyline. The site, where British soldiers landed in 1759 during the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, was given back to Quebec City by the Port of Quebec authority, in honour of the city's 400th anniversary. A pedestrian walkway links Bassin Brown with the Upper Town of Old Quebec City. Îlot des Palais: $9 million renovation project to build a courtyard and a museum to display archaeological collections. However, the project, announced in 2005 by Quebec City mayor Andrée Boucher, was cancelled in 2007 by Quebec City mayor Régis Labeaume. The Plains of Abraham: $4.7 million for the National Battlefields Commission (NBC) to renovate and repair infrastructure at the Plains of Abraham and Parc des Braves. Pointe-à-Carcy: $17.4 million contribution from the Canadian government to upgrade the facilities at Pointe-à-Carcy. This included expanding the Agora, an outdoor performance hall, to offer seating for 4061 people.
Promenade Samuel-De Champlain: $70 million in funding from the Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec to build a path on the Saint Lawrence River shoreline, along the boulevard Champlain. Finished in June 2008, it has a multipurpose track, walking trails, a cafe, and washrooms. Centre de la francophonie des Amériques: The Centre de la francophonie was inaugurated in December 2008 by Quebec Premier Jean Charest and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. It was designed by French architects Franklin Azzi and Paul-Armand Grether.
Espace 400e
Located at the Bassin Louise of the Port of Quebec, Espace 400e was the focal point of the festivities celebrating the 400th anniversary of Quebec City where there were various activities, exhibitions, and performances held from June 3 to October 19, 2008.Lemieux, Julie, 120 jours de festivités à l'Espace 400e, journal Le Soleil (Québec), 13 mai 2008, p. 6-7 The former Old Port of Quebec Interpretation Centre, a Parks Canada heritage site, was expanded for this celebration through a $24 million investment.
During the summer, various activities took place on the site. Quebec historian Bernard Arcand organized 34 lectures on the history of Quebec City. Various artists, including Ima, Marco Calliari, Les Zapartistes, We Are Wolves, Jérôme Minière, Tokyo Police Club, Maurane, and Philippe Lafontaine, performed at the "Grande Place", a temporary outdoor stage erected near Bassin Louise. There were also two thousand performances by various street artists and daily children's activities organized by La Boîte à Science, a science centre, and Rêves en Stock, Quebec City theatre. First Nations members also organized cultural activities.
Some of the main exhibits included Passagers/Passengers, an interactive installation created by Patrice Sauvé that represented those who have passed through or lived in Quebec City throughout its history, Le Moulin à Images (The Image Mill), an architectural mega projection by Robert Lepage that projected images of the city's history onto Bunge grain silos every night, and the Ephemeral Gardens, which consisted of eleven themed gardens designed and created by artists from Quebec and the rest of Canada, as well as France, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Host nation The Huron-Wendat Nation based in Wendake, a Huron territory within Quebec City, was the host nation for Quebec City's 400th anniversary celebrations.Les Hurons-Wendats, Secrétariat aux affaires autochtones, Ministère du Conseil exécutif, Gouvernement du Québec, online source September 30, 2010. Chief Max Gros-Louis participated in various shows including the Coup d'envoi (The Kickoff) on December 31, 2007.Lemieux, Louis-Guy, Sur un pied d'égalitéin L'Album du 400e, Le Soleil (Québec), 2 novembre 2008, p. 50. The Wyandot people (also known as Wendats) celebrated the official opening of the Hôtel-Musée de Wendake, both a hotel and museum featuring First Nations artwork, on March 7, 2008.Première nation de Wendake, Affaires indiennes et du Nord Canada, Gouvernement du Canada, online source September 30, 2010 The Assembly of First Nations was held at Wendake in 2008. Various presentations and lectures on indigenous culture took place at Espace 400e. Finally, throughout the summer of 2008, a public performance based on Wendat culture and mythology, Kiugwe (The Great Meeting), took place at Wendake.
Participation outside of Quebec
Participation by France
France formed its own committee for Quebec City's 400th anniversary celebrations, chaired by Jean-Pierre Raffarin, the Prime Minister of France from 2002 to 2005.Lemieux, Julie, Engagement sans précédent, journal Le Soleil (Québec), 9 octobre 2007, . The celebrations were seen by France as a "global" event, and the country committed to contributing at least $12 million to the event.
France's contributions included a $2.4 million renovation of the mezzanine and ground floor of the Musée de l'Amérique française (now the Musée de l'Amérique francophone), and an exhibit entitled "Le musée du quai Branly à Québec. Regards sur la diversité culturelle", at the Canadian Museum of Civilization (now the Canadian Museum of History).
Participation in other regions