Travel Blog

27 Sep

Montréal’s famed Black & Blue party turns 26

Montréal’s famed straight-friendly Black Blue gay circuit party celebrates its 26th anniversary with a star-studded line-up of international deejays who will raise the roof at various events during the Black Blue Festival which runs Oct. 5 – 11.

This year’s all-night Black Blue Main Event will be held at the Pierre Charbonneau Amphitheatre in Montréal’s Olympic park on Oct. 9.

“Last year we found the perfect venue to hold our Main Event, the Pierre Charbonneau Amphitheatre, the former wrestling and boxing arena used in the 1976 Olympic games, with its big dancefloor, high ceilings and stands that can accommodate 2,500 partygoers,” says Black Blue co-founder Robert Vezina. “And it is located next door to a Metro (subway) station.”

Black__BlueAfter drawing 800 revellers to their first party in 1991 — raising $3,500 for AIDS Community Care Montréal — Black Blue quickly became the single most successful all-night dance party on the planet. Pre-9/11 attendance peaked in 1999 when 17,000 partygoers packed the Olympic Stadium outfield dancefloor. Over the past 25 years the festival has generated over $300 million in local economic spin-offs, donated $1.2 million cash to various AIDS and LGBTQ organizations, plus an additional $800,000 in free tickets and services to help LGBTQ community groups.

Vezina says this year’s “Stardust” theme is about making “stardust fall upon our great community so it will shine in all its glory by a bright harvest moon.”

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This year’s Stardust: Black Blue Main Event will feature legendary British DJ Danny Howells, one of the global giants of the House music scene, who will take part in a special extended set.

“Danny Howells is a house music legend,” says Vézina. “Montrealers will remember his legendary 13-hour marathon set at the now-defunct Montreal Aria Nightclub, 13 years ago.”

Other DJs spinning at the Main Event are New York DJ Morabito, back after wowing dancefloor divas at Black Blue last year; and popular Montreal DJ Alain Jackinsky and rising Montreal DJ Ian Key.

#blacknblue2015 is off the hook! The party is still going until 10 AM!!! #mtlmoments

Une photo publiée par QUEERMTL (@queermtl) le 12 Oct. 2015 à 2h20 PDT

“We will also pay homage to David Bowie and Prince,” says Vézina.  “Our production values remain very high, we have about 70 performers, dancers and special acrobats this year, and there will be shows all night.”

The Main Event is just one of several parties being held during this 26th annual Black Blue Festival which runs Oct. 5 – 11. Other Stardust-themed parties include the Blue Moon Leather Ball (Oct. 7) and the hugely popular The Big Dipper: Bears Friends party (Oct. 8), both at “Bain Mathieu”; and the Twinkle Party (Oct. 8) at Club Unity, geared mostly to younger partygoers.

Montréal’s 26th annual Black Blue Festival which runs Oct. 5 – 11. For more info and tickets, visit www.bbcm.org.

Up next:“Robert Mapplethorpe: Perfection” at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

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