A 3rd St. Patrick’s Day without a parade in Quebec

Saint-Patrick’s Day is once again taking place under the sign of simplicity in Quebec. Unlike Toronto and Montreal, the parade, the highlight of the celebrations, is canceled for the third consecutive year, but the stars are aligning for a comeback in a year.

The president of the organizing committee and the board of directors of the Défilé de la Saint-Patrick de Québec, Robert Dinan, shares the disappointment of the Irish of stock and heart who have been deprived of this popular meeting since the start of the pandemic.

According to him, the deconfinement of the province came too late to allow the small voluntary organization to present a quality event.

Still, parades will take place in Toronto and Montreal over the weekend for the first time in two years. The Montreal organizers, however, warned that theirs would be more modest.

“Our parade is one, above all, of music, where we have 13 brass bands, six of which come from outside; we have Montreal, Toronto, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, so it’s complicated to bring all these people into town. […] We are a small organization, we cannot turn around on ten cents at three weeks’ notice, ”argues Mr. Dinan.

The uncertainty surrounding the evolution of the health situation was too great, argues the promoter. Until early February, Quebec’s deconfinement plan was unknown.

Focus on next year

But this is nothing to curb the ardor of the troops, who are already getting to work for next year, maintains Mr. Dinan, “convinced” that the conditions will be met in 2023 for the great return of the parade.

In Quebec City, the head of major events on the executive committee, Catherine Vallières-Roland, says that the Marchand administration intends to be an ally of the party. “We will definitely be part of the continuity [de l’administration Labeaume] she says.

♦ Despite the absence of the parade, the City of Quebec is putting forward several initiatives to highlight Saint-Patrick’s Day, including the decoration of commercial streets, entertainment at the Grand Marché and musical performances by the 78th Fraser Highlanders regiment .