A unique story…
Twenty five years ago, when Montreal had not yet achieved its status of House Music Mecca and the city with the most international festivals it would become, a small group of friends dreamt of an event that would gather their friends from Montreal, the rest of Canada and the United States East coast. Back in 1991, Robert J. Vézina and Christian Beaudry were partying across the gay circuit and were thinking of organizing, in Montreal, a similar event to the ones they were attending. Nothing like this had ever been done before in Montreal so they had to start from scratch. It took their enthusiasm and their know-how for their project to take shape. After inviting many of their friends, 800 people showed up for the very first Black & Blue Party edition during the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday weekend (at the same time as the American Columbus Day weekend). Yet, they didn’t know that they were writing a Montreal piece of history.
« At the time, back in the early 90’s, there was no event of this caliber in Montreal, and not even in the rest of Canada. Our dream was to produce a major event and to make it evolve into a full festival. We wanted to welcome thousands of participants and to make Montreal THE spot for international gay events. », says Robert J. Vézina, the co-founder.
The Black & Blue paved the way to high quality dance music events in the world. Many promoters and event organizers followed in the footsteps of this unique event which became, throughout the years, a reference for all the multimedia major events because of its artistic components, high production standards and flawless logistics. Since its beginnings, we can count by the thousands the number of tourists that have converged towards Montreal during the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, and by millions of dollars of economic spin-offs for the Montreal region. More than just your typical party, the Black & Blue has gained a notoriety that transcends borders. It has been part of life for many, over several generations, offering unforgettable moments. It has been supported by Tourisme Québec and Tourisme Montréal for several years, two organizations that have perceived the importance of the Festival and its evolution throughout the years: from a single event in 1991, the Black & Blue has developed into a week-long festival which offers a multitude of varied activities attended by thousands of participants, many of whom are tourists.
The cause…
However, the creation of the Black & Blue coincides with less happy times : the AIDS epidemic. Back in the 90’s, the gay community was harshly affected by this plague, but reacted to it by creating closer links to one another and by trying to help people who were affected by the disease. A series of fundraising events for people living with AIDS or for treatment research was created in the United States, and, it’s with that in mind that the Black & Blue co-founders decided to give back the profits of their event to organizations providing direct care to people living with HIV / AIDS. As Robert Vézina explains : « At the time, we had already lost several of our friends and we needed to find solutions to help the people of our community affected by AIDS who were ostracized. We thought that we could help by giving the profits of our event, and this is exactly what we did: we made donations to ACCM (AIDS Community Care Montreal) because we were able to raise money following the success of the first edition. Yet, the BBCM Foundation was directly touched by AIDS as my best friend and co-founder of the Black & Blue, Christian Beaudry, lost his own battle against the disease in 1994. Following that, several other committee members have passed away and others have been affected by HIV/AIDS and continue their fight. » In a way, this misfortune was also what kept the community together with good values such as mutual aid, compassion and empathy. The Black & Blue is the living example of that, since the BBCM has donated more than 1.5 million dollars and, on top of that, has provided free products (free tickets to community groups) and services to help the community. Furthermore, the cause has always been at the epicentre of the shows presented at the main event as the BBCM team always wants to remind the participants what they are dancing for. Who doesn’t remember, for instance, the great AIDS ribbon made of 25 000 red lanterns on the centre field of the Montreal Olympic Stadium, in 2000, for the 10th Black & Blue anniversary ?
This year’s event : « District Red Light Montréal »
The Black & Blue Festival 25th anniversary will take place from October 7 to 13 and the all-night main event will be at the spectacular Pierre-Charbonneau amphitheater (located in the Olympic Park at 3000 Viau Street) on Sunday October 11 from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. the next morning. This year, the Black & Blue presents a theme inspired by the « Red Light District », while highlighting, at the same time, Montreal’s nightlife reputation over the years. Starting with the prohibition days, the roaring twenties and the cabaret heydays of the fifties for example, Montreal obtained an enviable reputation as a festive city and one of the world’s hot spots, recognized for its clubs, its bars and its cabarets. This made our metropolis the queen of entertainment and nightlife, some features that still define Montreal today. The 2015 Black & Blue theme and the shows that will be featured during the main event will be inspired by the burlesque, variety shows, glamour, sensuality and everything that has to do with “sexy”.
The main event will feature two rooms: the main room with grand stands all around, and a « Montreal room » which will feature classic house music from the 25 years of existence of the Black & Blue mixed by some of Montreal’s best DJs: a trip down memory lane ! Several shows will be presented during the course of the evening with cutting edge lighting and sound. On this special occasion, the BBCM Foundation wants to underline all its accomplishments:
- 25 years of top quality international events and of creativity;
- 25 years of exemplary community energy and thousands of volunteers;
- 25 years of excellent electronic music, major shows and original artistic concepts;
- 25 years of key partnerships with organizations from different backgrounds, companies and governmental entities;
- Dozens of organizations who have received donations from the BBCM Foundation (total of more than 1.5 million $);
- Several hundred million dollars in economic spin-offs for the Montreal region.
For the 25th Black & Blue edition, we are more than happy to bring back one of the DJs mostly associated to the “Montreal sound” and to the Black & Blue, the incredible DJ / producer Mark Anthony who played at the very first Black & Blue in 1991. Also, the line-up will include the excellent and very popular Montreal DJ / producers Paolo Rocco and Jay London, the New York-based American DJ producer Morabito, the Italian prominent progressive house DJ duo called The Cube Guys and one of the most praised Spanish DJs, Wally Lopez. The BBCM will also present dance and acrobatic performances reflecting the « District Red Light » theme.
During the seven day long the festival we will also present the following events:
- Launch Cocktail (Oct. 7)
- President’s Cocktail (Oct. 8)
- Bal en cuir (Leather Ball) (Oct. 9)
- Saturday Brunch (Oct. 10)
- Bears & Friends (Oct. 10)
- Black & Blue main event (Oct. 11)
- Recovery Party (Oct. 12)
- Closing Party (Oct. 13)
Information, contests, tickets and VIP passes
For its 25th anniversary, the BBCM Foundation has decided to offer ticket giveaways on its Facebook page : 25 pairs of tickets to different events of the festival are being drawn until the event. To get the chance to win, the participants need to like the BBCM Foundation Facebook page and to answer the questions correctly. We are also inviting all the Facebook page fans to share their special Black & Blue moments and photos from previous years.
The tickets and VIP passes are already on sale via the BBCM web site where you can also find general information on this year’s festival:
Tickets of the Black & Blue main event (special promotional price until the end of August, limited quantity)
- Regular ticket (October 11): $85 plus applicable charges
- VIP ticket (October 11): $105 plus applicable charges
The VIP passes for the Festival (includes all the official events) are $225. Tickets and VIP passes can be purchased by following this link: www.bbcm.org/tickets