Every genre and generation belongs at Festival d’été de Québec

Everyone in Québec City has a connection to Festival d’été de Québec. They’ve attended the festival since teendom, borrowed a wristband from a friend to catch a show, or spammed the programming team with emails suggesting they book their favourite local artist for next year’s lineup. Situated in the romantic city centre, Festival d’été has become one of Canada’s largest outdoor music festivals since its inception in 1968. The annual 11-day spectacle is Québec City’s pride and joy, advertised on buses, lampposts, and the first billboard I see upon arrival at Jean Lesage International. Bold reds, blues, and pinks – the utmost aesthetically pleasing branding – drown the city’s main street, the Grande Alleé, buzzing with festivalgoers sipping Monster energy drinks and lasing between sets. Festival d’été, lovingly nicknamed FEQ, comprises five stages. The Bell Stage is the biggest, nestled in the lush greenery of Les Plains d’Abraham – an 18th-century battlefield turned vast outdoor gathering space. The SiriusXM and Loto-Québec stages, located at Place George-V, sit directly next to each other. FEQ programming alternates between the two, inviting audiences to enjoy a continuum of comple...