Québec City's Carnival 400th anniversary 2008

Time and Place
Start Time: Friday, February 1, 2008 at 12:00am
End Time: Sunday, February 17, 2008 at 12:00pm
Location: Quebec
City/Town: Quebec, QC

The Largest Winter Carnival in the World

Since the beginning of our French colony, the habitants of New France created a rowdy tradition of getting together just before Lent to eat, drink and be merry. At this time, this intense period of revelry was already designated as the Carnival - a word of Italian origin meaning Mardi Gras. The custom of celebrating from the end of January until mid-February has long been popular.

The first large winter Carnival in Québec City, the world's snow capital, took place in 1894. Often faced with winter’s hardships, the city's population reinvented this popular tradition with a winter celebration that warmed up the hearts of all of it revellers. Interrupted by two wars, then the economic crisis of 1929, the Carnival was held sporadically until the second half of the century. In 1954, in the context of the economic development of the Old Capital, a group of business people re-launched the festivities. That year, Bonhomme was born and elected the event’s representative. The first official edition of the Québec Winter Carnival took place in 1955. The Carnival snowballed into an undeniable manifestation for the entire Québec City population, and was an important vehicle for tourism and economical activity in the city.

From one winter to the next, the Carnival enriched its activity program. We have since added even more popular activities, such as winter sports, snow sculptures, and activities based on the traditional Québec lifestyle, such as canoe races and dogsled races. The Québec Carnival is the largest winter carnival in the world today, and is third on the List of Top Carnivals after the famous carnivals in Rio and New Orleans.

The Carnival Parade: The First Special Vintage of the 400th Anniversary
As part of a special vintage program for the 400th anniversary, Québec City’s big events were invited to explore new paths in their fields of expertise by presenting a special activity. For this anniversary extravaganza, the Carnival chose to revamp its parade to the tune of the 400th anniversary. The Carnival will therefore play a memorable role in the celebration, inviting the entire population of Québec City and visitors from far and wide to come to the prestigious and magical Carnival parade, which will take the form of a huge meeting place.

Television broadcasting
On February 16, the Night Parade will be broadcast by TQS starting at 9:00 p.m. and on Sunday February 17, at 4:00 p.m.

2008 Night Parades route plans
You may consult the official route plans by clicking on the 2008 Night Parades route plans link at the bottom of this page.

Bus route plans
To get to the first Night Parade, on February 9 at 7:00 p.m., the Carnival advises you to take Québec's public transportation (RTC). From the Carnival's different sites, you may take the 801 métrobus. Many departures from Place D'Youville's terminus, going to 1st Avenue, 18th street, Henri-Bourassa, 63rd street and 3rd avenue to Louis XIV. Many bus stops close to the festivities along the ride. Cost: $2.50

Québec City's 400th anniversary
Québec City will be celebrating its 400th anniversary in 2008. A huge program will be designed by cultural institutions, major Québec event organizers, and regional organizations. Many conferences and international events will take place in Québec City to highlight the anniversary and a number of infrastructure projects will be realized. Québec City’s 400th anniversary promises many surprises!

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