Several tents were set up on the Petit-Saguenay baseball field Friday afternoon in preparation for the sixth edition of the Virage festival. Hundreds of people will come until Sunday to attend musical performances, do yoga and discuss ways to initiate a major turning point for environmental preservation and equality.
450 people are expected during the weekend. They are people from Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Rimouski, Gaspésie, Sherbrooke, Montreal, in short, from everywhere in Quebec, rejoices Ian Segers, one of the organizers.
The Virage festival is a political festival, where we address current topics. Like energy, like issues that affect biodiversity, climate change and social issues too. We try to cross them through workshops, through conferences and also through the arts, he explains.
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Ian Segers and Corinne Asselin are part of the committee that organizes the Virage festival.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Alexandra Duchaine
Ian Segers uses an image to describe the event. I like to say that the Virage festival is a festival of head, hand, heart, he illustrates. That is to say, we think with our heads about new ideas, new projects, new ways of conceiving the world.
We must also connect with others and with nature through discussions, this is the ethical portion of the festival, the heart. But there is also the hand portion, because you have to do things. We are in action. We have all kinds of artisan or bicycle repair workshops, continues Ian Segers.
Around fifty activities
Throughout the weekend, some fifty varied activities take place throughout the village, such as at the Auberge du jardin. Festival-goers are invited to reflect on Quebec’s energy future with researchers and activists, but also to make lip balms and do the sun salutation.
We came here to have fun!, laughed Thalie, when she came across the site. No, honestly, we live nearby, in Saint-Siméon. We were looking for what to do. We have a friend who lives in Petit-Saguenay, we said to ourselves, why not kill two birds with one stone!
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Workshops, conferences and discussions on the socio-ecological transition take place all weekend in Petit-Saguenay.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Alexandra Duchaine
cool. I told myself that I would come and pick mushrooms at the same time, said Julien, who arrived from Montreal. I like that, taking an overview of where we are politically with people who are interested.”,”text”:”My girlfriend was coming and I thought it looked cool. I told myself that I would come and pick mushrooms at the same time, said Julien, who arrived from Montreal. I like that, taking an overview of where we are politically with people who are interested.”}}”>My girlfriend came and I thought it looked cool. I told myself that I would come and pick mushrooms at the same time, said Julien, who arrived from Montreal. I like that, taking an overview of where we are politically with people who are interested.
I came to have discussions, to fuel my thinking on the socio-energy transition, said a lady a little further away, in front of her camp.
In music
Several shows are also expected on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, such as those of Keith Kouna as well as Petunia & The Vipers.
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450 people are expected throughout the weekend.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Alexandra Duchaine
h, on a des after-party. It’s at the arena that it happens. There are dj sets until three in the morning, says Corinne Asselin, also behind the organization, with a smile. Despite everything, we know that people, as we saw last year, are up at nine o’clock. They listen to the conferences, they ask questions, they are super invested.”,”text”:”From 11 p.m., we have after-parties. It’s at the arena that it happens. There are DJ sets until three in the morning, says Corinne Asselin, also behind the organization, with a smile. Despite everything, we know that people, as we saw last year, are up at nine o’clock. They listen to the conferences, they ask questions, they are super invested.”}}”>From 11 p.m., we have after-parties. after-party. It’s at the arena that it happens. There are dj sets until three in the morning, underlines Corinne Asselin with a smile, also behind the organization. Despite everything, we know that people, as we saw last year, at nine o’clock, they are up. They listen to the lectures, they ask questions, they are super invested.
Shine
The Municipality of Petit-Saguenay is involved in the Virage festival. Two employees and the mayor, Philôme La France, who is in charge of finances, sit on the organizing committee. Blue-collar workers are also mobilized for site management.
According to Philôme La France, the event is positive for the village. It allows us to shine first. I think we can be an inspiration for many places in Quebec on the ways we do politics, on the projects we put forward.
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The mayor of Petit-Saguenay, Philôme La France
Photo : Radio-Canada / Alexandra Duchaine
I have a vision of socio-ecological transition for the municipality of Petit-Saguenay. This is a vision that I share with the board and I think the board generally supports it. Sometimes we have disagreements on certain issues, we work on that.
He says he is betting on the creation of eco-neighborhoods, the development of cool islands, and the reduction of his administration’s carbon footprint. We are trying to do projects that promote active mobility. We are doing projects for car sharing bicycles, car sharing cars, he says as an example.
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Most of the 450 visitors are expected to camp, according to organizers.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Alexandra Duchaine
If Virage has interesting repercussions for its village, without attracting crowds like La Noce! or Le Festif!, it also allows Philôme La France to stock up on ideas.
We too are inspired. We meet lots of people, who have comments, who lead struggles. Who have projects and ideas. It challenges us.
Possible return to Sainte-Rose-du-Nord
Next year, the festival, which is in its 6th edition, but its second presence in Petit-Saguenay, could return to Sainte-Rose-du-Nord, where it was created.
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A little more than 50 volunteers will be active during the weekend.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Alexandra Duchaine
For next year we will see, we will have discussions with the gang of Sainte-Rose to see if they want to take up the torch. We will see. It is possible that we will do one year out of two, alternating.
2024-06-29 04:59:25
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