You Can Call Montreal Th City of Lights with This Amazing Outdoor Festival You Can Experience with The Whole Family
Winter is far from a quiet time in Montreal, and with Luminotherapie already in full gear since December 1st, you will be glad it lasts until March 6th giving you plenty of time to enjoy all the delights it offers. Luminotherapie combines Nordic pleasures with massive art installations that can be experienced across the Quartier des Spectacles, Sainte Catherine Boulevard, and Phillips Square.
Lights and more lights are used to inspire and get you outdoors at night to enjoy winter in a unique way. Luminotherapie is a great festival for all ages and is highly interactive, allowing a hand on approach to the fun. You can visit six incredible installations, all of which use light and video projections to bring the festival to life. The festival is open to the public every day from 10 am to 11 pm, but we suggest heading downtown when the sun has gone down, and a starry sky hangs overhead Montreal.
Dress Warm and Grab a Bite to Eat Too
The entire festival is free to attend. We recommend wearing adequate clothing that reflects the most recent weather forecasts. Wearing layers of clothing is the best way to manage the event because if you get too hot, you easily peel a few layers away or add a few if you feel a little frosty. Taking a walk downtown during winter has never been better, and if you know how to skate, you are in for a treat! If you are planning a date night, why not add a delicious meal by making a reservation with us in one of Montreal’s fine restaurants by clicking here?
Let us take a quick look at the installation, and you can choose the ones that best suit you and your loved ones.
Au Bord du Lac Tranquille
Location: Esplanade Tranquille 1442 Clark, Montréal, H2X 2R3
This will be one of the most surreal skating experiences in your life. This outdoor skating rink is like no other because the ice surface is lit up and teeming with life beneath the surface. If you cannot ice skate, find someone who does and hold on to them tight while you enjoy this technological gem. Skate rentals are available on-site.
You will share the pleasant ice rink with land-born and underwater animals in this imaginary ecosystem dwelling within the ice. You will be able to skate with whales If you can master the interactive projections by learning to respect their space. An added touch is that wherever you skate, you will find light traces on the ice behind you in the ice, allowing you to create your own designs if you so wish to do so, create a heart if you can.
Prismatica
Location: Between de Bleury and Saint Urbain Street on Saint Catherine Boulevard
Prismatic is an art installation that uses 50 pivoting prisms of light that reach two meters in height. Each prism reflects assorted colors and patterns based on your viewing angle and the ambient lighting surrounding you. It is okay if you get lost circling only one of the prisms trying to find different colorscapes. The Prisms are best experienced at night and also play music and rotate, adding even more elements of surprise during your journey.
Iceberg
Location: Esplanade de la Place des Arts (between Jeanne Mance Street and Saint Urbain Boulevard)
You will see more than the tip of the Iceberg at this installation, focusing heavily on sound and how it travels. Few know that Icebergs create many different sounds when the ice cracks or water seeps into their crevasses. It is an incredible thing to hear because the sounds made by icebergs are remarkably similar to the Organ. What is remarkable is that the icebergs produce different tones as the ice melts.
Although you cannot have a full-blown iceberg set in the heart of Montreal, you can have an installation that replicates the beautiful sounds an iceberg creates. The installation comprised a long row of arches creating a sound tunnel that constantly reverberates the sound you create by walking through them.
Les Diamants
Location: Esplanade de la Place des Arts (in between Jeanne Mance Street and Saint Urbain Boulevard)
These Diamond-like objects will instantly draw your attention and reel you in for a closer look. Once you are within reach, you will be dazzled by the kaleidoscope of rays and dots of light. You can turn the giant gems which change the appearance but also creates melodies depending on where you are standing. Move the jewels with a group, creating a more complex and orchestral rhythm. Each diamond has its own unique personality making each of them worth giving a twirl.
Oscillation
Location: St. James United Church 463 Sainte Catherine Boulevard, Montreal H3B 1B1
Inspired by the musical instrument, the Theremin, which requires no physical contact to play musical, this art installation replicates it perfectly. Oddly shaped prisms with hearts of light will play different music at different pitches the closer you get to them. You can dance around the objects, and depending on your angle and positioning, other colors and different sounds will shine.
Domino Effect
Location: Phillips Square Rue du Square Phillips
Everyone loves playing with Dominoes, and this interactive piece takes dominoes to new heights, literally. Collaborating with your friends and strangers, you can arrange 60 giant dominoes in different stations any way you like, and once you tip over the first domino, that is when the magic begins. Each domino has its own unique sound and color scheme, and when they collide with another domino, they create a cascade of music. Each arrangement can be unique, and some of the musical instruments that will catch your ear are the marimba, balafan, flute, percussion, and even vocals. What song will you create? Working in a group is key to creating a beautiful sound and a wonderful way to mingle with fellow Montrealers.
