Large cities worldwide have been affected by the pandemic, and Montreal is no exception. Montreal does stand apart, however, with its “Kick-start the summer” initiative. The project was requested by the city’s mayor, Valerie Plante, and led jointly by the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership, the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, and Tourisme Montréal. From July through October 2020, the project worked to mitigate the negative impacts of the pandemic on Montreal’s downtown core. In a spirit of continuity, the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership and its partners have already announced a second phase to continue stimulating downtown activity this winter.  

The cultural heart of Montreal 

The Quartier des Spectacles is Montreal’s cultural heart, boasting North America’s most concentrated and diverse group of cultural venues. With 85 active members in the district, its activities normally span over 1 km². This year, however, to stimulate activity downtown, it expanded its activities much further. The Partnership’s mission was to optimize foot traffic, while avoiding large gatherings, in a 9km² in the downtown area of Montreal. Its focus: to attract visitors by offering them ways to (re)discover public spaces. It developed a concept based on three key elements: temporary structural solutions, artistic installations, and live performances in order to draw visitors and support local businesses. 

Rethinking the destination 

First, it was essential to create a safe destination where people could meet, to support local businesses and restaurants. Several public squares were designed by Montreal-based creatives to encourage the purchase of meals from local businesses. Open 7 days a week from noon to 11 p.m., the public spaces all included sanitizing stations. A temporary ordinance passed by the city of Montreal even allowed alcohol consumption in these spaces.  

Secondly, after weeks of confinement, visitors needed to be inspired. The Partnership worked with local creatives to create art with a purpose. Numerous artistic “pitstops” were set up in the form of “Placott’arts” – rest areas decorated with public art. Designed by Montreal-based artists, designers, and collectives, the Placott’arts provided a fresh perspective on iconic downtown locations. The idea was to make sure that every Placott’art was a destination in itself, and also a place where people could simply sit for a minute, have a quick snack, and rediscover public spaces. With only four weeks to put everything in place, the Partnership naturally turned to MASSIVart to curate and help create these art-driven experiences.  

Last but not least, live performances were essential for their power of attraction, but also to create work for artists. With the temporary infrastructure in place in the form of public squares and Placott’arts, surprise performances could pop-up every weekend. Throughout the summer musicians, dancers, actors, street artists, circus performers, and improv artists animated the area’s pedestrian zones and public squares. A mobile cabaret also featured local emerging artists every Saturday.

Culture: a crucial economic vector 

The Quartier des Spectacles Partnership believes that culture is an integral part of society. The current pandemic illustrates just how huge an impact it has on the local economy and the city’s vitality. Monique Simard, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership, recalls: “We had a choice to make: we could either stand by and watch the decline of our downtown, or we could roll up our sleeves and get to work. Navigating in unchartered waters, with new and constantly evolving restrictions, we were still able to prove that our downtown can remain vibrant, lively, and safe to visit, even in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. Most areas showed an increase in visitors, reaching a Labour Day peak of 111%¹ over the summer period compared with the start of the summer. A survey² also revealed that visitors thoroughly enjoyed the temporary public squares and performances that brought life to the downtown area.” 

As the Holiday Season approaches, the Partnership is continuing the work begun with its network of partners to launch a winter initiative; the full program will be unveiled on December 3^rd. 

Montréal’s economic and cultural stakeholders are joining forces to help relaunch the city’s downtown core. With a mandate from the Ville de Montréal, the project is spearheaded by the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montréal, Tourisme Montréal, and Desjardins. The economic and cultural relaunch supports merchants and artists and will bring life back to the downtown core, specifically the area delimited by Atwater, Sherbrooke, and Papineau streets and the St. Lawrence River. An evolving and progressive project, the multifaceted downtown animation initiative includes special pedestrian zones, redesigned public spaces, special performances, and an enhanced cultural offering. The initiatives are an invitation to everyone in the Greater Montréal area to be part of the city’s recovery by having a safe experience within public health guidelines. 

About Quartier des Spectacles and the partnership 

The Quartier des Spectacles is Montréal’s cultural heart, boasting North America’s most concentrated and diverse group of cultural venues as well as numerous festivals and events. The Quartier also hosts innovative urban installations involving cutting-edge lighting design and immersive environments. The Quartier des Spectacles has become an international showcase for digital public art. The Quartier des Spectacles Partnership, founded in 2003, is a non-profit organization with more than 85 members active in the district. It is responsible for animating the Quartier des Spectacles by programming cultural activities, managing and animating public spaces, providing distinctive illumination, and promoting the Quartier as a must-visit cultural destination. The Partnership benefits from the support of the Ville de Montréal.

^{1 Based on foot-traffic terminals data compilation. 
2 Based on a survey conducted by Montréal Centre-Ville.}

APPENDIX 

KEY DOWNTOWN MONTREAL FACTS 

Hospitality, retail, and culture are some of the sectors most severely impacted by COVID-19. In Montreal, the downtown area, especially during the summer season, is usually bustling with activities and festivals. 

• 310,000 daily workers 
  
• 100,000 students per year 
  
• 11M tourists per year 
  
• 600,000 daily visitors  
  

KEY FACTS & FIGURES 

• 2 public squares were created and 2 others were redesigned 
• 3 UTOPic (Urban Terrasses Open to the Public) 
• 250 restaurants less than 250 meters from a terrasse 
• 30 local designers and creatives involved 
• 7 public spaces developed by Golden Square Mile, Quartier latin, Montréal Centre-Ville, and XP_MTL 
  
• 575 artists 
  
• 280 street performances 
  
• 1 mobile cabaret 
  
• 9 Placott’arts  
  

IMPACTS 

• 80+ articles, features, TV and radio reports with over 66M impressions 
• 183 social media posts reaching 2,439,677 organic impressions  
• 5,737,135 impressions generated by the advertising campaign 
• 69 posts on Tourisme Montréal's social media (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter) alone reached 2,335,679 people and generated 126,460 interactions (likes, comments, shares) 
• Visits on Tourisme Montréal's website nearly reached 2019 traffic levels for the same period and showed a significant volume of qualified visitors on the site   
• During the campaign period, Tourisme Montréal's website recorded a 101.2% increase in sessions (compared with the period from June 7 to July 5)
• Foot traffic and visitors returned progressively to the downtown core. Labour Day weekend recorded the highest increase in visitors in all areas of downtown.