One of downtown Montreal鈥檚 most famous nightlife streets has been turned over to pedestrians this weekend, but it鈥檚 not part of Mayor Val茅rie Plante鈥檚 much-publicized campaign to calm traffic in the city.
The Canadian Grand Prix, the unofficial kickoff to Montreal鈥檚 summer festival season, is back, and most people on Crescent Street Friday (June 16) were ogling high-priced cars and checking out booths with Formula One-themed activities. On nearby Ste-Catherine Street, sports cars roared by as drivers unleashed their inner F1 driver.
Residents and tourists alike are excited for the return of the race, but some are more enthusiastic than others.
Interviewed on Crescent Street, Christophe Philibert and Lauren Cinq-Mars said they appreciate the tourism dollars the event brings to the city, but they wish the surrounding festivities would put more emphasis on electric vehicles. Philibert pointed to the irony of making a downtown street pedestrians-only to celebrate turbocharged cars 鈥済oing in circles.鈥�
鈥淧ushing green energy and green cars would be a better way to integrate it into the city鈥檚 values鈥� of sustainable mobility, Cinq-Mars added.
Kassandra Tremblay says working in a downtown shop has helped her come to appreciate an event she once disliked.
鈥淚 thought it was a bit annoying and too loud,鈥� she said. Now Tremblay recognizes the benefits and is even excited to see drivers revving their engines on Ste-Catherine Street. 鈥淪urely for locals it can be annoying,鈥� she admitted. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit of a 50-50.鈥�
The Grand Prix draws thousands of tourists each year 鈥� a Quebec cabinet minister has called it the 鈥渓argest sports tourism event in Canada鈥� 鈥� but it comes at a significant cost to taxpayers. Since 2017, the governments of Quebec and Canada have committed over $100 million to keep the race in Montreal through 2031.
Jean-Paul Mouradian, vice-president of Feldman Entertainment Quebec Inc., which runs the Crescent Street event, said the government investment is well worth it.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of money, but it makes a lot of return. It identifies our city internationally,鈥� he said in an interview. 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a touristic attraction and it puts Montreal on the map. So it鈥檚 a great investment for the economy.鈥�
Organizers reported attendance of 338,000 last year over the three-day weekend as the race returned to Canada after a two-year pause during the pandemic.
Among the visitors to Montreal Friday was Casey Baker, who came from Toronto to take part in the festivities. 鈥淔1 fans are some of the best and highest spending fans that there are out there,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f I could recommend my city Toronto having and hosting it one year, I would be a huge fan of that.鈥�
Anita Astley and Christian Bentley were visiting Montreal from the United States. They see the Grand Prix as an event that brings international attention and tourist dollars to Montreal. 鈥淪o many things to do and so many things to see,鈥� Astley said of Montreal. 鈥淭he cars are fantastic.鈥�
It鈥檚 only going to get louder as Sunday鈥檚 race day approaches. Hannah Girard said the Crescent Street party and the spectacle of loud vehicles on the Ste-Catherine main drag made the Grand Prix more accessible to residents who cannot attend the race.
For Philibert, the noise and excitement are just part of the reality of living in Montreal. 鈥淓very summer in Montreal is always really packed with festivals and crazy events,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 ever going to change 鈥�. it鈥檚 one of the things that makes Montreal such a nice city as well.鈥�
Thomas MacDonald, The Canadian Press
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