The final sprint has begun! Barely two weeks before the 20th edition of FME, which will take place from September 1st to 4th, will once again be an unmissable musical event. After revealing the full program on July 6th, the organization comes back with the latest news and unveiling of new initiatives and the return of many successful projects from previous editions.
At every edition, the FME team sets up a place at the centre of their main site, the Hub Desjardins. This year, thanks to the support of Desjardins, festival-goers will be able to get their bearings and profit from the many useful installations and different points of interest, featuring exciting new initiatives including two “5 à 7” shows.
The hub will host kiosks from local stores, FME promotional items, and a bar fully stocked with regional products. There will also be kombucha with red fruit and black spruce flavours, courtesy of local company Ékorce from Val-d’Or.
Safe Space
This year, FME is setting up a new place: Safe Space. This space is a safe environment with social workers from the Point d’appui and La Coalition d’aide à la diversité sexuelle de l’Abitibi-Temiscamingue.
CFME radio
From August 26th to September 4th, whether it’s music, podcasts, or news, the CFME radio station will broadcast original, not-to-be-missed content! Festivalgoers can enrich the festival experience by attending the live broadcasts which will take place at the Hub Desjardins from September 1st to 4th. Notably, CFME will broadcast the podcast Autre Atlantique, a collaboration between the festivals Avec Le Temps from Marseille, La Noce in Saguenay, and FME.
The duo Sèxe Illégal, alongside Jean-François Provençal will present their visual podcast Tu Me Niaises every evening at 10 pm live from the studio. In addition, the international radio station Ferarock will be at the event from 11 am every day of the festival. The radio will be available on 100.5 FM and online from August 26th.
Jardin XR Newmont Éléonore
Over in the technological sphere of the Hub Desjardins, Jardin XR Newmont Éléonore is sure to entertain. This area will offer a vast selection of immersive activities thanks to augmented reality technologies.
For this 20th edition, innovative projects from MUTEK, Sporobole, and the SAT will put participants at the centre of the experience.
On Friday, September 2nd at 11pm, the Jardin hosts LENTEUR, NAUFRAGE ET AUTRES STRATÉGIES POÉTIQUE, a project born from a 20 day creation residence between four artists from Marseille and Quebec: Calamine, Kethe Magané, Pina Woods, and Gaëtan Parseihian. Visitors will be immersed in an experience that unties poetry, slam, visuals, and music.
PALE ALE BEER FOR THE FME
Specially for the 20th edition of FME, the Brasserie du Bas-Canada, situated in Outaouais, has created a Pale Ale-style beer for the festival. Called Ultime, it will be available in limited quantities exclusively from the Hub Desjardins bar during the event.
20 YEARS OF SOUND
For their 20th year, the FME is participating in a project for the creation of a citizen participatory work, initiated by the city of Rouyn-Noranda. Alex Pic, an energetic and charismatic artist from the region, will meet citizens during the festival and, inspired by their accounts, will compose an original musical work unique to this anniversary edition. He will then perform the work as part of the closing show presented by SiriusXM, on Sunday, September 4th at 8 pm. This project is achieved thanks to the financial support from the Quebec government and the City of Rouyn-Noranda as part of the Entente de Développement Culturel.
Camping
This year, a campsite at the Kiwanis beach of Rouyn-Noranda will be set up for festivalgoers. Just 2km from the festival site, 35 spaces will be available to accommodate tents. For more details, and to buy a camping pass for the 4 festival days, head to: https://www.fmeat.org/camping/.
Twitch
Following the success of this activity last year, the FME is coming back on Twitch via invited streamers, thanks to support from the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, the Unité d’enseignement et de recherche en création et nouveaux médias, and the Socioculturel de l’UQAT. In the Twitch program, first up is Charlène, who will be creating IRL (in real life) content, in other words, direct content throughout the different sites of the festival. Known for uncovering the scenery, ambiance, and the hottest spots of the FME, Charlène will be returning for her 2nd consecutive year. She’ll be joined by fellow streamer Kharliito who will also be present on the FME site to directly share his discoveries with the Twitch community.
In addition, FME welcomes Julien Belhumeur and Andy The Frenchy, two musically-talented Québécois streamers who will perform at the festival during the free and hybrid shows (live, public shows that are also streaming on Twitch). Julien, a multi-instrumentalist, will perform at the UQAT Thursday, September 1st at 5 pm. As for Andy, a singer and pianist, she will amaze with her show at the Hub Desjardins Friday, September 2nd at 1 pm. Follow our platforms for the streaming schedule.
Scenic Route
From August to October, a spectacular and enchanting route to discover around Rouyn-Noranda will be available to the public who wish to revisit the history of FME. This scenic route consists of elements and artifacts which were part of the scenography of previous editions, and will be installed in key places, where fans of the festival can learn the evolution of FME throughout the years. A page is also available on the FME website in order to situate the route of the town and learn more about the different editions they represented. You can see a route which forms the letters “F”, “M”, and “E” spread across the city of Rouyn-Noranda. The realization of this site is possible thanks to festival partners: Fonderie Horne, Desjardins, and the Government of Québec.
And so, it’s going to be quite the event from September 1st to 4th! This annual happening is known among music fans, and industry professionals of Québec, Canada, and internationally. More than 175 professional representatives from the four corners of the world will travel to Rouyn-Noranda to experience all of this + performances from a multitude of artists. Stay tuned via the FME app to be kept up to date on the surprises throughout this 20th edition!f
