Police evacuate site of Fête Nationale celebrations due to ‘dangerous’ weather

A thunderstorm that knocked out power to several thousand customers in Quebec City led to the evacuation of the Fête Nationale shows on Monday night.

Quebec City police ordered the evacuation of the site where Fête Nationale celebrations took place Monday evening due to a severe thunderstorm.

Police said the Plains of Abraham was evacuated at 8:45 p.m., not long after the shows started. The spectacle was later cancelled for the night.

In a post on social media, the government said, “Due to dangerous weather conditions, the Plains are being evacuated immediately. If you are on site, please calmly follow the evacuation plan displayed on the screens at the front of the stage. Please be careful.”

‘Big disappointment,’ organizer says

Several artists were set to perform at 9 p.m., including Ariane Moffatt, Bleu Jeans Bleu, Claude Dubois and Garou.

“It’s sad for the audience and the artists [...] It’s a big disappointment,” Richard Samson, producer of Quebec City’s Fête Nationale celebrations, told Noovo Info on Tuesday.

“We waited as long as possible to go ahead with the show, but the decision was made for us. Nature decided otherwise,” he added, noting that teams had been tracking the storms throughout the day.

For logistical reasons, it was impossible for the organizers to reschedule the celebration for the evening of June 24.

“At another time of year, it would have been possible, but on June 24, half of our artists had shows elsewhere. Several technical teams were leaving for the Montreal show. We wish them good luck, even though we’re a bit in competition [...] old remnants of the Canadiens-Nordiques rivalry,” he joked.

The region was under a severe thunderstorm warning on Monday. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) said the storm was “capable of producing very strong wind gusts, up to nickel size hail and heavy rain.”

Two areas north of Quebec City were also temporarily under tornado warnings on Monday. ECCC issued a warning for La Tuque, Que. at around 3:15 p.m. Then, another tornado warning was issued for L’Étape, Que. at around 7 p.m.

- With files from Noovo Info