Although Saturday may already have been a rainy washout for some of those who’d been planning to attend the first day of the City of Laval’s Fête de la famille outdoor celebration on Labour Day weekend, the good news is that all-day sunshine is in the forecast for day two on Sunday.
One of the city’s largest annual outdoor gatherings is taking place at the Centre de la nature over two days instead of one day as is usually the case.
From 10 am to 5 pm on both dates, the city is staging a special two-day celebration to mark the fact that 2025 is the 60th anniversary of the City of Laval’s founding in 1965.
With an emphasis on sports and games, the celebration will include a multitude of activities, shows and hosted activities for children as well as adults.
“This special staging of the Fête de la famille is an occasion to celebrate once again our 60 years of community life in Laval by bringing together young and old around a schedule of programming that is rich and festive,” says Mayor Stéphane Boyer.
“These moments of celebration reinforce the link that holds us together with feelings of belonging, nourishing our pride in being from Laval and it makes me happy to see this growing from year to year.”
Over the two days of this year’s Fête de la famille, there will be three zones for activities in the Centre de la nature. The first, the Turbulence Zone, is for those who like to move.
It will feature a big overhead Zip Line, a climbing wall, a dance workshop, sports challenges, an expo of heavy equipment, members of the Laval Rocket hockey team, officers from the Laval Police with their mascot Flair, BMX stunt bike displays and an initiation to pumptrack cycling.
The second zone is dedicated to budding young geniuses. It will feature science workshops, nature talks and exhibits, a mobile library, giant games, digital challenges with the Laval public library’s Espace numérique, an exposition of archeological artifacts, and a section about animal protection.
Finally, the third zone is for the very young. It will feature inflatable games, face painting, a mini-Zip Line, a firefighters’ challenge led by staff from the Laval Fire Dept., a circus village (Opération Bazar), and opportunities to meet unusual characters strolling around the Centre de la nature.
For teens and older persons seeking something a little more exciting, there are two new features at this year’s Fête de la famille: BMX and pumptrack will be filling the bill.
As well, over the two days a number of young performers alone and in teams will be staging shows on the Fête de la famille’s main stage, in the mini-village on the Centre de la nature site, and in front of the main big top tent.
They include Arthur L’Aventurier, the Switch dance group, Zak the challenger, Ariane Deslions, as well as Hiatus, Juju and Marcelle, L’agent Jean, Maddox, Aventurosaure and Les Volk.
Finally, near the Turbulence Zone, there will be an exhibition of equipment used by the Laval Police Dept., whose officers will be on hand to explain what they’re for and how they work.
It’s worth noting that the Fête de la famille will be taking place rain or shine, regardless of the prevailing weather on Saturday and Sunday August 30 and 31.
To ensure the safety of everyone during the event, Avenue du Parc which runs along the west side of the Centre de la nature will be closed to motor vehicle traffic on both days.
Special measures for parking will be in place, and shuttle buses provided by the Société de transport de Laval will help facilitate access to the Fête de la famille site.
