By Ruby Pratka
Local Journalism Initiative
For his 30th birthday last year, Farnhamite Gabriel Laguë invited 400 of his closest friends and neighbours to a party at Microbrasserie Farnham, and booked five local bands.
“When I was 18, I went backpacking with a friend and told him I wanted to make a music festival. It was an old dream. When I turned 30, I thought, why not do it?”
He enjoyed the birthday party-slash-festival so much that he decided to make it an annual tradition. The first official edition of the Festival Belle Banlieue is planned for Sept. 26-27 at the Microbrasserie. Eclectic Quebec folk singer-songwriter Bernard Adamus will headline the festival, alongside the festive country band Tailgate Radio and six yet-to-be-named local acts from around the Townships. The full program will be released April 30.
Laguë, a serving army nurse and former volunteer at Soif de Musique in Cowansville, has been working on the festival on evenings, on weekends and on his vacation days. He said he was motivated by the enthusiasm of Farnhamites for his original idea. “Everyone knows everyone in Farnham, and whenever something is going on, people show up,” he said. “We don’t have a festival in Farnham. I want to create an opportunity for people in Farnham to get to go to a real festival without going to a big city. In Farnham, we have great artists, great local businesses, great beer… there’s no reason we can’t do it!”
Mayor Patrick Melchior and town employees were among the guests at Laguë’s original shindig. “I wanted to show them what we could do with a small budget,” Laguë said. For this year’s festival, the town has provided a grant of $5,000, and the Microbrasserie Farnham will provide staff to sell food and drinks. The rest will be managed by Laguë, with help from his longtime friend and Soif de Musique cofounder Edouard Lagacé, in an advisory role; a technical director; and a security team made up of Laguë’s friends. They have also found a few local corporate sponsors and are eager for other local businesses to get involved “in some way that highlights their strengths.”
“The goal is for it to be festive and fun, with no misbehaviour, for everyone to have a good time, to get the party started,” he said. “It’s a first attempt, and I know there will be some kinks to work out. Financially, our goal is to break even…and potentially do something bigger for the town’s 150th birthday next year.”
He added that the name “Belle Banlieue” (which translates to “beautiful suburb”) is “both a nod to and a declaration of love for our reality. Farnham is often seen as just a suburb, but it has a strong identity, a vibrant culture and a close-knit community. We wanted to reclaim this pride and show that the suburbs are beautiful, festive and creative.”