Big crowds enjoy outdoor Fringe Festival at Parc des Amériques photo: Courtesy Montreal Fringe Festival

Now boasting attendance of over 50,000, the Fringe was looking to move "Fringe Central," the area reserved for the box office, live outdoor music stage and beer tent, to Parc Jeanne-Mance because the festival has become too large for their regular locale, Parc des Amériques.

"After consideration of our proposal," Hechtman says, "the city said, 'You can't have Jeanne-Mance Park, you can't have Parc des Amériques, you can't have any park on the Plateau, go somewhere else.'"

But Hechtman points out the Fringe has already booked and paid for all of their Plateau venues. Still, the city is reacting to noise complaints from 12 people. "It's easier for [the city] to just get rid of the festival than to say no to those 12 people," Hechtman says, adding, "Many people who live in the [surrounding] condos have written us letters of support."

However, Hechtman says new residents "moving into the [former] Paris Star building have complained or possibly will complain and they [the city] don't want to deal with that."

According to Hechtman, the city's idea of a compromise is to allow the Fringe to set up shop in Parc des Amériques - but with no live music until the festival's final weekend, and with a 9 p.m. curfew as opposed to the usual one at 11 p.m. or midnight. With the beer tent being the festival's main source of revenue and the park being the purchase point for tickets, The Fringe is left in a situation where it can't make any money.

The Fringe is dealing with Plateau borough mayor Helen Fotopoulos, who had not returned Hour's phone calls by press time.

 
 

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Fringe Alumni     I did a show in 2004 called Fathers Day, now called Basic Training. The Montreal Fringe was one of the best things that happened in my career. I came all the way from Los Angeles because I heard how Montreal was a festival city and you just had to see it. Since then I've done the Melbourne, Edinburgh, and Vancouver Fringes. None of them compare. Please don't let these 12 people ruin something so phenomenal. Artists are the voices that amplify our society's dreams. It takes more than a dirty dozen to snuff it out. Much love to Montreal.
Kahlil Ashanti	{5 votes}	April 6th, 2006
How to preserve your culture     Now that even the Fringe has to fight for it's right to party, it's time to look at the big picture and think about what culture actually is. It's not about condos, it's not about bureaucracy, it's not about corporate branding and it's most definitely not about money. Unfortunately, money now talks louder than all else. Condo owners looking for peace and quiet on The Main (?) are, according to the Fringe, more important to the city than artists who want to have a beer in the park past 10pm. Street-level postering, the only way for some artists to get the message out, is big no-no, while billboard trucks paid for by corporate money puff freely up our streets. Two summers ago, the St-Laurent street merchants association even sold the lower half of The Main to Bavaria Beer, turning part of the street fest into one big commercial, complete with stealth marketers and reality advertisements. If we want to reclaim our culture, the first step is to proudly declare that it is not for sale. We can do this if we stop depending on questionable sources of money, such as unethical corporate sponsorships, and embrace a Do-It-Yourself mentality. The infringement Festival, for example, has been running on a budget of next to nothing for the past two years and has no shortage of artists that want to play. The best way to fight the commodification of the culture and gentrification of the Plateau is to take matters into our own hands and not rely on bureaucrats and corporate beer sponsors to call the shots.
Jason C. McLean	{6 votes}	April 5th, 2006
Can you say gentrification     This is a typical story: artists work hard in a part of town hard hit by a recession, and help revitalize it with their projects and art. The community supports and incubates these efforts and a great event with artistic and economic spin-offs develops. IN the process, the part of the city becomes "hip", and attracts a middle-class population ot the idea of living in that part of town. But of course they bring their suburban mentality with them, and get their backs up over a ten day festival in their backyard. Note to Paris Star condo dwellers: you knew you were buying a place beside an urban public park. Maybe public spaces just get used as a dog toilet out in Dollard or Sainte-Rose, but that's not the case on the Plateau, where there is a desperate shortage of public spaces. So suck it up! I used to live right next to the Portugese church at Rachel and Saint Urbain and had to put up with endless weekend festivals of dawn to dusk brass band and accordion music, and then inispid Europop singers until late at night. Sure I nearly went bonkers, but I didn't go crying to city hall.
Max Webster	{22 votes}	April 3rd, 2006
On the Fringes....     wow, it's hard to believe that a fest that has been making such considerable strides in recent years is now also making such incredible waves. I can't believe that this has issue has been so incredibly blown out of proportion. How can such a small minority of people dictate the end of a fest that has become nothing short of a cultural phenomenon?!?
Mark St Pierre	{16 votes}	March 30th, 2006
Party poopers     Prior to reading this article I had never heard of the Fringe Festival. Now I feel like I am really missing out on something. Montreal is known for it's nightlife...it's festivals. Why should 12 people stop that from continuing? If you want solitude, retire to the country. This reminds me of the condo dwellers at the Old Port who wanted to stop the fireworks from happening. Apparently they are losing sleep over this. What else would cause them to complain? I think the answer to that question is that these 12 people are simply getting old. Yes, this is an assumption. My opinion is that they don't want any "hoodlums" running around causing a ruckus. An elder once said to me that if anyone was out after midnight they were up to no good. Who else can't deal with an 11:00 curfew? Please...give it a rest. We "hoodlums" are your future.
Angela Jette	{25 votes}	March 30th, 2006
Hechtman on the Cross???     Although i'm not too fond of the way that the Fringe TM has been running their Montreal Fest in the past few years I have to agree with them in the case of the noise complaints on the main. If you buy an apartment/condo on St-Laurent, don't expect it to be quiet. Move to West Mount if you want quiet. However, I do find it odd that Jeremy Hechtman claims that the whole Fringe Festival is in trouble because of the loss of beer revenue when they have a budget of $300 000. I know that the Infringement Festival operated with about $750 last year, had over 65 acts and 13 venues. Surely the Fringe can operate with even a fraction of their 300 thousand. But even though I don't see it as the great tragedy that Jeremy Hechtman is painting it out to be, i'm with him in this case because frankly, these complaints are rather absurd.
Jay Lemieux		April 6th, 2006
For the Festival Capital of the World to do this is Crazy!!!     I have visited the grand daddy of all fringe Festival's the Edinburgh Fringe and it is HUGE, 400 venues, tons of shows running almost 24 hours a day for a bit less than a month... I think that whenever you have a festival people know that you must deal with noise and increased traffic. It is common sense and if the city really wanted to change things they should have notified the Fringe LAST SUMMER not start giving commands at the last minute when it is too late to do anything about it. The Fringe is at heart a Plateau festival that goes to the roots of the area as an artist oriented community. The real problem is the gentrification of the area, how many struggling artists can afford to live in the Plateau these days??? You need to have been living there for awhile at the low rents with the legal increases, if you are just moving there today you are looking at VERY high rents. So the only people who can afford to move there are the yuppies that are drawn to places labeled as "hip" by the media... they have no cool of their own so need to get it through associating with cool neighbourhoods... Then these stick in the muds have the nerve to move into the BAR and PARTY area of Montreal and complain about noise and drunkeness!!! What are you dumb??? If you don't like that kind of thing stay in the suburbs, don't move near St-Laurent and then complain. This is like people moving next door to an airport(ie Dorval) and then complaining about the noise... if you don't like something about an area DON'T MOVE THERE!!! It's really simple, if you move there anyways you know what you are getting into and have no right to complain unless things are really excessive and in my opinion the Fringe has been doing a good job in keeping things within bounds. Keep it up Fringe and to the City if you are reading, don't wreck a good thing for the sake of a dozen people complaining when thousands more are having a great time.
Philip Starecky	{5 votes}	April 3rd, 2006
News flash!     Y'know, my heart genuinely understands where the 12 people who filed their complaint are coming from. I mean, who hasn't been woken up or annoyed by some loud idiot who just doesn't respect your personal space? Really I get it...now, having said that allow me to tell the dirty dozen of you to shove it! ~ Ok, that wasn't polite of me but what did you expect? The Montreal Fringe Festival is just about the coolest event this city has to offer and because City Hall has the spine and brains of a burnt marshmellow we might lose it. Think of the money and prestige you're throwing away! Is that smart business for the city? Is it? Yeah, I didn't think so. 12 naysayers and the city trembles? What utter bull! The city was just looking for a way to put the screws to the Fringe's organizers I'd say and this allowed them the opportunity to do so. To please 12 people you're wiling to piss off hundreds maybe even thousands or people and God only know how much money is being potentially turned away. Marginal logic at its best.
Pedro Eggers	{4 votes}	April 3rd, 2006
Montreal can't be that stupid can it     In a time where the city of Montreal desperately needs some sort of income from other revenue sources, it decides to put its foot down on a festival that generates cash. That's because of 12 taxpayers who decide they don't like the noise levels of the festival. Well how about those 12 go buy some extra windows to block out the noise. I live pretty close to ground level near party central of Montreal (St. Laurent street, right above Sherbrooke). During the summer I hear cars, drunk revellers and happy people in general. Sleeping get's pretty difficult, but I live with it. I close my windows and bear with the heat with my fan turned on high. Why? Because these people are spending money, because I know Montreal is a party town and if I wanted to sleep then I should move to St. Laurent or something like that. I cannot believe the Montreal government would make such an idiotic decision. If the fringe goes on here's what they get: 1) money from the rental of the parks, 2) money from tourists, 3) money from people spending money in downtown Montreal, keeping all businesses alive. After all that's why we have all these festivals right? Why don't I just complain that the fireworks festival is too noisy with that bang bang at 10 o'clock at night? How about that Jazz festival? All those people living down there must be living a nightly hell when it goes on. Oh and by the way I'm being sarcastic, but I'm sure everyone get's the point. Festivals earn this city a reputation and an income, it's just as important as Hockey (after all we need SOMETHING to do in the summer). We've become the festival capital of the world, with the Fringe being an important part of the city landscape. I hope that the Montreal government look at their decision on this festival and logic will prevail. I hope... but governments aren't always logical.
Alexander Yu	{2 votes}	April 3rd, 2006
Theatrical Complaints     The rights of so many dictated by the rights of a few is probably whats at the surface here. Maybe at the bottom of this is a leaning away from a disfavored Anglo theatre presence on the plateau. Isn't there enough of a spin off in city renvenue that would make the city happy? So what if there is an occasional open air event in their midst; I don't hear of complains downtown from condo residents in the midst of the Jazz Fest. So maybe somebody in the old city hall doesn't like theater as opposed to jazz? It doesn't make sense. Imposing a curfew at a beer stand sends away theater goers who combine the show with a drink and helps to bring popularity to the city of festivals. I could also argue that I live on the plateau and am not complaining about the late night music from Theatre Verte in Parc Lafontaine. What would the city do if there was a petition to have that displaced or halted because of the summer rowdiness that causes?In short, if you want to find an arguement to appease residents at the cost of closing these venues, then you'd have to deal with all of them or none at all! There is also plenty of misused or unused property that the city could redevelop in conjuction with Fringe owners where noise is less of an issue.
Martin Dansky	{3 votes}	April 2nd, 2006
The show must go on     Why are these people complaining?They live in the plateau next to a park.What do they expect?Why not join in the fun,have a drink and enjoy the free entertainment on those sultry nights when it is difficult to sleep anyway. To the organizers of the Fringe I say find another park.Why not Maisonneuve or Lafontaine Park?The present location is too small anyway.This is a minor glitch and you should not jeopardize this event that so many of us have come to enjoy.
Mary Libby Talevi	{3 votes}	April 2nd, 2006
Failure to Fringe...     Don't you just love my titles? I work hard on my alliteration, I must admit. But before you think that you have me figured out, as a wannabe writer, or a movie buff, or something of the like, know this - I have not & will not be seeing that SJP movie attrocity ''Failure to Launch'' - aid to my catchy title. There now, with that out of the way, back to the issue at hand, the Fringe Festival being bullied by Montreal Plateau borough mayor. The whole article gives the reader the impression that the city officials are truly being too hard and unfair to the Fringe organizers. And surely over the years they've attracted more than 12 fans to the shindig, hence causing it to be called a 'Festival'... But will the city folks recognize that? I suppose not?! Those 12 complainers must be some pretty powerful people since they've managed not only to hinder their parc accommodations, but also their actual Fringe Festival activities as a consequence. For shame is all I can say. For shame Ms. mayor Helen Fotopoulos. Peace.
Dawn Manhertz	{5 votes}	April 1st, 2006
For the better for a few?     its very simple, do we take into consideration the views of a few unqualified individuals over that of many many more individuals. people complain..that's what we are best at, rather than finding the solution to a problem, we just complain hoping someone else will take action and then we'll still complain on that action. that's how it is, both in the parliament and in the real world. so if a few people complain about the noise (who i'm sure are just some annoying individuals) do we shut down something that helps identify the culture and life of summer in the plateau for so long a time, no! thinking rationally, on one side we've the noise complains, makes sense, every individual has the rights to live in a quite neighbourhood, but if that's what you are looking for then why are you living here in the plateau, go to ndg or west island or some suburb. you can life next to the drum factory and shout u hate the noise of drums. on the other hand, the frindge festival generates revenue both directly and indirectly for the city. it helps promote tourism and not to forget the culture aspect of it, so i think the city is being irrational when they refuse them from performing. but than what do i know, i'm just a fan of music and culture.
Amrut Kar	{4 votes}	April 1st, 2006
Not for Me     I have never attended the Fringe Festival in the past and would therefore not give a care if they went under. People in the area who work hard for a living deserve to have quiet residential surroundings so their nerves will not get rattled by the unruly crowds. Fringe fans need indoor venues where they can raise the roof and not disturb their neighbours.
Stephen Talko	{4 votes}	April 1st, 2006
Are you kidding me? The excuse is a joke!     Denying the Fringe all locations on the plateau? Imposing curfews? Is it just me or is the mayor one of those overprotective mothers who tries too hard to blindfold her kids from the debauchery of Fringe (we all love it and there's a million reasons why it should be represented in a healthy society, but you gotta admit Fringe has its *ahem* quirkiness). I mean gimme a break, twelve people is not a serious reason to stop a 50000-attendee festival. This is obviously a cheap excuse for something else, maybe my guess at the truth behind it is wrong, but I'm pretty sure this is just a front. Cmoon people, let's get this ball moving! If we get just thirteen comments, we can email the link to the dear Mayor. Ha! Two can play 'abuse democracy'.
Malcolm Ecks	{4 votes}	March 31st, 2006
Hard to make moves!     The Fringe Fest is part of Montreal. Montreal is known to some for the Fringe Fest. How can overwhelming attendance be a bad thing? Isn't it good to see that something that started off in Montreal has become such an attraction? I don't see why you would deny the organizers of this fest any space, be it new or the same place they've been at for so many years now. Why take away something that's going strong, and raking in business and even some tourists? I mean, it'd be a different story if this fest was a waste of money and space and no one attended. But, that's SO not the case! I believe that Montreal is known for the summer time festivals going on almost every week. Why take away something that's part of us, as a people as a whole?
Meghna Patel		March 31st, 2006
Short Sighted!     I think the city, or more specifically, the borough in this case is being a bit short sighted. We could argue that the Fringe is helping foster talented people who will go on to have illustrious careers but let's face it that's not what the city understands. It's too abstract. What they understand is cold hard cash! The Fringe Festival attracts 50,000 people and is growing every year. 50,000 people is nothing to sneeze at. That's fifty thousand people who are spending their hard earned money on the plateau. How many people will the festival attract in 5, 10, 20 years??? We are a city who's tourist industry relies heavily in the summer on the amount of festivals we have. That translates into millions of dollars in revenue for local businesses. Can we afford to lose a festival which is, I must reiterate, expanding because 12 people think it's too noisy? Would they shut down Just for Laughs, Jazz Fest, or Grand Prix if a few people complained? Of course not! So, Mayor Fotopoulos, give them Jeanne Mance park and be the mayor who helped another of Montreal's great festivals become even greater. If the prospect of more cash flowing into your borough isn't enough to sway your decision think about it from a political point of view. People tend to remember the loss of a festival come election time. To the organizers of the Fringe I wish good luck. I'm sure things will work themselves out. Don't stop fighting. Long live the Montreal Fringe Festival!
Rob Polka	{9 votes}	March 31st, 2006
The minority only rules in Ottawa... (or so we thought)     Typically most political decisions in this city (and province... and country...) are PAINSTAKINGLY egalitarian. What special powers do these 12 plateau residents (living in a more than busy intersection) have over 50,000 people that vote with their feet, ticket sales, and support of local artists and businesses? Note: many of these 50,000 people are current and former Plateau residents, folks part of the "fringe" that moved into the Plateau, allowed art to thrive, and then left after the rents rose and the condo market got hotter. Can't everyone get visiting rights once in a while? It is a public park, right? Perhaps the Fringe Festival has gotten too big for the Parc des Ameriques. Why should the Fringe be vituperativley shut out of any Plateau park? It just doesn't smell right, does it?.
Laura O'Laughlin	{3 votes}	March 30th, 2006
What is wrong with these prudes?     That's right I said Prudes! We're getting closer to Summertime,the weather is beautifull & people are happy & want to share it! Why ruin it for everyone else? No music until the the festival's final weekend, and with a 9 p.m. curfew as opposed to the usual one at 11 p.m. or midnight? What? Why? Because of 12 people? 12 Prudes? What about the rest of us who actually want to enjoy our summer nights? This is riddiculous behavior! After 11pm I'd understand one's frustration seeing the law states no loud music or noise after 11pm...but none at all during the whole festival except for the last week-end? & only until 9pm? On a week-end??? Would they force me to kick out my friends after 9pm on a week-end too if I had a party? Nice summer to you too...Party poopers!!!
Karima H Chiali	{4 votes}	March 30th, 2006
Don't ruin it for everyone!     I can partly understand why people living there are upset... but.... didn't they move to the Plateau to be around an exciting part of the city? There are plenty of quiet places in the West Island. If you move downtown you should realize that there will be times when there will be noise. Instead of staying inside, and complaining about it, why not go outside and enjoy it? I would love to have the Fringe at my doorstep..! Unlike a lot of other Festivals, that cost money, the Fringe is free or very cheap. So get out and enjoy it!
Eric Wilson	{10 votes}	March 30th, 2006
Are they nuts?     12 people to bring down the Fringe? 12 people?! Does the city even realize how popular the Fringe actually is? Sure it isn't the Jazz fest but it's not chopped liver either. If the city closes down the Fringe they're complete tools of political correctness.
Eric Bertrand		April 5th, 2006
Do the math     is there a petition out there for this....i think its absolutely ridiculous that all of a sudden every possible location is refused and curfews are set up earlier.....i think there should be a petition for both sides and whoever gets the most signatures should have what they want...isnt that how it works here...majority vote....i mean 12 people complained...cmon how many people attent this thing compared to those 12 people who are unhappy about it...if the city sides with those 12, how many do you think are gonna be upset at the fact that there will no longer be a fringe festival, who are they gonna side with when those 50 000 people complain...
Mona Menassa	{6 votes}	March 30th, 2006

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