2023-08-13 22:03:56
The FTMS ended on Sunday at Quintal Park. For Malika Bajjaje, general manager of the event, this edition was a huge success.
“When we open the doors the first day, the first hour and we see the smile in the first festival-goer, it’s our reward for all the efforts we make,” she says enthusiastically.
“The festival represents today’s Quebec. An inclusive Quebec, a Quebec with a lot of diversity”
— Malika Bajjaje
An immersive experience
For Malika Bajjaje, the cultural immersion offered by the FTMS is unique. And that’s what explains why some came from Montreal or Quebec City just to live the experience.
“They stop us and tell us: this festival doesn’t exist anywhere else! »
— Malika Bajjaje
For loyal festival-goers, several must-haves were in attendance this year. The general manager mentions that the atmosphere, whatever the day, did not disappoint the regulars.
“We only have positive comments. Not only that it was a good show, but that it’s the experience as a whole and that’s what makes us very proud of what we do, ”she recalls.
The participatory side of the festival attracted many visitors. As much for taking introductory dance classes as for promoting exchanges between the artists and the public.
“This year, for example, we put on a culinary workshop to introduce people to cooking. That’s a participatory festival, it’s not just the shows”, cites the general manager as an example.
Reduction of parking spaces
Once once more this year, parking spaces were a major challenge for the festival organizers.
“It’s very difficult for us because we still lost almost 80% of the reception capacity because of the rain,” says Ms. Bajjaje.
However, the organizers were able to free up parking spaces by collaborating with the City of Sherbrooke. Ms. Bajjaje also assures that there has been an increase in traffic to the shuttles.
“In the future, we really need to put solutions in place. We also have the financial challenge with all the inflation that we experience every year, ”she underlines.
Restaurateurs and artists satisfied
Every year, the gastronomic corner of the World Traditions Festival welcomes fifteen local restaurateurs to introduce the public to world cuisine. This year once more, several restaurateurs, from Colombian tamales to ash reshteh, a traditional Iranian soup, have made their mark to delight the taste buds of festival-goers.
“The restaurant area is a favorite of everyone, it completes the experience. […] They are restaurateurs from our region and it also allows them to go out and make themselves known, ”underlines the general manager.
For the last day of the festivities, the FTMS presented an introduction to the handpan, an acoustic instrument considered to be the most recent instrument in history, an introduction to Irish dancing and the last workshop at the Espace littéraire with Philippe Manevy. The Arashi Daiko group presented Japanese culture by playing the traditional drum, the Taiko. The festivities ended with Ayrad, a North African groove music group.
Ms. Bajjaje indicates that the organization intends once once more to study the strengths of the FTMS and the proposals of festival-goers for the coming years. From the month of January, the work of the organizers will resume for a next edition.
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