Fuego Fuego: A safe festival

Olivier Primeau and his team have been talking about creating a major Latin music festival in Montreal for some time. This Saturday, Fuego Fuego will settle in the esplanade of the Olympic Park and the organizer promises an event with tight security, without overflow.

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Olivier Primeau is looking forward to Saturday. The promoter expects 15,000 to 17,000 Latin music fans in a single day of the festival. He has been thinking about this event since Sean Paul’s visit to the Beach Club in 2016 was a great success.

“In 2018, we started talking about Metro Metro and in the beginning, we had Latino headliners, explained Olivier Primeau. But one of my partners made me realize that one day it would be better to put Latin aside to have a festival. Latin music is exploding on the planet and Montreal is the first Latin festival of this size. We are very happy.”

The promoter explained that he learned a lot from the last edition of the Metro Metro Festival (in May), where excessive parties (fences, fights, altercations with the police, people climbing security barriers to access the site without a ticket) )

“We’re talking about an event with 25,000 people and 2,000 to 3,000 trying to get over the barriers, he explained. We lost control with barriers and people climbing ladders to get in without paying. For Fuego Fuego, at 15,000 people, no problem. We changed the stage angle a bit, We worked with the entrance, the police, the fire brigade, I think it goes very well. I’ve done about ten Latino shows, never overflows. Good, polite clientele, they come to dance and have fun. »

A smaller crowd, older clientele than hip-hop fans (average age 19-20 to 25 years) and a more rigorous search at the entrance of the site, according to him, a quiet festival day, but just a festival. “From Metro Metro, I have learned to anticipate more than we think. You should be prepared to deal with overflows and fences rather than bars and toilets. »

Fuego fuego

“We have partnerships with Latin music posts, podcasts, Latin influencers and everyone is happy,” continues Olivier Primeau. We searched and found all the best Latin artists in Montreal. We actually exceeded our ticket sales target, which is a big deal at the end of such a big festival season. »

His fuego fuego, he sees as dancing, festive and colorful. Organizers recommend festival-goers arrive early (site opens at 12:30 p.m.) for great discoveries by lesser-known artists throughout the day, which ends at 11 p.m. “El Alfa, Farruco (his must-see show), all these artists that we know a little less about, the Latino community knows them and we’re very excited about their arrival,” he added.

The one-day, single-stage festival, which was announced just two-and-a-half months ago (due to the uncertainty of the pandemic), may last two or three days over several stages next year. At least this is what Olivier Primeau wishes.

The Fuego Fuego festival takes place this Saturday from 12:30pm to 11pm on the Esplanade of the Olympic Park. Festivalfuegofuego.com