Parc Jean-Drapeau
Encyclopedia
Parc Jean-Drapeau is situated to the east of downtown Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
, in the Saint Lawrence River
. It comprises two islands, Saint Helen's Island
and the artificial island
Île Notre-Dame
.
The islands were the site of the Expo 67
World's Fair
. Île Notre-Dame was constructed for the exposition. The park was renamed in honour of Jean Drapeau
, the late mayor of Montreal and initiator of Expo 67.
Since 1978 Île Notre-Dame
hosts the annual Canadian Grand Prix
, at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
, with the exception of 1987 and 2009. The Montreal Casino
, the Beach, the Olympic Basin, the Floralies Gardens and the pavillon of Canada are also located on the island. Île Sainte-Hélène hosts "La Ronde" amusement park
belonging to Six Flags
as well as the Complexe aquatique de l'île Sainte-Hélène (Aquatic Complex), public pools built for the FINA
championships in 2005.
It is the site of the studio of Radio-Classique Montréal
as well as the site of many outdoor concerts. Bands such as Coldplay
, Dave Matthews Band
, Radiohead
, Metallica
, Bon Jovi
, Iron Maiden
and Nickelback
have performed in the park. The Vans Warped Tour and the Osheaga Festival
is also located there almost every year. The metal festival Heavy MTL
is also held there annually.
A snowboarding
park was added in winter 2009.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, in the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
. It comprises two islands, Saint Helen's Island
Saint Helen's Island
Saint Helen's Island is an island in the Saint Lawrence River, in the territory of the city of Montreal. It is situated immediately southeast of the Island of Montreal, in the extreme southwest of Quebec. It forms part of the Hochelaga Archipelago...
and the artificial island
Artificial island
An artificial island or man-made island is an island or archipelago that has been constructed by people rather than formed by natural means...
Île Notre-Dame
Île Notre-Dame
Île Notre-Dame is an artificial island built in 10 months from 15 million tons of rock excavated for the Montreal Metro in 1965. It was created for Expo 67 to celebrate Canada's centennial. The island is part of the city of Montreal and forms part of the Hochelaga Archipelago...
.
The islands were the site of the Expo 67
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
World's Fair
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
. Île Notre-Dame was constructed for the exposition. The park was renamed in honour of Jean Drapeau
Jean Drapeau
Jean Drapeau, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as mayor of Montreal from 1954 to 1957 and 1960 to 1986...
, the late mayor of Montreal and initiator of Expo 67.
Since 1978 Île Notre-Dame
Île Notre-Dame
Île Notre-Dame is an artificial island built in 10 months from 15 million tons of rock excavated for the Montreal Metro in 1965. It was created for Expo 67 to celebrate Canada's centennial. The island is part of the city of Montreal and forms part of the Hochelaga Archipelago...
hosts the annual Canadian Grand Prix
Canadian Grand Prix
The Canadian Grand Prix , abbreviated as gpc, is an annual auto race held in Canada starting in 1961. It has been part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967...
, at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a motor racing circuit, venue for the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series....
, with the exception of 1987 and 2009. The Montreal Casino
Montreal Casino
The Casino de Montréal is a casino located on the Île Notre-Dame in Montreal, Quebec. It is the largest casino in Canada, and one of the largest casinos in the world. The casino is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week to patrons aged 18 and older. It opened October 9, 1993.-Features:The...
, the Beach, the Olympic Basin, the Floralies Gardens and the pavillon of Canada are also located on the island. Île Sainte-Hélène hosts "La Ronde" amusement park
La Ronde (amusement park)
La Ronde is an amusement park in Montreal, owned and operated by Six Flags. It is the largest in the province of Quebec and the second largest in Canada after Canada's Wonderland, with about 2.5 million guests in 2006...
belonging to Six Flags
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
as well as the Complexe aquatique de l'île Sainte-Hélène (Aquatic Complex), public pools built for the FINA
International Swimming Federation
Fédération Internationale de Natation is the International Federation recognized by the International Olympic Committee for administering international competition in the aquatic sports...
championships in 2005.
It is the site of the studio of Radio-Classique Montréal
CJPX-FM
CJPX-FM is a French-language Canadian radio station located in Montreal, Quebec.Owned and operated by Radio-Classique Montréal, an independent company 90% owned by Jean-Pierre Coallier, it broadcasts on 99.5 MHz using an omnidirectional antenna with an effective radiated power of 8,700 watts .The...
as well as the site of many outdoor concerts. Bands such as Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
, Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
, Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
, Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
and Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
have performed in the park. The Vans Warped Tour and the Osheaga Festival
Osheaga Festival
The Osheaga Music and Arts Festival is a multi-day rock festival in Montreal, Quebec, that is held annually at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène every summer. The 2006 festival attracted a crowd of around 25,000 people. The second edition was held on September 8 and 9, 2007...
is also located there almost every year. The metal festival Heavy MTL
Heavy MTL
Heavy MTL is a two-day heavy metal and hard rock festival in Montreal, Quebec, at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène held in the summer. The 2008 edition attracted a crowd of around 36,000 people....
is also held there annually.
A snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
park was added in winter 2009.