Additional Information
From October 9 to 13, 2025, Les Rendez-vous ès Trad is holding its 34th edition in the National Capital Region. A 5-day fall gathering where storytelling, family activities, traditional songs, and jigging come together for young and old. Located at the magnificent Domaine des Maizerets, the event is a perfect opportunity to combine activities and living heritage during the Thanksgiving long weekend. We caught Cassandre Lambert-Pellerin, one of the co-directors of the organization, between two whirlwind tasks to learn a little more about the program and the atmosphere that can be experienced there during the long weekend.
This content was produced in partnership with La Vitrine
PAN M 360: What was the idea behind creating the És Trad Festival?
Cassandre Lambert-Pellerin: The Centre for the Promotion of Living Heritage has existed since 1981. Initially, it was called Les Danseries de Québec, because at Laval University in the 1970s there was a group of young people who organized traditional dance evenings. Since they were all art students, they also appreciated storytelling and music, so they started thinking about an event that in 1991 saw the light of day under the name Contes et Violons. The idea of creating a highlight during the year continued to be renewed and now, it kind of kicks off our season; during the year, we organize many other dance evenings, concerts, activities, craft fairs and school tours. So, the idea was to perpetuate the original mandate by adapting it to modernity.
PAN M 360: What sets your event apart from other traditional music festivals?
Cassandre Lambert-Pellerin: First of all, it’s not just music, we also have a lot of dance and we also have the song component! (haha) What sets us apart from other festivals is that we don’t have a lot of concerts, we have a lot of activities! We move away from the typical logic of the passive consumer of culture, we’re really not into that. The public is encouraged to participate and everyone is an actor in their culture by coming. In traditional arts, there is this idea and this desire for community that is very, very strong. We are tightly knit as they say, so we try to instill this mentality. In addition to that, we try to push back a little the formats we see in other festivals, like for example Les Trios Éphémères where we draw, from the festival participants, three artists who don’t know each other and will create something together. We also have La Joute Chantée, which is like an improvisation match, but where the answers to the referee’s questions are traditional musical responses. And the audience gets to vote! It’s really great fun and you don’t see it at other festivals.
PAN M 360: Are you targeting a specific clientele in the Capitale-Nationale region?
Cassandre Lambert-Pellerin: We’re definitely happy to welcome people who already love living heritage and traditional arts, but we always find it’s an opportunity to reach out to new audiences. We’re based at the Domaine des Maizerets, which is a superb site and is in a residential area. So there are people who are close by and who are used to visiting the estate who also join us since our program is free. Children are always welcome; living heritage is very intergenerational, and so this year, we’ve set up three new activities for them, at ten o’clock in the morning, really designed for families. Our evening events are very varied: we have gangs from the university as well as retirees! (haha)
PAN M 360: What can people who have never attended the event expect?
Cassandre Lambert-Pellerin: They’re going to meet their future new best friends that they don’t know yet! (haha) I want to emphasize that, even for dance activities, it’s really normal to come alone. The events are designed so that everyone can find a partner on site! I remember, when I first set foot at the festival, someone introduced me to another person, who decided to go around introducing me to everyone (haha)! That’s the atmosphere: a big family!
PAN M 360: What kind of facilities are there on the site?
Cassandre Lambert-Pellerin: We have a large marquee, with a huge wooden floor for dancing. The marquee is at the back of the main building, and since it’s autumn and not so hot, we have a little heating. We also have a few activities taking place in the small chapel, including a private viewing and an introduction to screen printing, as well as the Chalet Lacroix where we hold workshops for the family, singing aperitifs, and late-night jams, where we play music until late.
PAN M 360: Tell us a little about the site chosen to host the festivities?
Cassandre Lambert-Pellerin: This is our third year at Domaine des Maizerets and we are really happy! The activity that concludes the festival each year is a singing hike in the forest, inspired by the time when people sang to cover long market journeys. Previously, we changed parks each year and then eventually we came to the Domaine, where we already sometimes held dance evenings in the main building. It is such a majestic place with its large trees and the community already had a lot of affection for the place so we thought we would contact them to establish the festival’s street frontage!
PAN M 360: What subgenres of music can we find during the weekend?
Cassandre Lambert-Pellerin: The two shows we have this year are Galant, tu perds ton temps, a quintet of traditional Quebec music sung a cappella with lots of harmonies and accompanied only by percussion, and the duo Alexis Chartrand, who is a baroque violinist who grew up in a traditional family and who presents a subtle Quebec repertoire accompanied by the American Nic Gareiss on the jig, or rather flat-footing. It’s a percussive dance originating from the Appalachians, which is much closer to the ground. This means that sometimes the jig becomes more melodic and the violin more percussive, so these are really two super interesting exchanges, well supported by the percussion, which we are very, very excited about and which can refresh the idea we have of traditional performances!
PAN M 360: Why choose early autumn as the event window?
Cassandre Lambert-Pellerin: Traditional music is all year round! (haha) Sometimes people have preconceived ideas, saying: “Ah! Traditional music is good during the holidays! It’s good on Saint-Jean!” aiming at these very specific moments as being those for living heritage, but we established ourselves right in the middle of the two, to remind everyone that there is no bad time. Also, in the Quebec City region, the festival calendar is so full that we are happy to have our little niche in the fall, during the long vacation when people are free.
PAN M 360: Is the team already thinking about the 2026 edition?
Cassandre Lambert-Pellerin: We have lots of great ideas for the next edition that we’re accumulating, guest suggestions and all that, but at the same time we’re also thinking about what’s going to happen in January since we’re also collaborating with Kaléidoscopes, so we can’t wait to be able to unveil all that. But obviously, since we’re two co-directors who took over the organization six years ago and we have a very part-time assistant who helps us a little, we’re getting ahead of ourselves to organize around 300 activities per year! (haha)
