Kamouraska, land of festivities

Philifest 456 

Opening the tourist season, Philifest 456 takes place between Québec’s Fête nationale and Canada Day.

Philifest has its origins in the 150th anniversary celebrations of Saint-Philippe-de-Néri, the municipality that welcomes you at exit 456 off Highway 20. 456”, as in the name of the festival. We want to make sure you get there safely.

It’s still very young, barely 3 years old, but it’s already attracting a good 1,000 people. For the moment, it’s mostly Kamouraska people, who live here or come back in the summer.

The program is varied and family-friendly. Daytime activities for all ages: bingo under the tent, board games, inflatables, animal trailers…

And let’s not forget the already famous Course des Courailleux. Its 4 distances (1, 3, 5 and 10 km) attract 200 athletes.

The musical program on Friday and Saturday is designed to bring everyone together. A wide range of musical genres to appeal to the widest possible audience and family fun: line dancing, techno, western, franco…

A festive dinner closes the festival. The mastermind, one of the event’s 60 volunteers, takes a week’s vacation to concoct it.

ARCHIPEL, festival d’arts vivants  

Created in 2023 by the Centre d’art de Kamouraska, ARCHIPEL moves from one community to the next, following the wind, inspiration and collaboration. One of the aims is to help residents reclaim their villages and their space, even in the height of the tourist season.

The first day is in Kamouraska, where the Centre d’art is located. The following 2 days, in a market, on a beach, at the top of a steep street… The aim is to offer performances set against the backdrop of our built heritage and landscapes.

You’ll see theater, dance, music, song, circus, slam and all the other disciplines of the living arts, i.e. performances that take place live before our very eyes.

Festival Héritage  

Our newest festival is the Festival Héritage. Its very 1st edition takes place in 2025, in Sainte-Hélène-de-Kamouraska.

The Festival Héritage was born in the wake of the municipality’s 175th anniversary. Citizens enjoyed the festivities so much that they decided to extend the experience.

The program includes baseball, cribbage, basketball and pétanque tournaments, face painting and temporary tattoos, fireworks and live entertainment.

For the 6 shows over 2 evenings, the aim is to mix genres: the well-known, the lesser-known, the local, the not-so-local… All in a festive atmosphere. A headlining comedian completes the program.

The Héritage festival also hosts 3 popular suppers, including the unmissable poulet barbecue, since the new festival is also the heir to the Poulet festival, which moved crowds from the 70s to the 90s.

Bonjour la visite 

The oldest of our festivals, Bonjour la visite was born in 2002, following the celebrations of the city of Saint-Pascal’s 175th anniversary. Today, it welcomes close to 10,000 people.

The festival takes place during the last weekend of the construction vacations. Its aim is to welcome visitors: family, friends, visitors, tourists.

To achieve this, it combines family activities, sports and musical performances. Sports include softball, soccer, volleyball and pétanque, with both men’s and women’s teams. On the entertainment side, there’s a mix of headliners and more local acts. The program focuses on pop music to get young and old up and dancing.

Festival des Générations

Finally, the Festival des Générations was born in 2019 in Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska. At the time, the municipality was experiencing significant demographic growth. The desire to get together with neighbors, both old and new Saint-Alexandre residents, did the rest.

The Festival des Générations is held in mid-August. It combines games for children, teenagers and adults, sports and concerts.

The softball (balle donnée) tournament features a dozen teams, including one from Quebec City and one from Drummondville. The poker tournament features no fewer than 120 players. Children are treated to inflatable games and face painting. Teens can enjoy laser tag, arcade, archery and karaoke.

Evening shows attract over 1,000 people. Friday with popular music, Saturday with a more country feel.

The Ambassadors’ Dinner, with its barbecued ribs, brings together 200 to 250 citizens and their guests in a convivial atmosphere.