Construction has started for the 19th edition of The International Garden Festival from June 23 to October 7, 2018 at at Les Jardins de Métis, the gateway to the Gaspé Peninsula.
Each year the Festival exhibits conceptual gardens created by more than seventy architects, landscape architects and designers from various disciplines in a pristine environment on the banks of the St. Lawrence River.
Since its inception in 2000, more than 175 gardens have been exhibited at Grand-Métis and as extra-mural projects in Canada and around the world. Presented at Les Jardins de Métis, at the gateway to the Gaspé Peninsula, the Festival is held on a site adjacent to the historic gardens created by Elsie Reford, thereby establishing a bridge between history and modernity, and a dialogue between conservation, tradition and innovation.
A National Historic Site and Québec heritage site, the Reford Gardens / Jardins de Métis is one of the most popular attractions in the Gaspésie region, providing visitors with experiences for every sense. Located on the banks of the St. Lawrence and Mitis rivers, they were created between 1926 and 1958 by avid gardener and plant collector, Elsie Reford. Hydro-Québec has been the lead sponsor of the Reford Gardens since 1999.
This year, the Festival continues its exploration of play with Playsages II – Go Outside and Play! and has chosen seven projects that will offer imaginative spaces where families will congregate and play together this summer.The new installations will join the six play stages created for 2017 edition of the Festival that delighted nearly 10,000 children who came with their families, day camps and school groups and 13 other gardens returning for exhibition again this year. The 2018 Festival is also presenting installations on the rooftop of the Musée de la civilisation in Quebec City and on the place De La Dauversière in Old Montréal.
The new gardens selected by the jury for the 2018 edition are:
1. aMAIZEing by Marta Milà Pascual, architect & landscape architect and Marc Torrellas Arnedo, architect – Barcelona, Spain
2. L’origine de la colonne by Josep Congost and Louis Sicard, architects and artists – Valencia, Spain
3. La ligne de 100 ans by hatem+d [Étienne Bernier, architect, Marianne Charbonneau, architect, Mélanie Dereymez, intern in architecture, Théo Jarrand, intern in architecture and Steeven Bérubé, 3D artist] – Québec (Québec) Canada
4. Le rocher très percé by Humà Design [Stéphanie Cardinal, designer, Olivier Laplante-Goulet multidisciplinary designer and Lorelei L’Affeter, artiste] and Vincent Lemay, landscape architect – Montréal (Québec) Canada
5. Les hélicoptères by Carson Isenor, landscape designer and Anna Thomas, MLA candidate – Vancouver (British Columbia) Canada
6. Round-A-Bout by ISO [Nuala O’Donnell, intern architect, Maxwell Schnutgen, intern architect and Etienne Issa, architectural designer] – Vancouver (British Columbia) Canada
7. Assemble by Katie Strang, landscape designer, Christine Dewancker, artist and carpenter and Craig Van Ravens, architectural designer – Toronto (Ontario) Canada received a special mention from the jury and will offer a playsage for visitors of all ages – some assembly required!
Festival: June 23 to October 7, 2018 @ Jardins de Métis.
Admission Rates:
Adults: $20
Students: $17
Young Adult (14 to 18 years old): $10
Children (13 and under): Free