The 26th edition of the Black & Blue Festival will be presented October 5th to 11th under the STARDUST theme.

From October 5 to 11, Montreal will move to the beat of the Black & Blue Festival. The main event will be held overnight in the spectacular Pierre-Charbonneau Amphitheater (located in the Olympic Park at 3000 Viau) Sunday, October 9th from 10 pm to 10 am the following morning. “STARDUST is the thematic representation of the message we want to convey throughout our 2016 programming. Make stardust fall upon our great community so it will shine in all its glory by a bright harvest moon,” says Vézina.

Creators, artisans, and various sound and light technicians will rock the scene with intoxicating music from the best local and international DJ’s invited to entertain the crowd for twelve hours. Yanick Daigle, artistic director for the main event, will later reveal the elements of his creation. Last year, participants were amazed by the originality and quality of his spectacular shows.

The founding president of the BBCM Foundation, Robert J. Vézina, has organized the festival for 26 years to support organizations providing direct assistance to people with HIV/AIDS. He reminds us that the main purpose of the Festival remains the foundation of the entire organization. The BBCM Foundation has already awarded more than $1.5 million in donations and contributions such as free tickets for community organizations, products and services to the community, health promotion, etc.

Black & Blue is also a tourism-related event. Since its conception, hundreds of thousands of tourists have converged in Montreal during the Thanksgiving weekend and produced millions of dollars in economic benefits. Tourism Quebec and Tourism Montreal, two organizations that acknowledged the importance of the Festival and its evolution through the years, also support it.

In 2016, two rooms will be offered at the main event: the principle stadium area and a “chill room” that will provide a relaxing atmosphere together with various stands displaying products or services related to the LGBT community, among other things. Shows will be presented throughout night, on a large stage with cutting edge lighting technology, creating a unique and totally festive party going experience.

As for musical programming, DJs among the most popular on the local, national and international scenes will be presented at the Festival’s main event and at other themed evenings.

The organizers are especially proud to announce, for the first time at the Black & Blue, one of the global giants of the House music scene, legendary British DJ Danny Howells. He will take part in a special extended set.
Danny Howells, Unique and Legendary Native Londoner (UK), his music is often described as belonging to Progressive House, although he prefers positioning himself closer to Tech House and sometimes being referred to as Progressive. He created his Dig Deeper label in 2008 and describes himself as Deepsexyfuturistictechfunkhouse.
Danny is one of the few DJs on the scene today that truly has a style of his own. With his passion for all styles of music and infectious personality, Danny has created a unique, eclectic sound that has established him as one of the most renowned DJs in the world.

He’s played in the world’s coolest clubs and held residencies at places such as Arc, Ministry of Sound, Twilo, Renaissance, The End, and Bedrock, as well as his own Dig Deeper nights worldwide. With a back catalogue of well received mix albums under his belt, he has previously compiled acclaimed mixes for Global Underground, being the only DJ to contribute to not only the main series with his Miami album, but also the 24:7 and Nu-Breed Series. On the remix front Danny has previously mixed records such as Roachford’s “Ride The Storm”, Madonna’s “Get Together”, Marco Bailey’s “Smooth Drive”, and Bent’s “Waiting For You”.

Other artists that have received the remix treatment include We Deliver, Stryke, International Observer, Robbie Williams, David Morales, BT, Chakra, Coco and Stonebridge, Destiny’s Child and many more, including
most recently Felix Da Housecat’s purple tribute, “We All Wanna Be Prince”.

“Montrealers will remember his legendary 13-hour marathon set at the now defunct Montreal Aria Nightclub, 13 years ago. It’s with enormous pride and great joy that the BBCM will welcome Danny Howells as a star DJ at its 26th Black & Blue,” stated
BBCM’s Founding President Robert J. Vézina.

The star DJ will rock the place with a special extended set. Other DJs on the line-up
lasting 12 hours (10 pm to 10 am) include so far :
– Ian Key (Montreal), a rising DJ well known in Montreal and Toronto;
– Alain Jackinsky (Montreal), now a featured DJ everywhere, a Montrealer
very popular in the Gay Party Circuit, in the Americas, and abroad;
– Morabito (NYC), a well-known DJ in the U.S. gay circuit, back after her
flamboyant gig at the 2015 B&B 25th anniversary.

Some key events during the seven-day festival:
• Launching Cocktail (Wednesday, October 5) • Presidents’ Cocktail (Thursday, October 6) • Blue Moon Leather Ball (Friday, October 7) • Twinkle Party (Friday, October 7), a 2016 novelty for the younger crowd • The Big Dipper, Bears & Friends Party (Saturday, October 8) • STARDUST, Black & Blue Main Event (Sunday, October 9) • Pulsar, Recovery Party (Monday, October 10) • Festival Closing Party (Tuesday, October 11)
Several other activities will be offered at various locations in the Village and elsewhere on the fringes of the Festival.

Tickets and Black & Blue VIP passes are already on sale. Information available at BBCM

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment, and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors, and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats. Reach out - bryen@thebuzzmag.ca