DIVERS/CITÉ 2012 – 20th spectacular edition Montreal, July 17, 2012 – The 20th anniversary edition of Divers/Cité sets the summer ablaze with incomparable sights and sounds from July 30 to August 5.

A bold move to Montreal’s Old Port and an incredible programming are sure to secure Divers/Cité’s position as one of North America’s best free outdoor events.

Divers/Cité is much more than a dance party, it’s a congregation of some of the world’s hottest performers and music makers coming together with one goal in mind – taking festival-goers on an unparalleled visual and sound adventure.

Divers/Cité : la fête gaie de Montréal / All Together Different. MOVING IMAGES AND MOVING SONGS

Kicking of the 20th edition with a free picture film under the stars, this year’s Cinéma dans le Parc screens Ferzan Ozpetek’s Mine Vaganti (Le Premier qui l’a dit). Tommaso thinks he has the perfect way to liberate himself from heterosexuality and co-inheriting his family’s pasta factory: tell his father he’s gay. Little does he know that someone else will beat him to the punch in this dissection of family, love, and personal freedom. A lively script peppered with plot twists and mixing poetry with the prosaic in the grand tradition of commedia all’italiana, Ozpetek’s gentle satire of a large bourgeois family is full of humour and heart.

In Italian with French subtitles, the film begins at 9pm at Théâtre de Verdure in Park Lafontaine on Monday, July 30.

   The longest running variety show in Québec, 1, Boulevard des Rêves finds a spectacular new address on the Loto-Québec Stage at Pier Jacques-Cartier, Thursday August 2 starting at 8pm. Under the musical direction of Robin Chemtov and hosted by the one-and-only Marleen Menard, 1, Boulevard des Rêves boasts a polished line-up of 16 performers including:
Alexandre Désilets
Johanne Blouin
Stéphanie Bédard
Elizabeth Blouin
Brathwaite
Manon Brunet,
Geneviève Charest,
Carolyn Fe,
Angel Forrest,
Gardy Fury,
Julie Massicotte,
Paul Mathieu,
Mélanie Renaud and
Kim Richardson.

Also, performing some of her fan favourites is Marie Denise Pelletier and closing the show with his Serge Gainsbourg-inspired sounds is the darling of the Quebec dance scene, Stefie Shock.

Montreal’s sexy DJ and singer Sandy Duperval opens the night with her enticing beats at 6pm.    DJ SUPERSTARS AND OUTSTANDING PERFORMERS

The weekend kicks off Friday, August 3 at 3:30pm with the freshly minted Ohh La La! that features first-time and returning artists from both near and far.

Representing the Netherlands at the Grande Place on Pier Jacques-Cartier is legendary Dutch DJ duo Chocolate Puma, Brazil’s delegate is the one and only Ana Paula – and from just down the 401, Toronto’s Shawn Riker who welcomes the arrival of the Friends for Life Bike Rally riders and crewmembers at 4pm. 

Another Divers/Cité first is Apocalipstik, an event born from a desire to bring the city’s best alternative queer parties together under the same roof or – in this case – under the same sky. Joining forces with the Royal Phoenix Bar, Apocalipstik will shake the very foundations of the Loto-Québec Stage at Pier Jacques-Cartier as of 6pm on Friday, August 3. Urban underground meets trash meets electropop, this unique event features an amazing roster of performers including: Sarah Neufeld (of Arcade Fire and Bell Orchestre fame), Fanny Bloom, FOXTROTT, DJ B’UGO, DJs Frantastik & Montag (the duo behind Mec Plus Ultra events), Toronto’s Dirty Mags, Brooklyn sensation Kid Savant and performances by the Montreal-based, “entertainment utopia” Glam Gam Productions.

The hosts of the evening are Val Desjardins, (owner and artistic director of the Royal Phoenix Bar) and Sally & Tyler (Gaybash)