Immersive light walk opening at Notre-Dame-des-Neiges
Moment Factory's Ancestra Lumina will transform the historic cemetery this fall into a 2.1-kilometre nighttime tribute.
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Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery is getting its own immersive light experience this fall. The 172-year-old, 343-acre site — the largest in Canada — will launch Ancestra Lumina, Quebec's first-ever immersive nighttime tribute walk, created by Montreal-based Moment Factory, the studio behind the acclaimed AURA experience at Notre-Dame Basilica.
Visitors will enter through the Remembrance Road entrance after regular hours, with 600 guests per hour able to walk the 2.1-kilometre trail until 11 p.m. The experience unfolds across eight stations featuring lighting, sound installations, and projections designed to honor those buried there while celebrating Mount-Royal's cultural and natural richness.
Creative director Patricia Ruel said the goal is to help people discover or rediscover the cemetery's beauty — a landmark many Montrealers have never explored. "It's really going into the roots of what a cemetery is, which is to remember our beloved ones that passed away," she said. Organizers paid careful attention to ensure the staging respects the site's mission and peaceful atmosphere.
Michel Issa, CEO of The Fabrique of Notre-Dame Parish of Montreal, emphasized that Moment Factory's track record for designing respectful experiences made them the natural choice for a second partnership.
The exact opening date hasn't been announced yet, but fall marks the season when the cemetery's natural setting shifts toward reflection.