Montreal celebrates 50 years of the 1976 Olympics with summer events
Olympic Park, Parc Jean-Drapeau and the Canadian Olympic Committee are hosting events through the summer, including athlete appearances, concerts and an open house at the Olympic Basin.
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Montreal is marking the golden jubilee of the 1976 Olympic Games with a year-long program of events across the city. Several key celebrations are unfolding over the summer.
Olympic Park will kick off celebrations on July 3 and 4 with Édition Montréal Olympique, bringing period-inspired staging, archival visuals and cultural programming to the Olympic Stadium esplanade. The display will feature immersive decorations from the archives with an international twist, honouring the 92 countries that participated in the games five decades ago.
On July 4, the Olympic Basin in Parc Jean-Drapeau opens its doors for a public open house. Visitors can experience the venue, try out various training equipment and take watercraft out on the basin — activities normally reserved for sports clubs. Olympic athletes including Émilie Fournel, Guylaine Bernier and Lyne Tremblay will be on hand for meet-and-greets. The day will also feature musical performances, food, refreshments and family-friendly games.
Iconic athletes from the 1976 games will return to the city on July 31 and August 1, including retired Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, fencing gold-medalist Thomas Bach and four-time Olympian Tricia Smith. They will participate in various activities including exhibitions at the Stewart Museum.
Two free concerts are scheduled at the Olympic Park Esplanade: one on August 1 to pay tribute to people who made the Montreal games possible, and another on August 12 featuring the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal conducted by Rafael Payare, with the OSM Choir, actress Sophie Cadieux and a special appearance by Diane Dufresne.
An official boutique selling souvenirs and exclusive merchandise marking the golden jubilee opened on June 22 at the Olympic Stadium.
