A History of Quebec—Branded: The Staging of the New France Festival

Abstract

Festivals are now well-established city positioning tools and destination branding instruments. Often developed within parameters of identity, lifestyle, and image management, branding through festivals can also be successfully achieved through the involvement of history and politics of memory. This article explores the New France Festival that stages the “Quebec's New France” brand as the renewal of Frenchness. By looking at the staging of the festival in the space of the city, performances, and references to local identities, it is argued that primarily targeting local residents for regional tourism can efficiently be done through the use of history. In addition to raising the city's cultural profile and visibility, encouraging international repositioning, and fostering economic development, festivals that celebrate history create a resonance with people, which stimulates a sense of belonging, and can contribute to a strong branding process.