Virtually reduced to nothing during the pandemic, nightlife is reborn from its ashes in Quebec City, while the need to party until dawn has rarely been greater in the capital.
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“We have never experienced this in 45 years of existence, it was even a little chaotic at the start! laughs the owner of the emblematic Dagobert, Jean-Frédéric Laberge.
As soon as the ban on dancing in bars was lifted, thousands of young adults who came of age during the pandemic and who had never really tasted the nightlife of Quebec invaded his establishment.
For several weeks, lines of 1,000 to 1,500 people stretched outside his establishment until 1:30 a.m. before the doors opened, accustomed to the closing of bars at midnight.
“It’s not confusing, we’re full every night. 2022 is going to be our best year. We can feel a resurgence in the popularity of nightclubs, which had declined since the 1990s,” says Mr. Laberge.
“Need to get away”
“[People] needed to escape, to get out after two years of a pandemic”, analyzes Zach Filali, manager at Dagobert.
The Grande Allée nightclub does not seem to be an isolated case, as several licensed establishments have seen their turnover rise considerably since the beginning of the year.
This is the case of Ninkasi, on rue Saint-Jean, known for its karaoke evenings.
According to owner Mathieu Cloutier, the bar had its best weeks ever in the last month, outside of the Festival d’été de Québec.
“We see that habits have changed. The catering clientele has decreased, but those who want to feast are stronger than ever, ”he observes.
A good omen for the summer
Jonathan Ollat, co-owner of the bistro L’Atelier, also mentions recipes that are “definitely” better than 2019.
The clientele is back and some do not hesitate to come more often, after having limited their expenses during the pandemic.
The enthusiasm is also palpable for the official opening of the terraces from June 9 to 12 on the Grande Allée, according to him.
“That’s why we wanted to do an event over four days and not open the terraces as we used to do just over one day,” says the man who is also co-owner of the Ophelia restaurant.
“It rolls on the floor”
Everything indicates that this enthusiasm will continue during the summer, according to Normand Gosselin, general manager of the nightclub La Boîte de Nuit in Saint-Roch, which opened a month ago.
“It rolls on the floor,” he says. Since the opening, honestly, it’s full. We have reservations until July at the moment. The world is tearing up the benches! We are really lucky. »
“We lost regulars during the pandemic. But the total traffic is higher than before the health crisis, without a doubt. »
– Mathieu Cloutier, owner of Ninkasi Bar
“The pandemic has been good for us. We were able to do a reset to create new habits with customers and improve safety”
– Jean-Frédéric Laberge, owner of Dagobert
“On Friday when the masks fell at midnight […] it was full, and outside it was the same thing. […] The bar cannot accommodate 1000 people, but if we had had the space for 1000 people, we would have filled it. »
– Normand Gosselin, general manager of La Boite de Nuit
“People are thirsty to go out and share […] It is certain that we are seeing the rebirth of nightlife and that we are really expecting an exceptional summer. »
– Jonathan Ollat, co-owner of L’Atelier and Ophelia
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