Grandma bought the first balloon: A Festivent love story Danielle Burns danielle@qctonline.com Mario Bérubé has been a full-time pilot with RE/MAX for 43 years, experience that qualifies him as the…
Founder André Boucher said concerts have become the main attraction for most visitors at Festivent, but a few pilots, crew and balloon aficionados still gather annually. (Photo by Danielle Burns)

Members of the large cast of the Opéra de Québec Festival’s Carmen fill the stage at the Grand Théâtre on July 30. Stéphanie d’Oustrac, who portrayed Carmen, is in the centre of the stage, wearing a black dress. Members of the Orchestre symphonique de Québec can be seen in the pit below the front of the stage. (Photo by Shirley Nadeau)
Flutist Jean-Philippe Lavoie and pianist Jean-François Mailloux, co-creators of the mini-opera Madame Théière, accompany Priscilla-Ann Tremblay as she performs from the roving theatre in the park by Maison O’Neill. (Photo by Shirley Nadeau)
Myriam Côté performs during the bilingual poetry evening at Librairie Saint-Jean-Baptiste. (Photo by Oksana Mukhina)
Philip Ryall, general editor of Dear Unity: Overdue Love Letters to Heal a Divided Church, hosted the Canadian launch of the book along with three contributing authors – Bishop Bruce Myers (Anglican), Cardinal Gérald Lacroix (Roman Catholic) and General Brian Peddle (Salvation Army) – at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. (Photo by Shirley Nadeau)
Festival-goers visit some of the many kiosks selling local products at the 13th annual Festibière. (Photo by Cassandra Kerwin)
Jarrod Belbin of the Capitales crosses home plate after hitting a solo home run to tie the game 2-2 against the Ottawa Titans on July 30 at Stade Canac.The Titans later scored five unanswered runs and beat the Capitales 7-3 before a sellout crowd of 4,297 fans. (Photo by Luc Lang)
Hosts Quebec #1 won the gold medal at the 2024 Baseball Canada senior women’s national championship with a 10-0 victory over British Columbia at Parc Henri-Casault. This year, the country’s best senior women’s teams are back in Quebec for the 2025 tournament. (Photo courtesy of Baseball Québec via Flickr)
Forward Marie-Philip Poulin (pictured) and goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens of the Montreal Victoire’s Professional Women’s Hockey League were invited to Hockey Canada’s Orientation Camp in Calgary, in preparation for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. (Photo by Luc Lang)