Montreal’s Festival International Montréal en Arts (FIMA) is the largest open-air art gallery in Eastern Canada. The goal of the International Montreal Festival of the Arts is to promote the visual arts in the heart of the city of Montreal. The FIMA’s open-air art exhibition provides a relaxed atmosphere where artists and the public can mingle. This annual festival takes place in the heart of Montreal’s Village area.
FIMA and the BoulevArt
The FIMA takes place on a one kilometer stretch of Sainte-Catherine Street, which happens to be one of Montreal’s main arteries. During the festival, this stretch of Sainte-Catherine Street is known as The BoulevArt. Like many parts of Sainte-Catherine Street,The BoulevArt is closed to automobile traffic during the summer. During the festival, over 75,000 people walk on the BoulevArt everyday of the festival.
An International Gathering of Artistic Talent
Over 200 visual artists from all over the world take part in this festival. The artists range from painters to sculptors, ceramists and photographers. At the FIMA, spectators get to meet various artists and purchase their artworks directly. Along with the visual artists, exhibitors and performers take part in this 11-day festival. In total around 300 artists, exhibitors and performers are involved in FIMA.
A Celebration of Visual Arts
Along with the open-air art exhibition, the FIMA presents other visual art forms. These various art forms include: short film screenings, multimedia performances, immersive installations, live painting, craft work demonstrations and a series of multidisciplinary performances. In addition to the outdoor programming, thematic exhibitions are presented indoors each year, notably at the Écomusée du fier monde.
