The stadium still looks good. For a design that is now some 35 years old, the Stadium still looks futuristic. Like some kind of spaceship.
If they fix the roof and upkeep the place, it can still have many uses!
They are apparently replacing the roof with a permanent metal one habsfan. That will make it usable year-round once again. I hope that they will restore the seating back to the full oval style. The baseball setup up really f*cked it up.
Don't forget, we wouldn't have been able to have the soccer U-20 last year or the Outgames in 2006 without the Big O. The U-20 drew crowds that were the biggest of the tournament and the Outgames were a huge success. It's estimated that 70% of tourists to the city visit Olympic Park and Black and Blue has turned into the biggest circuit party in the world. The economic benifits of that one all-nighter alone are estimated at over 25$ million and it's too big to be held anywhere but the Big O. It has become a legendary international event.
Here's a promo video for Black and Blue 2007. The first 2 minutes are interviews. Looks pretty crazy!
Montréal’s Black and Blue Goes on a Power Trip
The legendary Bad Boy Club of Montréal (BBCM) is putting the final touches on Black & Blue 2007,the award-winning week-long party, fundraiser, and cultural celebration, that annually transforms Montréal into party capital of the world from October 3rd - 9th. The theme for this year’s BBCM main event on October 7th is "Power Trip".
For the occasion, the interior of Montréal’s massive Olympic Stadium will be dressed up like a giant fantasy power station, with high tech decorations and lighting effects, along with electrifying costumes and performances, charging two megadance floors throughout the night.
This year marks the 17th anniversary of the Black and Blue Festival, which draws some 85,000 participants each year, making it one of the biggest events of its kind in the world. In fact, according to a study conducted by the marketing research firm CROP,
the Black and Blue Festival brings an estimated $35 million to the regional economy each year, $25 million of which is generated by the main event in the Olympic Stadium alone.
Boasting a diverse, international crowd, Black and Blue—which topped Edge New York’s list of Best Circuit Events in 2006 and was voted the Best International Festival by Pink TV in France— brings together people of all ages, nationalities, backgrounds and sexual orientations in one mega-celebration of music, dancing, and non-stop fun.
“The Black and Blue holds a special spot on the calendar of major gay and gay-friendly events around the world,” says Robert Vézina, co-founder of the BBCM Foundation. “Over the years, the event has become a must for anyone who wants to experience a truly unique, world class party that is also typically Montréalaise.”
One of the most unifying factors of Black and Blue is the music, and BBCM has commissioned some of the world’s best-loved DJs to pump up the festival, including DJ Stéfane Lippé and international icons Mark Anthony and Mistress Barbara from Montréal, Peter Rauhofer and Manny Lehman from New York, D-formation from Spain, Gabriel Dresden from San Francisco, Michael Kaiser from Paris, and Craig Mitchell from Boston. And for the first time ever, the main event on October 7 will feature two completely separate spaces, one spinning non-stop house, the other featuring more alternative and progressive dance music
In addition to providing world class entertainment, the BBCM Foundation has already raised more than 1.25 million dollars for Montréal’s AIDS and LGBT support organizations since its establishment in 1991. Altogether, the BBCM has provided financial support to more than 30 organizations, including the region’s two largest AIDS support resources, AIDS Community Care Montreal (ACCM) and AIDS Direct Help Foundation of Montreal (FADSM).
For a complete list of 2007 Black and Blue festivities, go to:
www.bbcm.org.
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