After the Party It’s the Après Ski

New Concert Series Delivers for Late-Night Igloofest Goers

Fringe ArtsElysha del Giusto-Enos — Published January 22, 2013

Most big festivals end up spawning small, alternative offshoots that run on the same theme. For Montreal’s premiere winter party—Igloofest—that comes in the form of a brand new event called Après Ski.

Igloofest is the winter version of Piknic Electronik and this is its seventh year bringing together thousands of revellers to dance and party. Après Ski is the indie answer to Igloofest and is in its inaugural year.

The Après Ski DJs are drawn from Montreal’s local crop and the party space in the Griffintown district has been turned into a chalet-style venue, keeping with the cold weather vibe of Igloofest.

“The idea behind it is like a continuation of Igloofest, but also an off-festival,” said Après Ski producer René-Pierre Guerin.

“A lot of places in the world will have off-festivals with local artists, instead of the big international acts that Igloofest has.”

The Après Ski team started meeting in October to plan out their Igloofest alternative. What they put together spans four Saturdays and includes DJs like local techno legend Matteo Grondini.

The proceeds from the event go to the Montreal arts group ATTENTIONS. ATTENTIONS brings together artists in alternative venues for nights of creative exploration. The group looks to support young talent and the artists collaborating on any given night are kept secret from attendees.

While Igloofest shoos people out of the Quays at midnight, Après Ski goes until 5:00 a.m. So while it serves an alt-fest, it’s also an Igloofest afterparty, considering the two events are also just a short cab ride apart.

Après Ski / Jan. 26, Feb. 2 and Feb. 9 / Espace Griffintown (1314 Olier St.) / 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. / $15.00 advance, $20.00 door