MONTREAL - More than 6,000 dancers trickled out of Olympic Stadium at various hours Monday morning as the all-night dance party of the Black and Blue Festival held its 21st edition.
There were 18 DJs from around the world playing in two rooms based on musical genre starting at 9 p.m. Sunday evening right until noon Monday, a new high for the annual festival, said organizer Mélanie Roy.
The event returned to Olympic Stadium after a few years at the Palais des congrés, a move Roy says was popular with the party-goers.
The all-night party was called Black Jack 21 and is the focal point of the Black and Blue Festival, organized by the BBCM Foundation to benefit charities focused on helping people living with AIDS/HIV and also the homosexual community.
More than half the people in attendance come from outside Quebec, Roy says. Most come from the United States, but many also come from Europe and Australia.
Security is handled by the organizers in concert with the Montreal police, who focus their energies on deterring drug trafficking.
About 20 people had drugs seized from them before entering the Olympic Stadium, said Montreal police Const. Olivier Lapointe. They were not arrested, but they were not allowed to access the site. There was only one arrest reported by police as a 30-year-old man will face drug trafficking charges in court Tuesday.
People paid between $75 and $120 to attend the party. Last year, the BBCM Foundation made $50,000 in donations to various community groups.
