Evenko — the company behind the Heavy Montréal festival — has announced that the event will be taking a break in 2020. "It's not an easy decision to put one of our events on pause," says Jacques Aubé, chief operating officer of Evenko. "Several factors must be taken into consideration, including the number of non-festival metal/rock concerts that will be announced over the next few months." Heavy Montréal will continue to offer a packed calendar of concerts throughout the city and the province all year round. "We thank the fans for standing behind us," says Nick Farkas, senior vice-president of concerts and events at Evenko. "We're working hard to make sure we continue to offer the best metal/rock shows in the world! Heavy Montréal fans should not be worried!" Heavy Montréal had its biggest year in 2014 when METALLICA headlined the event, with a blockbuster attendance of 75,000 over two days — something Farkas described then as Heavy Montréal's "Eminem moment," according to the Montreal Gazette. This past April, Montreal was officially recognized for its heavy metal scene when a motion to have it hailed as a "city of excellence" in heavy metal music received bipartisan support during a city council meeting. Several well-known metal bands got their start in Montreal, including CRYPTOPSY and KATAKLYSM. The Quebec province's most famous heavy metal outfit, VOIVOD, is from Jonquière. "Heavy metal has been an important part of Montreal's culture for many years. That the city recognizes it is fantastic," Farkas said.
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