Jean Drapeau Park (formerly called ''Parc des Îles'') is the third-largest park in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It comprises two islands, Saint Helen's Island and the

artificial island An artificial island or man-made island is an island that has been Construction, constructed by humans rather than formed through natural processes. Other definitions may suggest that artificial islands are lands with the characteristics of hum ...

Notre Dame Island Notre Dame Island () is an artificial island in the Saint Lawrence River in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is immediately to the east of Saint Helen's Island and west of the Saint Lawrence Seaway and the city of Saint-Lambert on the south sh ...

, situated off the shore of

Old Montreal Old Montreal (, ) is a historic List of neighbourhoods in Montreal, neighbourhood within the List of municipalities in Quebec, municipality of Montreal in the province of Quebec, Canada. Home to the Old Port of Montreal, the neighbourhood is b ...

in the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...

. The islands were the site of the

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

. Notre Dame Island was constructed for the exposition, and Saint Helen's Island artificially extended at its north and south ends. The park was renamed in honour of

Jean Drapeau Jean Drapeau (; 18 February 1916 – 12 August 1999) was a Canadian politician who served as mayor of Montreal for 2 non-consecutive terms from 1954 to 1957 and from 1960 to 1986. Major accomplishments of the Drapeau Administration include ...

, the late mayor of Montreal and initiator of Expo 67.

History

Saint Helen's Island was discovered by French explorer

Samuel de Champlain Samuel de Champlain (; 13 August 1574#Fichier]For a detailed analysis of his baptismal record, see #Ritch, RitchThe baptism act does not contain information about the age of Samuel, neither his birth date nor his place of birth. – 25 December ...

in 1611, who named it in honour of his wife, Hélène de Champlain, née Boullé. It also bears the name of Helena (Empress), Helena, mother of Roman emperor

Constantine the Great Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

. The island belonged to the family of Le Moyne de Longueuil from 1665 until 1818, when it was sold to the

British government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

. The British built a

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

, a magazine and a bunker after the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. The new Canadian government acquired it in 1870, and it was converted into a park in 1874. The islands of the archipelago were chosen as the site of Man and His World (

). To prepare for this role, Mayor

expanded Saint Helen's Island and consolidated it with several neighboring islands (including Round Island) and created

using the fill excavated during the construction of the

Montreal Metro The Montreal Metro (, ) is a rubber-tired underground rapid transit system serving Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The metro, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), was inaugurated on October 14, 1966, during the tenure ...

in the early 1960s. 28 million tons of fill were needed for this massive undertaking. When the work was completed, Notre-Dame Island and St. Helen's Island hosted

, which featured pavilions from over sixty countries. After the closing of Expo in late 1967, the site continued its fair vocation under the name Man and His World until 1984, and finally, most facilities were dismantled and the island was converted into a park. In 1999, the Parc des Îles de Montreal was renamed Parc Jean-Drapeau in honour of former Mayor of Montreal,

, who had re-shaped the islands, built the Montreal Metro and brought Expo 67 to the city.

Attractions

Summer is the high season for the park, as the majority of attractions are open to the public. These include: *An amusement park, La Ronde operated by

Six Flags Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American amusement park company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It was formed on July 2, 2024, following a merger between longtime rivals Cedar Fair and the former Six Flags ...

under an emphyteutic lease *The Montreal Casino *An environmental museum at the

Montreal Biosphere The Biosphere, also known as the Montreal Biosphere (, ), is a museum dedicated to the Natural environment, environment in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is housed in the former United States pavilion constructed for Expo 67 located within the gr ...

(

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

pavilion during

) *The early Victorian Era fortifications at Saint Helen Island Fort *A

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

race track, the

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, also spelled ''Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve'' (), is a motor racing Race track, circuit on Notre Dame Island in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the venue for the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA Form ...

, which hosts the Canadian Grand Prix *The city's largest outdoor concert venue, regularly hosting the

Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour is a touring rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music festival in the United S ...

Osheaga Festival The Osheaga Music and Arts Festival () is a multi-day music festival in Montreal, Quebec, that is held every summer at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène. The festival takes place on six stages with various audience capacities. Translated ...

and Heavy MTL, and as of 2014, an EDM festival known as île Soniq *An Olympic rowing basin *An aquatics centre, which hosted the 2005 World Aquatics Championships *A beach, Plage Jean-Doré During winter for several weekends, the park throws the winter carnival Fête des neiges de Montréal which is a free event that offers a variety of winter activities. The islands also boast numerous hiking and skiing trails, bike paths, large athletic grounds and diverse other services and conveniences. During the more temperate months, a diverse array of free and pay activities are offered on a weekly basis in addition to the aforementioned attractions. There's also a weekly electronic dance festival located under

Alexander Calder Alexander "Sandy" Calder (; July 22, 1898 – November 11, 1976) was an American sculptor known both for his innovative mobile (sculpture), mobiles (kinetic sculptures powered by motors or air currents) that embrace chance in their aesthetic, hi ...

's sculpture Man, commissioned for

. The islands are also notable for the remnants of

, most of which are still in use, though few are still standing. The American and French pavilions are the best preserved, functioning today as the Biosphere and Casino respectively. The Canadian pavilion contains administrative offices, rental halls, and is the site of the studio of Radio-Classique Montréal. The former Tunisian and Jamaican pavilions are also in use, the former for bike rentals while the latter is used principally for receptions. A considerable portion of Île Notre-Dame was redeveloped into an intricate and elaborate flower garden in the early 1980s, which remains today. The only other significant remnant of the former World's Fair is the Place des Nations at the western end of Île Sainte-Hélène, though this is abandoned and officially off-limits. As such, it's become a popular spot for fishing. A

snowboarding Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralym ...

park was added in winter 2009. Image:Parc Jean-Drapeau, Montreal, Quebec 2.jpg, Parc Jean-Drapeau File:Le Phare du Cosmos.JPG, "Le Phare du Cosmos" (1967) by Yves Trudeau (created for

) in St. Helen's Island in Parc Jean-Drapeau, Montréal, Quebec Image:Lavilleimaginaire.JPG, Monument

References

{{Authority control Jean-Drapeau Music venues in Montreal Expo 67 1874 establishments in Quebec Festival venues in Canada

History

Attractions

See also

References