{"id":896431,"date":"2026-04-02T09:13:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T14:13:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/02\/potential-light-show-at-canadas-largest-cemetery-causes-controversy\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T09:13:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T14:13:18","slug":"potential-light-show-at-canadas-largest-cemetery-causes-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/02\/potential-light-show-at-canadas-largest-cemetery-causes-controversy\/","title":{"rendered":"Potential light show at Canada\u2019s largest cemetery causes controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Music <\/p>\n

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The Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery<\/a> is in preliminary discussions with a Montreal multimedia company to create an immersive light and music experience on its site, and it has some families with loved ones buried there concerned.<\/p>\n

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The company is negotiating with Moment Factory, a studio that has created light and music shows around the world, including the Aura experience at Old Montreal\u2019s famed Notre Dame Basilica.<\/p>\n

In a statement to Global News, a representative for the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery said:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery is currently collaborating with Moment Factory in order to assess the potential for showcasing its Mount Royal heritage site through an immersive experience, while preserving the utmost respect for the site, its primary purpose, and those who rest there.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this stage, the initiative is strictly preliminary: no final concept, timeline, nor official decision has been established. Should an official project be confirmed, we will be pleased to answer your questions and provide further details.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The experience would take place in the evening, after visiting hours, and would generate revenue for the cash-strapped cemetery while highlighting some of the ground\u2019s sacred monuments.<\/p>\n

But family members who are active in the cemetery remain concerned about the potential for an entertainment experience happening on sacred ground.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI don\u2019t think it should be turned into a carnival. There is no place for that here,\u201d said Jimmy Koliakoudakis.<\/p>\n

Both his parents are buried in the cemetery, and his mother\u2019s burial was delayed by eight months several years ago when the cemetery was embroiled in a prolonged labour dispute.<\/p>\n

Koliakoudakis\u00a0 says the idea of an evening entertainment experience may force people to look for alternate burial sites.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf people knew before burying their loved ones it would be turned into a festival amusement park, I really doubt they would go ahead,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Koliakoudakis visits his parents\u2019 graves regularly. \u00a0He worries about the cemetery becoming a tourist ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a movie set, it\u2019s not Hollywood. It has one purpose \u2014 to bury the dead,\u201d he said. \u201cFamilies come here to pay their respects and that is the key word, respect. I think by management having even exploring that idea, it\u2019s disrespectful to the families.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The cemetery sits on 341 acres with 55 km of roads. About one million people are buried there.<\/p>\n

Michael\u00a0 Musacchio buried his 26-year-old daughter Vanessa there in 2021. He is active in the cemetery, and has fought for better access hours so he can visit his daughter more frequently.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou lose a child your world turns upside down, so it\u2019s important to come,\u201d he said. \u00a0\u201cWe just come even for just a few minutes to say hi.\u201d<\/p>\n

He recognizes the cemetery needs money, but cautions that any show there should be done carefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the revenue will help them maintain the grounds for the families it may be a good thing. However, it cannot turn into an entertainment circus,\u201d Musacchio said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cemetery should involve families to say this is what we are doing because quite honestly this was a shock.\u201d<\/p>\n

Les Amis de la Montagne Executive Director Christophe Derrien told Global News in a statement:<\/p>\n

\u201cOur role at Les Amis de la Montagne is to ensure the preservation of a mountain that is already under significant pressure. In this case, we have raised important issues related to the project\u2019s potential impacts, and we are currently conducting scientific surveys to rigorously document the ecological realities of the site.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAny project of this nature must be examined with caution, taking full account of the site\u2019s biodiversity, wildlife, and heritage value. The required authorizations are, moreover, the responsibility of the competent authorities, notably the City, with which we collaborate in a factual and constructive manner.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, the cemetery says, no final decision has been taken.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Music The Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery is in preliminary discussions with a Montreal multimedia company to create an immersive light and music experience on its site, and it has some families with loved ones buried there concerned. The company is negotiating with Moment Factory, a studio that has created light and music shows around […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":896432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[131522],"class_list":{"0":"post-896431","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business-news","8":"tag-podcast-music"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=896431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896431\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/896432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=896431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=896431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=896431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}