Québec City will pull out the stops from January 19 to February 24 in Washington, DC, to convince Americans to come celebrate the capital’s 400th birthday. A social function with Mayor Andrée Boucher, lecture by historian David Mendel and gourmet dinner served up by Jean Soulard, executive chef at the Château Frontenac hotel, are on the menu for the promotional campaign.

The initiative is being organized by the Délégation générale du Québec à New York (Québec government house in New York City), in collaboration with Washington’s prestigious Smithsonian Institution. According to Québec’s delegate general in New York, Michel Robitaille, “This is the first time that Québec has developed this kind of partnership with the Smithsonian. The institution comprises 16 national museums and plays a pivotal cultural role in Washington, Maryland and Virginia.”

Québec City will not be the only participant in the upcoming “Old World Charm, New World Excitement” festival. Performers from Montréal have also been invited to take part. The 400th anniversary of the founding of Québec City will nonetheless be assigned a very prominent place in the program.