Behind the O-Topping Sign at Montreal Airport
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Music notes will be added to the marquee at Montreal’s YUL airport to celebrate next week’s Jazz Fest. It’s one of several decals that have adorned the “O” since 2015, including a fedora in honor of Leonard Cohen and a peace sign to commemorate John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s bed-in for peace at the city’s Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel.
The iconic “Montréal” sign at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport will soon strike a chord with travelers arriving for the 40th annual International Jazz Festival, which begins June 27. Over the letter “O,” a hot pink circle emblazoned with beamed musical notes aims to add a couple beats to the marquee and the steps of the millions of visitors expected for the event.
The decal – one of several that have adorned the seven-by-six-and-a-half foot “O” this year – replaced the race tire that revved up Grand Prix gearheads in town for the F1 earlier this month. Before that a peace sign paid homage to the 50th anniversary of the weeklong bed-in for peace held by John Lennon and Yoko Ono at Montreal’s Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel.
“It was very opportune to do something around the bed-in. We’re also a part of the history,” said Nadia Orobello, assistant director of the airport’s Communications department. The newlyweds were New York-bound to stage their second bed-in protest of the Vietnam War, but after Lennon was denied entry due to a drug charge, they re-routed to Montreal where throngs of fans greeted them at the airport and hotel.
“For us it was a great way to highlight that moment in history, and also reinforce this moment in Montreal,” Orobello continued. In a joint effort facilitated by Tourisme Montréal, the circumflex-hatted “O” in the Queen Elizabeth’s “Hôtel” sign sported a matching peace symbol with rainbow colors in commemoration of the event.
This wasn’t the first time the airport collaborated on a show-stopping “O” topper. In November 2017, the letter donned a black fedora for the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal’s exhibit on Leonard Cohen, timed with the first anniversary of the native singer-songwriter’s death.
It takes about a week to design a mockup and have it approved, explained Marc Robillard, supervisor of Structure Maintenance and Technology at the airport’s in-house workshop. From there, technicians Mathieu Hétu and Michel Vertefeuille can print and install the sign in as little as eight hours, weather permitting.
Partnerships are one of the avenues the airport team has explored since it first put a Santa Claus cap on the vowel for Christmas in December, 2015. Since then, the placard has worn everything from a rainbow heart for Gay Pride to the Montréal Canadiens’ hockey team logo. The airport is also toying with the idea of calling for submissions from the public, or holding a vote on designs in the near future. But don’t expect to see sponsored takeovers anytime soon, Orobello said. The sign is not for sale.
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The original turquoise-blue “Montréal” sign was installed above the main terminal building in 1973 and replaced once in the 90s before the switch to more visible white lettering in September 2016. Over the years it’s drawn countless visitors to the elevated parking lot in front of the entrance for photo opportunities, and the accessorizing has prompted a noticeable uptick in posting and engagement on social media.
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“We know that it’s an iconic symbol of Montreal now,” Orobello said. “Anything that we can do to reflect our city, show our creativity, and show how welcoming we are as a city and community – that’s what drives this.”