Salutations Internet, I’m Voss, and today I’m going to talk about the Grande Bataille/Grand Battle of Bicolline (aka The GB).
Never heard of it? That’s okay! The GB is a week long event that happens in August each year on Le Duché de Bicolline site in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc, Quebec. This last year (2024) there were almost 6,000 attendee’s in total, which included those staying from Sunday to Sunday, those attending from Thursday to Sunday, and those who only attend during “Discovery Day” on the Friday. However they were spread out, that’s still a LOT of people for one event!
Now, you’re reading this article on LARP News, so you are probably familiar with single day or weekend long LARP events. If you are, you might be baulking at the idea of a whole week of the LARP’s you’re used to. After all, trying to stay in character is already hard enough for a day or two, but for a WEEK?! Running away from or fighting against things sent to kill you at all hours, hiding in the woods, sitting around doing nothing if you can’t fight…heck it’s your first time! There might not be anything you can even do! Not to mention, with that many people? How does anything get done?!
Luckily, the GB is not the LARP’s many of us are used to. There are no character sheets outside of your Name, Guild, and Religion. You do not need to stay “in character” or be a character at all. Fighting happens on the battlefield, in tournaments, or duels. No monsters are going to sneak into your campsite in the middle of the night and wake you in a tent raid. Things are scheduled out in advance (though possibly subject to change). Things are not going to come out to your camp to find you and tell you what’s going on in the world. You have to go out and find your own adventure.
I often pause before describing the GB as a LARP because it’s much more than just a LARP.
The GB is a LARP…but also a Festival.. It’s a place of political intrigue…and folks helping each other just because they can. It’s a place for displays of skill…for yourself or to show others. A place for those with ambition…or those who just want to exist in a world outside our own. It’s a place with over 220 fantastical medieval buildings…but truly, it’s a village. One where every person can find something to enjoy, even if it’s something they never expected. Where there are so many events each day it’s impossible to see or do them all.
Sound like a good time to you? If so, keep an eye out for more articles where I’ll talk about how to go and what to bring, what to look out for while you’re there, Bicolline events outside of the GB, and more!
By: Voss
