The Cavalia group, producer of extravagant, world-famous equestrian shows, filed for bankruptcy at the end of April. According to a CTVNews report, documents submitted to the Superior Court indicate the group’s debts to its creditors total more than $28 million.
Cavalia is based in Montreal and was founded by Normand Latourelle; other entities in addition to the parent company include Illumi Productions, Centre de création Cavalia and PNL Productions Hivernales. Their major creditors include Caisse Desjardins du Plateau-Mont-Royal ($10.4 million), Investissement Québec ($4.4 million), Société de développement des entreprises culturelles ($3.5 million) and Canada Economic Development ($1.8 million). Creditors’ meetings will take place on May 12.
The company launched its first Cavalia equestrian show in 2003, and the $30 million extravaganza Odysseo in 2011 which showcased 70 horses and 50 performers. More recently, Cavalia created the Illumi project in Laval in 2019, a themed multimedia trail featuring light structures. The city went to court last year to force Cavalia to vacate the site.