Latest news with #summerfestivals
CTV News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Is Montreal's summer noise affecting our hearing?
Doctors say that earplugs should be on a keychain as our ears are solicited more than ever in the modern world. (pexels) Starting Thursday, engines will begin roaring at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on Île Notre-Dame for the start of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix, kicking off Montreal's summer festival season. As F1 fans work to get as close to the track as possible, ears across Montreal will feel the sounds of summer in a noisy city. From the F1 to the Jazzfest, Osheaga, construction and CF Montreal games, experts say we need to take better care of our ears. F1 car Race fans watch as Ferrari mechanics practice in the paddocks at the Canadian Grand Prix Thursday, June 15, 2023 in Montreal. Formula One is back in Canada for a second consecutive year as the Canadian Grand Prix gets underway this week in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press) 'Our ears are more and more solicited today than they have ever been,' said Dr. Tamara Mijovic with the MUHC's Otolaryngology department. 'It's not just living in the cities, working online. It's from our phones. There's noise everywhere, in our workplace, and in our hobbies and our activities. So, overall, in the outdoors, I tell all my patients: wear earplugs. They should be on your keychain.' Chance Hutchinson, 41, says he has been playing in punk rock bands since he was 12. The Priors frontman and guitarist for Private Lives and Sonic Avenues, said decades of music and shows have taken a toll on his hearing. 'My hearing is not great,' he said shortly after a show. 'I've been to see an audiologist many times. My left ear is worse than my right, but I'm still working on it. I have issues that are not treated yet or diagnosed.' Hutchinson now wears special earplugs constantly and sees more and more gig-goers doing likewise. 'People talk about it a lot more now,' he said. 'When we were kids, we used to rehearse in a basement, and no one ever told us to wear earplugs. We were just turning up the amps as loud as they could go, you know what I mean, and just kind of beating on the drums. So, yeah, it's always been super loud.' Private Lives performs in Montreal Private Lives performs in Montreal on May 29, 2025. (Daniel J. Rowe/CTV News) Mijovic says that wearing earplugs at any loud event is essential, and your phone's volume should always be set to less than half the maximum. 'Blast injuries,' she explains, caused by sudden loud noises like horns, are not what causes major damage. 'They happen. It can be quite traumatic, but they're rare. They're a small amount compared to the daily noise that we're exposed to,' she said. Hearing specialists say that any sound louder than 85 decibels for longer than eight hours can cause hearing loss. In addition, the louder the noise, the shorter the time span our ears can take. Decibels Example 10 dB Normal breathing 20 dB Mosquito buzzing 60 dB Normal conversation 85 dB Blender, heavy traffic 100 dB Night club, train, snowmobile 120 dB Ambulance siren, live concert 130 dB Stock car race, jet engine 145 dB Fireworks When getting home from an event, it can be easy to detect whether your ears have been damaged. 'One of the signs of damage is to have ringing in your ears after the event. These are called temporary threshold shifts,' said Mijovic. 'That means your ear is telling you that something is a bit different, and usually that recovers within 24-48 hours, but it's cumulative. So, the more you go out clubbing or to events and you have that, the more likely it is that eventually the hearing will not recover, and even that tinnitus can be quite permanent.' A variety of earplugs are available, and Mijovic says she is happy to see more young people wearing them. 'It's all about investing when you're young to avoid wearing hearing aids when you're getting into your 60s, when damage has been done,' she said. JAZZ FESTIVAL Crowds gather for the annual Jazz Festival in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press) The World Health Organization (WHO) states that more than a billion young adults are at risk of permanent, avoidable hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices, including the use of earbuds or headphones to drown out noise. Mijovic said that a phone volume at maximum is around 110 decibels, which is dangerous. 'It's important to really look at the volume,' she said. 'I think that noise-cancelling earphones are good in the sense that you will be able to tune out the background noise and therefore keep your volume low. Where I worry about is when, let's say, I'm taking the Metro, I'm next to somebody, and I can hear their own music.' Live music has always been a deep-rooted part of Montreal's culture, and Hutchinson advises those attending the shows to take a small step to ensure they can enjoy it and not hurt themselves. 'If you're going to a show where guitars are plugged into an amplifier, you should be wearing ear protection,' he said.
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- Climate
- South China Morning Post
Japan's iconic summer festivals shift to cooler seasons as heatwaves become new normal
In a bid to escape the soaring summer temperatures now becoming the norm across Japan , cities are moving traditional festivals – including beloved fireworks displays – to spring and autumn for the sake of safety and comfort. One of the most prominent examples is Tokyo's century-old Adachi Fireworks Festival, which will take place on May 31 this year rather than its usual late July slot, according to a report by the Mainichi Shimbun. The city was forced to cancel last summer's fireworks festival due to a sudden thunderstorm just before it began. By moving the event to an earlier date this year, organisers hope to avoid such weather-related disruptions – but the bigger concern is the escalating heat, Adachi ward mayor Yayoi Kondo said in a statement on the ward's official website. 'The summer lately has significantly changed from what we knew as 'Japanese summer', where people clad in 'yukata' summer kimonos admired fireworks while cooling themselves with 'uchiwa' paper fans,' Kondo said. She acknowledged the nostalgia that many feel for the original timing, noting 'some people want to see the fireworks festival held in summer, calling it a summer tradition'. Performers dance during the Otsuka Awa Odori summer festival in Tokyo on August 5, 2018. Photo: Shutterstock But temperatures in Tokyo have increasingly tested the limits of tradition.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wiltshire in pics: Shindigs and a princess visit
Summer events are well and truly under way in Wiltshire now - with a return of a much-loved festival. TV presenter Steve Backshall is also staying in the county all week to delight children with his animal knowledge at Longleats. Other highlights include actress Joanna Lumley supporting a local animal centre, and another local charity enjoyed a royal visit. Wildlife wanderings: Wiltshire's wildlife has been making more of an appearance recently - one Weather Watcher, Jo C, captured this swan family in Devizes. Festival time: Shindig has launched at Charlton Park in Wiltshire - the former home of Womad - after spending 10 years in Ilminster, Somerset. The 2025 line up is a "global celebration of rhythm and culture where afrobeat meets electronic, reggae meets soul, funk meets industrial rap", organisers said. The event started on Thursday and runs until Sunday. Animal antics: Longleat has TV presenter Steve Backshall in to do daily talks at the safari park over half term week. He will not be on his own though - a range of animals and birds will be introduced to the audience and nobody knows how they will behave. Last year, the shows raised £25,000 for conservation charity Tusk. Royal approval: Wiltshire-based charity Horatio's Garden has released pictures of their patron Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie visiting their garden at Salisbury District Hospital. She spoke to patients, staff and volunteers and planted a grapevine for the charity, which creates the gardens at the UK's spinal injury centres to help people recover. Horsing around: Wiltshire Police has been represented at the Royal Windsor Horse Show for the first time. The force revealed pictures of its competitors: Laura Hughes from the Local Policing Tasking Team, Hollie Clark, Financial Investigator and Rachael Fairbain from Complex Fraud all took part in the Services Team Jumping competition. Daredevils: The White Horse Soapbox Race in Westbury got some big crowds. It includes a STEM fair and a lot of different teams competing to make the fastest vehicle. A team from the South Western Ambulance Service got involved too, making their own contraption. Prestige: Devizes Bowls Club has hosted a prestigious inter-county competition, part of the early stages of the Balcomb Trophy. It's the first time the club has hosted a competition this big. Immerse yourself: a shipping container is arriving in the middle of Salisbury this weekend, in Guildhall Square. It's for an immersive theatre experience run by producers Darkfield. It's part of the Salisbury International Arts Festival and those who go in for the experience, called FLIGHT, will find themselves in what looks exactly like the inside of a plane and two realities. Celebrity moment: The Cat Watch Rescue Centre based in Salisbury, which takes in strays and abandoned animals, revealed they had received a donation from Dame Joanna Lumley, who sent a handwritten note. Bumper crop: the strawberries are already doing well this year, so the pick your own farms are opening up, including this one at Lotmead in Swindon. Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Wiltshire in Pictures: Stunning Salisbury blooms Wiltshire in Pictures: VE Day and bank holiday sun
