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“We’re getting old,” said Dan Seligman.

POP Montreal turns 18 this year. Wrap your head around that. It seemed like our city’s most irreverent music festival would never grow up. So there’s a tinge of irony to the fact that the event has reached the age of majority, even as it continues to fight for the underdogs of the industry.

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Seligman is going with it.

“It’s a nice accomplishment,” said the POP Montreal co-founder, who has remained at the helm of his event for close to two decades while providing sure-handed guidance for successive waves of staffers who have rolled through over the years.

“It’s hard to get too nostalgic. The festival itself is a celebration. Every year, it’s a miracle to be able to pull it together. But turning 18 is pretty significant; it’s pretty amazing.

“When we started, we had no idea what we were doing. We just wanted to do something interesting and fun. I was 25 at the time. We were in the right place at the right time, and we just worked hard and believed in what we were doing. It’s kind of cool to see it has become something of an institution, an established part of the cultural landscape of Montreal.”