MARCH BREAK FESTIVITIES
Wild and woolly ideas for the kids’ week off
If you’ve ever yelled “This house is a circus!” you’re probably a parent.
What with the toddler-taming, teenage tightrope-walking and making-supper-while-folding-laundry-and-breastfeeding contortion, sometimes we forget the circus is meant to be full of magic and joy.
The rich history of the circus — the kind in tents with three rings, not the kind with laundry — is being celebrated by Tohu and the Accès Culture network through March 7, which corresponds with spring break for most Quebec schools. Exhibitions, performances, film screenings and workshops will be held at various Montreal locations.
The almost overwhelming program includes a series of spectacles such as Cabaret de cirque, featuring eight artists performing their creations “in their purest form, as they imagined them,” as well as workshops to try one’s hand at diabolos, juggling, magic and even acrobatics.
Exhibitions at cultural centres in Lasalle, Notre-dame-de- Grâce, Rosemont—la Petite-patrie and Anjou explore the history of parades, treasures of the circus, clowns and other facets of life under the big top through posters and other media.
“The circus is ubiquitous. It’s everywhere,” Deborah Walk, formerly of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Florida, told the Montreal Gazette in 2017. “People love the daring of the human spirit and the core values (of the circus) — striving for perfection, dedication, perseverance.”
For more information on Arrête ton cirque, visit accesculture.com. Here are other ideas to keep you and the littles entertained.
THE CLASSICS
Montreal is made of museums. There’s something for dinosaur lovers at the Redpath Museum and Montreal Science Centre, for train aficionados at Exporail, or the Montreal Aviation Museum for flights of fancy.
The folks at the Mccord Museum have been working hard to come up with fun things to do, and
one of those is a partnership with the Fantasia International Film Festival. Movies will be screened March 1 through 8 at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Exceptionally, the museum will be open every day during March break. Admission costs $14 to $19; free for museum members and children under 12. Hours: weekdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., weekends 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 690 Sherbrooke St. W.; musee-mccord. qc.ca.
At the Old Port, the free interactive exhibition All Aboard! is a discovery adventure that shows how goods are shipped across the country and around the world. Kids have to “get goods to their destination as quickly as possible, meeting the challenges that arise along the way.” Just like real life, only fun.
March 2 to 6, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Grand Quay at the Port of Montreal, 200 de la Commune St. W.; port-montreal.com/en/allaboard.html.
If it’s cloudy but you’ve got a hankering for stars, the Planetarium has you covered. In addition to theatres with state-of-the-art technology bringing entire galaxies a hand’s breadth away, it boasts the largest collection of meteorites in Quebec. The Planetarium does not claim to have kryptonite on site, so it’s safe for your little superheroes. Admission costs $8.25 to $16.25 for Quebec residents. Open all week during March break, but check the website for hours. 4801 Pierre-de-coubertin Ave.; espacepourlavie.ca.
The Festival international du film pour enfants de Montréal runs from Feb. 29 through March 8 at various locations and includes a whopping 100 films from more than 34 countries. Children will judge the films in competition. fifem.com.
THE OUTDOORS
Nothing says cosy like alpacas, amirite? Find them outside Pointe-à-callière as part of a Peruvian-themed celebration that also includes storytelling, percussion and creative workshops, and Adirondack chairs around a fire. Indoors, and included if you purchase a ticket, is an activity booklet as well as more workshops related to the temporary exhibition The Incas, Treasures of Peru. Admission costs $8 to $24; outdoor activities are free. Hours: weekdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekends 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 350 Place Royale; pacmusee.qc.ca.
Rocket Fest at Laval’s Parc Émile is mostly about hockey, but there are also free skates and an introduction to curling, plus inflatables, sliding hills, face painting, games and tire d’érable. Free, with a charge for equipment rental and maple taffy. March 4, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 55 Cartier Blvd. W., Laval-des-rapides; laval.ca/pages/fr/calendrier/ fete-quartier-parc-emile.aspx.
Refuge is the operative word at the Refuge faunique Marguerite-d’youville. While there’s lots of room to run on eight kilometres of trails through meadow, marsh and woods, visitors who slow down and move more quietly will see all sorts of wildlife, including whitetailed deer and dozens of types of birds. Purchase a bag of seeds with your ticket to experience the tingly feeling of a chickadee eating from the palm of your hand. The island pavilion has snacks and drinks for humans, too. Entry costs $3.65 to $5.25. Access to the park is permitted from sunrise to sunset; the pavilion is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 480 D’youville Blvd., Châteauguay; ilesaintbernard.com.
There’s so much to do at Laval’s Centre de la nature, you might want to set aside two days, or at least get there early. There are tons of sledding and tubing hills and kilometres of paths for walking, running, skiing and snowshoeing. The playground never disappoints, and it’s right across the path from a miniature farm with goats and horses and birds (and alpacas!). Access to the park is free, but there are costs to rent equipment like tubes or skates. Hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. 901 Parc Ave., Laval; laval. ca/centredelanature.
Check out the city of Montreal’s website (ville.montreal.qc.ca) for activities at parks across the island and SÉPAQ’S site (sepaq.com) for Quebec’s many provincial parks.
THE QUIRKY
Ah, you know how it is: “the shared complicity with pets, guardians of our most intimate secrets.” This is the basis of Le trésor, a musical adventure launched when two children and their cat, Piano, are trapped inside on a rainy day and boredom breeds magic. March 4 through 7 at 2 p.m.; Cinquième Salle of Place des Arts. Best for age four and up. Tickets cost $20. While you’re at Place des Arts, check out a host of free programming, including puppets, dance, a story factory, a treasure hunt and shadow games. See placedesarts.com/en/theme/ winter-break for more information.
The Festival de Casteliers is puppetry at its finest, featuring theatre presentations from around the world at various locations, from March 4 through 8. There are 10 shows and two evenings of short pieces and stop-motion films. Also check out OUF — Off-festival de Casteliers, at the Parc St-viateur pavilion. Costs vary; tickets can be purchased at festival.casteliers.ca.
Did someone say alpacas? Alpagas Sutton is a family-owned farm where visitors can observe these delightful woolly beasts and walk a forested trail that features interpretive panels explaining the protected wetland system of Alderbrook Marsh. If you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of Hatchi the chocolate lab or one of the farm’s patrol cats. The boutique is full of items handcrafted with alpaca wool. Entry costs $2 to $4. Hours: weekends 1 to 4 p.m. 1474 Macey Rd, Sutton; alpagassutton.com. Sutton is 100 kilometres southeast of Montreal, and the town is rich in history and winter activities. See suttontourism.ca for more information.