Join festivities for Montreal’s birthday bash
Lights, music, museums: A look at the highlights of city’s 375th celebration
Montreal knows how to party in any year. Give it a celebration such as the city’s 375th birthday this year and the volume gets cranked up even higher.
Here are 10 things to check out in one of the world’s coolest cities this year; seven special events for the big birthday bash and three others that you can enjoy any year.
SPECIAL 375 EVENTS/ ATTRACTIONS
Cité Mémoire.: This has been up and running for several months; a super-cool, nighttime attraction in which images and music are screened on the walls of historic buildings in Old Montreal. The images tell stories of Montrealers over the years who made their mark on the city. Definitely worth checking out. (375mtl.com/en/programming/cite-memoire-59/) Jacques Cartier Bridge Illumination: Work has begun to install thousands of LED lights on this well-known bridge. It’s a $39.5-million project that will see a series of shapes and shadows played out by individual lights that will be programmed to coincide with high levels of social media activity and special holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day. Look for the lights to go on in mid-May, as May 17 is the city’s actual birthdate. (375mtl.com/en/living-connections/) Igloofest: This is a super-fun and most decidedly winter-ish activity. The festival features electronic music galore, with dancing under the stars. This year’s festival also includes something billed as human curling and a Christmas tree toss. Igloofest continues on weekends to Feb. 19 at Jacques Cartier Quay in the Old Port. (375mtl.com/en/programming/igloofest-62/)
Open Air Museum: Sherbrooke Street near the fantastic Museum of Fine Arts is being turned into an al fresco museum for a good part of the summer. Sixty-seven works will be on display in the outdoors as a way of marking 50 years since Expo 67 in Montreal. Featured art will focus on “messages of peace and (will) reflect the universal values of humanism, tolerance and openness that inspired Expo 67.” The exhibit will also help mark Canada’s 150th anniversary. (375mtl.com/ en/programming/la-baladepour-la-paix-un-musee-a-cielouvert-40/)
Giants: These giant marionettes from the renowned Royal de Luxe street theatre company will be trotting down the streets of Montreal for the first time from May 19-21. (They’re not giving away the location just yet). A huge way to start the summer season in Montreal. (375mtl.com/en/programming/lesgeants-36/)
Leonard Cohen: Speaking of giants, Canada and Montreal lost one this past November with the death of legendary performer/artist Leonard Cohen. The Museum of Contemporary Art will put on an exhibition (Nov. 9, 2017-April 1, 2018) that celebrates one of the city’s — and country’s — most iconic figures. It will naturally be a multidisciplinary exhibit that focuses on visual arts, music, Cohen’s written works and more. (375mtl. com/en/programming/leonardcohen-une-breche-en-toutechose-26/)
Special Perfume: How’s this for a city specific treat? Montreal perfume maker Claude André Hébert has developed five scents that are meant to mimic part of Montreal. The Mont-Royal scent, for example, has touches of fresh-mowed grass and pine needles; while the Old Montreal scent — À l’ombre des clochers — is meant to echo the smell of the St. Lawrence River and has traces of cardamom and cinnamon. I haven’t heard about a Schwartz’s smoked meat sandwich scent yet but there’s still time.
ONGOING
Osheaga: This is one of the highlights of the summer season for young music lovers, with many of Canada’s and the world’s top bands popping in for a visit. This year’s event runs Aug 4-6 at Parc Jean Drapeau. (osheaga.com)
Montreal en Lumiere: This yearly festival is the highlight of the winter for many Montrealers, a two-week-plus party of light, music (look for Alain Lefèvre, Benjamin Biolay and other top acts) and much more. This year’s program includes some of the top chefs from Lyon, the culinary capital of France. This year’s event runs from Feb. 23 to March 11. (montrealenlumiere.com/ en-CA)
Montreal Jazz Festival: All of downtown comes alive every summer for this event, which features music of all sorts (as well as top-flight jazz). You’ll find parks turned into miniature concert arenas, with great food and drinks and late-night parties. It’s a fun time for adults and families, too. And many shows are free. I saw Ontario guitarist Jesse Cook at the festival a couple years ago; he and his band put on a fantastic show. This year’s event runs June 28-July 8 (montrealjazzfest.com)