The Go Bike MTL Festival concludes this weekend with the annual Tour la Nuit and Tour de L’Ile . The former has four start times, between 7:45 and 9pm, kicking off from two points: Lafontaine and Maisonneuve Parks. The 22-km rolls through four boroughs: the Plateau, Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie, Mercier-HoMA and Ville-Marie. Sunday’s 36-km Tour de L'Île rolls through seven boroughs. Don’t forget to register your spot - last-minute slots are available. Of course, if you're not attending the rides but still have to go places, make sure to plan your route before your departure.
First First Fridays of the season sets up shop at the Big O Esplanade! For the 10th edition of the food truck blitz. Each monthly offering will have a theme, and today’s is an homage to the vibrant street food culture of Mexico, with the following outlets taking part: Restaurant Ariz5, Mad Mexican, Arriba burrito, Calaveras, Mi Corazon, MASA, Andros El Tacos, Lili and Gordo. There will be music and games. 4 to 11pm.
Yum! The Grand PoutineFest has arrived at CentreLaval. With over 20 poutines to choose from (including the limited burrito poutine!) and a variety of family-friendly fun. Friday to Sunday, starting at noon. (Shoutout to the organizers for offering up recyclable, reusable and compostable containers.)
Punk rocker, writer and radio host Henry Rollins brings stories about his life both pre- and during covid with the Good to See You tour. Corona Theatre, Saturday at 8pm.
French singer Dadju croons at Place Bell, Friday 8pm.
Dance-electronica Aussie band Rüfüs Du Sol go live Saturday at Parc Jean-Drapeau, 7:30pm.
The chronicler of Ville-Emard Vittorio Rossi picks up the thread of the Italo-Montrealer Testa family in his new play, Legacy. Here, we meet the clan several years out from Rossi’s original play, The Chain. Whispers of corruption have imperiled the family’s landscaping business. Rossi not only wrote the play, and stars in it, too! Legacy has just opened at Leonard da Vinci Centre. Until June 26.
The multidisciplinary Festival TransAmériques continues with works that focus on water, among other themes. Brazilian artists Alice Ripol Lavagem fills the stage with foam and soap at Usine C, Friday at 6mp and Saturday at 3pm. Artist Maryse Goudreau presents a condensed history of the beluga in Canada with, La conquête du béluga, at the Clocktower in the Old Port, Saturday and Sunday, 7pm. Also free and outdoors: Save the last dance for me, which revives the ‘polka chinata’ at Marché Maisonneuve, Friday at 5:30pm. Tickets are going fast, so don’t hesitate! Until June 9.
Writers aged 64 to 82 plumb the topic of ageism in a series of short plays in Theatre Ouest-End's free online series, Still Got Something to Say: 6 Plays on Age. The writers, including Jane Gilchrist, Debra Kirshenbaum and Ann Lambert, were paired with emerging directors to present these shorts, which are 10 to 20 minutes in length. Free (donations accepted) but plese register here. Until June 15.
Till The Next Me highlights the talents of the graduating class of the National Circus School, the first show the school has put on in three years! The enthusiasm and excitement is palpable at La Tohu… see the students tackle acrobats, aerials, contortionism and more. Highlights include dueting Cyr wheels, a can-can and a harpist performing up in the air, and upside down. And - wishing a happy 40th anniversary to the School! Until June 12.
Historian Robert Wilkins, who spoke to Andrew about his new book, is signing copies of Grandad's Montreal 1901, at Librairie Clio in Pointe-Claire, Saturday 10am to 2pm. Part of sales go to St. Michael's Mission and Chez Doris.
The “deliciously sarcastic” Graham Kay headlines the Comedy Nest, Friday and Saturday, 8:30 and 10pm.
On the bill at Montreal burlesque HQ The Wiggle Room this weekend: Genny Pow!, Sugar Vixen, Mia Culpa, Celesta O’Lee and BonBon Bombay. Shows Friday and Saturday.
Church of St John the Baptist holds a perennial plant sale, Saturday 9am to 12pm. 233 Ste-Claire in Pointe-Claire.
The Anglican Diocese of Montreal holds a Family Day on the grounds of St Philips Church, 7505 Sherbrooke - the first in-person event in some time! Live music, crafts, bouncy castle, clowns and more! Saturday 11am to 2pm.
The flea market returns to St-Jean-Berchmans Church, with new and used items and bargains aplenty! Food on site. Saturday, 9am to 5pm and Sunday 9am to 4pm. 5945 Cartier, near Rosemont Metro.
The Innocent is your guide to the fantastical world of Charivari in Kooza, Cirque du soleil’s first big show under the big top in Montreal since 2019. At the Old Port until August 14.
Variations Mile End is a dance school now launching a space for improv and comedy performances on the Plateau. Performer and manager Jason Grimmer launched comedy classes during the pandemic, and now students and comedy lovers can visit Théatre VME for performances. Four shows this weekend, Friday and Saturday at 8 and 9:30pm.
New feature film Peace by Chocolate tells the story of the Hadhad family, who fled Syria during the civil war, and eventually arrived in Canada in 2015. They continued the family trade by launching a chocolate factory in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. The movie, directed by Jonathan Keijser, features Syrian actors (Hatem Ali, Yara Sabri) as well as a wealth of Montreal talent (Dawn Ford, Arthur Holden, Paul Van Dyck Laurent Pitre)... and a cameo by the Prime Minister. In theatres, including Cinema Forum, Cinéma du Musée and Cinéma Odeon Quartier Latin.
The Insectarium has reopened post-renovation with a fresh look at all the creepy, crawly, pretty creatures. The team redesigned the space to give visitors an intimate look at what it is to be an insect: in the Alcoves, vibrating floors and ultraviolet projections allow you to imagine how insects feel and see the world. Visitors get to move like an insect, too, slipping through cracks or trodding on rods hanging from the ceiling. Then you get to observe bugs up close, followed by a trip through the Dome, and finally, a greenhouse-like space, the Great Vivarium, where roaming butterflies are the special attraction.
And reminder that the first signs of spring will also be visible nearby at the Botanical Gardens, and the Planetarium and the Biodome are also open - but getting your timed ticket in advance is an absolute must! A little further away, on Ile Sainte-Hélène, the Biosphère is also open.
At the Montreal Science Centre, explore evolution in Human or explore the process of invention in Fabrik - Creativity Factory. Plus, the movie theatre is open, so you can sit back and learn about Sea Lions and the Great Bear Rainforest - in IMAX 3D!
Stranger Than Kindness is a new exhibition based on the life and work of Nick Cave, the Aussie-born artist known for his deep baritone and religiously-tinged lyrics probing love, religion and violence. We start in his hometown Wangaratta, then travel to London then Berlin, then a loving recreation of his actual home office. Over 300 bits of ephemera, from lyrics to letters, books to bits of hair, bring the show to livid life. Keep your eyes peeled for an email Leonard Cohen wrote to Cave after tragedy hit his family… Cohen is one of Cave’s inspirations, and that’s partly why Stranger Than Kindness is stopping off here after its inaugural run in Copenhagen. The show opens Friday at Galerie de la Maison du Festival, 305 Sainte-Catherine. Until August 7.
At the McCord: Piqutiapiit celebrates and elucidates the incredible craftwork of Inuit women. Montreal-based, Kuujjuaq-born artist Niap is the driving force behind the show. We view the tools and the practical works they helped to craft, including beadwork and clothing. And there is original work from Niap, who is currently artist-in-residence at the McCord.
Also check out the fascinating exhibit JJ Levine: Queer Portraits. The Montreal artist presents 52 intimate images of people who self-identify as queer, selected from three different series taken between now and 2006.
Indie venue Montreal Improv is back, at its new home in St Henri. Catch one or more of the four shows up this weekend! Tickets and schedules here.
Cabaret Celeste is a new show at the recently renovated Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth Hotel. A meeting room has been converted to a cozy cabaret space for this Cirque Éloize production, which was cancelled hours before its original opening back in December (thanks, Omicron). Celeste draws inspiration from the astrophysical… think tarot, horoscopes, planets and deities … and it is by equal turns sensual and silly! I loved the creative clay juggling act, and the master of ceremony’s Cyr wheel act. The talented and gorgeous Coral Egan provides the vocals through a slew of pop songs, ranging from Frank Sinatra to Coldplay to Leonard Cohen.
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts presents Nicolas Party: L'heure mauve, a look at the Swiss artist’s pastels, watercolours and sculptures, set against murals he’s painted in the Museum… plus with 50 works selected by Party from the Museum’s collection. The show title is a reference to ‘that fleeting moment when the fading light casts purple hues over the landscape’ - how dreamy!
Exporail, the Canadian train museum in St Constant presents: Train, a Railroad to Dreams: A World in Miniature. It’s an homage to toy trains… so you start with the smallest of the trains, then pivot to marvel at the 50 life-size vehicles on display in the Grand Gallery.