The 71st annual Santa Claus Parade takes a new route on Saturday! The fun starts with a gathering at 10:30am at Dorchester Square, and at 11am, the parade heads east on René-Lévesque, up Robert-Bourassa to Ste-Catherine, finishing at Place des arts with a concert and the opening of the Christmas Market. Look for this year’s Star Fairy, aerospace engineer Farah Alibay! (Hear her interview with Andrew here.) And bring your letter to Santa: Postal Elves will be collecting those wishlists to send to the North Pole!
Is Montreal a basketball town now? With the NBA’s Adam Silver teasing interest in an expansion team, you can whet your appetite when the NCAA: Northern Classic returns to Place Bell for a second year. See college basketball teams, three matches daily. Single- and three-day tickets available. Friday to Sunday, 2pm at Place Bell in Laval.
Actor Jake Epstein achieved success early in his career, from making his stage debut at age 12 and then getting cast as aspiring musician Craig Manning in a Degrassi High reboot. But despite his time on Broadway (including Beautiful and the doomed Spider-Man musical) and success in TV, Jake found himself plagued with doubt and the fear of failure. His solo show, Boy Falls From the Sky, tackles the pitfalls of show business. At the Segal Centre until December 10.
Toronto writer Christopher Ross sees his play about humanitarian work translated into French in Tremblements. Acclaimed actress Debbie Lynch-White plays a fictional portrayal of a real Quebec nurse whom Christopher befriended over the past six years. In the play, Marie volunteers with Doctors Without Borders in Africa, where she finds herself wrestling with ethics and trauma of aid work. Until December 2 at Espace Go.
Friday’s music picks: Bang a Gong celebrates the glam rock era. Dawn Tyler Watson, Shane Murphy, Paul Cargnello and Howard Bilerman are just some of the luminaries bringing to life the music of David Bowie, Queen, T.Rex, Lou Reed and more. The four-hour fest starts at 7:30pm at Club Sofa. French hip-hop duo Bigflo & Oli at the Bell Centre, 8pm. Rock singer-songwriter Gab Bouchard at MTelus, 8pm. Country singer-songwriter Robyn Ottolini at Le Studio TD, 8pm. And at the Corona-Beanfield: Stayin’ Alive - A Tribute to the Bee Gees, 8pm.
Saturday’s music picks: Makeup-loving English pop singer Jazmin Bean at Bar Le Ritz PDB, 7:30pm. Apashe at MTelus, 8pm. The pride of Mont-Laurier, folk-soul singer Bobby Bazini at Théâtre Maisonneuve, 8pm. And Nocturne - Les 9 is a twilight-themed program, performed by eight cellists and a double bassist (nine!), including Moonlight Sonata and Clair de lune. Swoon! Saturday, 7:30pm, at Maison symphonique.
Nuits d’Afrique continues its series of weekend mini-festivals this month. Les Cabarets Acoustique hosts acts all weekend, including the Team Salsa Sextet, which reunites artists from all over South America, 9pm show Saturday.
Jazz students at the Université de Montréal are putting on free 5 a 7 shows, with a quintet at the Salon urbain at Place des arts, Friday and Saturday.
Sunday’s music picks: In Gala rock symphonique, La Sinfonia de Lanaudière and Maestro Stéphane Laforest put a fresh spin on music by Queen, Led Zeppelin, Styx, Supertramp, The Police, and more. They will be reinforced by real rock singers, Martin Levac, Rick Hughes and Matt Grou. Théâtre Maisonneuve, 2pm. And on another note, the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal performs Sibelius’ 1st symphony, at the Maison symphonique, 2:30pm.
Disney in Concert: A Dream is a Wish conjures the music magic from House of Mouse classics like Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Little Mermaid Frozen with local talent. Alexandre Da Costa conducts the Orchestre Philharmonique du Québec, and singers like Véronique Claveau and Philippe Touzel. Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Friday and Saturday, 7:30pm and Sunday, 3pm.
Final weekend for the 26th edition of the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) See Justine Harbonnier’s Caiti Blues, a portrayal of a small-town bartender and local radio host who dreams of returning to her original passion, music. The protagonist and director will be at the Friday screening, 6:30pm at Cinema du Parc. RIDM wraps on Sunday.
It’s also final call at image+nation, Montreal’s LGBT2SQ+ film festival. See Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone in the explosive and topical thriller Fancy Dance, in which her character Jax searches for her missing sister, while caring for her niece. Friday, 7pm at the JA de Sève Cinema. The festival winds it up with a wrap party on Saturday at Cinéma L’Impérial, with Canada's Drag Race champion Gisèle Lullaby hosting a party and screening of House of Venus, a documentary about a fellowship of queer, Canadian multidisciplinary artists. Drag performances, a wearable art fashion show and dance party to follow.
As we start the countdown to Christmas, Drag Race stars BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon bring their celebrated holiday show, complete with comedy bits and holiday songs. At L’Olympia, Friday, 8pm.
Kyle Brownrigg (Just for Laughs, Roast Battle Canada) is headlining at The Comedy Nest, with support from Elspeth Wright, Dan Bingham, Darren Henwood and more. Friday and Saturday, 8 and 10:30pm.
It’s getting hot in here! Comics Monica Hamburg and Jennifer June Chapman bring back their showcase, Funny Over Forty: Exceptional & Exhausted with a mix of standup, storytelling and sketch comedy. Kadi Diop, Johanne Pelletier and the comedy duo TITTERS perform Friday, 8pm at Saint-Houblon, 5414 Gatineau in Cote-des-Neiges.
Sherwin Tija’s iconic Slow Dance returns. Dress up and get your dance card ready. Participants are encouraged to pair up with strangers; designated dancers are there for the wallflowers. Saturday, 9pm at MainLine Theatre.
At Montreal Improv in St Henri, check out a variety of shows, including the inaugural edition of Guess Who’s Coming to Improv? Anyone can throw their name in a hat; if you are picked, you get paired with a random improviser. Saturday, 6:30pm.
Paging F. Scott Fitzgerald! Glamorous Gatsby Burlesque is the theme at The Wiggle Room! On the bill: The Lady Josephine, Miami Minx, Wild D’Lilah and Zyra Lee Vanity, with hosting by owner-performer Frenchy Jones. Friday and Saturday, 8pm. And on Sunday, Yikes Macaroni’s kooky burlesque cabaret Strip Cheese will see Yaya Havana, Messy Elliott, Miss Pretty Pretentious, Fabien L'Amour and Irony take to the stage, at 8pm.
English pub mainstay Burgundy Lion hosts an Asian Street Food Takeover, inviting the team at nearby Satay Brothers to set up a buffet of southeast Asian flavours. Live music, a tattoo booth and DJ set round out the day. Come for the pop-up market 11am to 3pm, stay for the buffet dinner 6-8pm. Tickets are $50, with funds going to the GOAL initiatives Foundation and Fondation Patrice Bernier.
The Church of St. John the Baptist hosts a Christmas Bazaar, with vintage dishes, books, crafts, jewelry, gift baskets. Lunch and baked goods! At 233 Ste Claire, in Pointe-Claire, Saturday, 9:30am to 2pm.
The Roxboro Legion hosts a craft fair at the Marcel Morin Community Centre, 14068 Gouin.Sunday, 10 to 3pm. Santa and Mrs Claus will be there! It’s a fundraiser to purchase appliances for their new kitchen.
Actress Melora Hardin, of The Office and Monk fame, is a Montrealer! She has a home and studio in Old Montreal, and large, colourful collages are currently being exhibited at Galerie Le Royer, 42 St Paul St West. Listen to Melora speak with Andrew about her work here. Until November 30.
The Arsenal Contemporary Gallery in Griffintown hosts an immersive show that takes you inside the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral. Consecrated nearly a thousand years ago, the impressive Medieval church was nearly lost during a brutal fire amid restoration in 2019. This show takes you into the history of the Cathedral, and its rebuilding process. Until December 30.
Cavalia’s Illumi – Dazzling World of Lights in Laval has returned, with the option to walk or drive through 19 universes along a 3-kilometre path, and be dazzled by 25 million LED lights! Open until early January.
A new museum has opened in the heart of downtown: Centre des Mémoires Montréalaises promises to capture the city’s history and citizens. Check out the vintage neon signs at the entrance, and look for the colourful balls that once decorated Ste-Catherine in the Gay Village. There are two exhibition up now: a lookback at the 90 years of Le Chaînon, the women’s shelter and resource centre, and Détours, which focuses on hidden corners of the city. Located at 1201 St Laurent.
Place des Arts opened 60 years ago this year! The sprawling complex looks back on its long history with a new exhibition, An Artistic Journey, with images from major performances and first-hand stories. At the Espace Culture Georges-Émile-Lapalme.
The McCord Stewart Museum’s excellent and informative Indigenous Voices of Today: Knowledge, Trauma, Resilience. The show profiles the 11 nations living within the borders of Quebec, with testimonies and carefully curated objects.
The very popular Bébé symphonique show has just returned to the Planetarium! This multisensory show is designed for kiddos up to 18 months of age, with adapted sound levels and swirling images of the stars. The 33-minute show is paired with the educational short film, Stardust. Though this weekend is booked, start making your plans to see this popular show before it ends December 17.