Published on July 13, 2009 - After its Quartier international and its Quartier latin, Montréal now welcomes its Quartier des spectacles, downtown’s new entertainment district. Inaugurated on June 30 last year as part of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal’s 30th anniversary celebrations, the Place du Quartier des spectacles, at the heart of this new public space, has become the nexus for downtown’s major events such as the FrancoFolies or the Just for Laughs Festival, which have helped catapult Montréal to international fame.
Not only does this new entertainment district boast some 30 show halls (nearly 28,000 seats), but the Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan has found a year-round home on the Festival International de Jazz site with L’Astral, an intimate cabaret-style room which features 350 seats and standing room for 600 more people.
The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal is also busy with major renovations. Work on its future performance hall is already underway and is expected be completed by 2011. The new OSM room will feature excellent acoustics and will be able to accommodate 1,900 guests, 200 chorus members and 120 musicians.
To make the most of the multitude of shows, concerts and plays going on in the Quartier des spectacles and around town, look no further than the Vitrine. Located at 145 Sainte-Catherine Street West, this one-stop outlet gives you instant access to information and promotions on all cultural and artistic events happening in the city. Plus, you can purchase tickets, on-line or in person, often at reduced prices. And no visit to the district would be complete without a look at the Vitrine’s luminous façade, which allows passersby to interact with the forms generated by 35,000 LED lights, every night of the year, from 7 to 11 p.m. It’s a technological gem, and unique in North America.
