Now that warmer temperatures are back, the month of May is turning out to be a busy one for food events in Montreal. If you are a foodie, the following 3 events are sure to be up your alley

Food Revolution Day – Boxed Lunch Sale: Chef Jamie Oliver is the instigator of Food Revolution Day, a day of awareness for better food education celebrated in over 60 countries around the world. Appetite for Books is participating in the May 17^th international event by preparing $10 “good food” boxed lunches made by chef Jonathan Cheung and featuring favourite Jamie Oliver recipes. All proceeds raised on that day will be donated to the NDG Food Bank’s Good Food Box Program. May 17, 2013 at 12 P.M, Appetite for Books, 388 Victoria Avenue

Salon j’ai faim: This event is in its very first edition this year. Its mission is to celebrate local food initiatives and innovation. The show will host about 50 exhibitors who will showcase their local products, from all natural sodas, to vegan cooking classes to urban organic vegetable gardens. Also on site will be artists exhibiting their work, conferences on how to start a food business as well as activities for the whole family, including kids workshops. May 18-19, 2013 from 11 A.M. to 6 P.M, Église Saint-Enfant Jesus, 5035 St-Dominique

Pointe-à-Callière’s Cultural Feast: This event takes place in Old Montreal, right in front of Pointe-à-Callière, Montreal’s Museum of Archeology and History and celebrates the city’s cultural diversity. Activities, food stands and presentations by food enthusiasts are on the menu as well as a very special spotlight on tea in the form of conferences and tasting. Several international delights and sweet treats will be served by some of Montreal’s restaurateurs. A kid’s corner with face painting and games will surely delight the younger crowd so don’t hesitate to make it a family outing! May 25from 11 A.M. to 7 P.M and May 26 from 11 A.M. to 6 P.M. Place D’Youville, outside the Pointe-à-Callière Museum, 350 Place Royale

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Festivals and outdoor activities spring forth this week with a bout of beautiful weather just in time for the long weekend: celebrate La Fête de Montréal with street entertainment and food; be inspired by the art of Festival Transamériques and Chromatic; fall under the spell of the Montreal Opera, the Chamber Music Festival, and live music from electro-dance to glam rock…

(outdoor life) The fun starts outdoors on Friday, May 17 with free, all-day party La Fête de Montréal in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles. The day celebrates Montreal’s 371st anniversary with performances from circus troupe Les 7 Doigts de la Main, folk-rock band Irreverend James and the Critical Mass Choir, choreographer-dancers Jocelyne Montpetit and Manon Oligny, artist Armand Vaillancourt and more. Food is also front and centre at the festivities with a variety of gourmet food trucks and a happy hour cocktail party at 4:30 p.m., followed by DJ sets by Vincent Lemieux and a multimedia musical event at 9:30 p.m. Sundays are for relaxing in the open air, chilling with drummers and dancers at the Tam Tams on Mont Royal or at this summer’s first weekend of Piknic Electronik (pictured above) at Parc Jean-Drapeau, starting its 11th season off right with two days and two stages of music to dance to: on May 19, hear house-label Leftroom producers Jay London and Laura Jones and the UK’s Matt Tolfrey, while on Monday, Detroit house legend Carl Craig headlines. And thrill-seekers flock to the sunny opening weekend of La Ronde amusement park.

(daring performance) Some of the highest caliber multidisciplinary theatre, dance and performance art comes to Festival Transamériques, May 22-June 8, featuring international and Canadian talents, including German director Thomas Ostermeier’s not-to-be-missed modern interpretation of Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People on May 22-24, and South African artist-choreographer Robyn Orlin’s Beauty Remained For Just A Moment Then Returned Gently To Her Starting Position…, an engaging, humorous critique of South African society – and society in general, for that matter, dressed in elaborate costumes made of recycled materials.

(art & the street) Multidisciplinary art festival Chromatic, May 18-22 at art gallery and studio space The Darling Foundry puts on a long weekend of all kinds of avant-garde art, film screenings, music and more, indoors and outdoors – there’s even an art party on Saturday night with music by Capitaine Soldat, Aroara, Memoryhouse, TEEN, Rock Forest, High Klassified and Toast Dawg. On May 19, bring the family for a picnic on Ottawa Street outside the gallery, complete with free art workshops for kids. May 22 closes the show with an Art Affaire party. Catch two art exhibitions at the PHI Centre: Philomène Longpré’s interactive video system Cereus Queen of the Night, and Gabriel Coutu-Dumont’s multidisciplinary Wonders of a Transient Universe. And experimental Sight and Sound Festival continues to blend art and technology, with performances at Eastern Bloc to May 29. And make music outside just by swinging on  music-art installation 21 Swings, outside along de Maisonneuve Avenue in the Quartier des Spectacles.

(love & mystery) The Opera de Montreal, alongside the Orchestre Métropolitain reach new heights with Massenet’s opera of love and poverty, Manon, directed by Fabien Gabel and featuring soprano Marianne Fiset, Canadian baritone Gordon Bintner and Portuguese tenor Bruno Ribeiro. Dream Away, the latest work by award-winning choreographer Stephan Thoss, is a surreal exploration of movement and gesture, presented by Les Grands Ballets to May 25. Thoroughbred and highly trained horses make up the magic of Odysseo, a theatrical new show from the makers of Cavalia, to June 9 in Laval. And Greg Kramer’s adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, starring Jay Baruchel, unravels mysteries of man and nature at the Segal Centre until May 28.

(chamber & classical music) The Montreal Chamber Music Festival mixes traditional quartets with chamber-inspired jazz, to June 1: on May 17, hear Brazilian guitarist Chico Pinheiro and his ensemble perform music from their new album There’s a Storm Inside; on May 18, it’s the Swingle Singers 50th Anniversary Celebration at Église St-George, singing tunes from The Beatles to Bach; and on May 22, hear solo performances of Bach played on impressive instruments from the Canada Council Musical Instrument Bank. Meanwhile, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra plays out its spring season with the family fare of the Magic Horn, a story of a genie told through the sounds of exotic musical instruments. On May 21, the Orchestra tackles surrealist music of the early 20th century, and on May 22-23, David Zinman conducts Mahler’s Fifth.

(may music fests) Pop-punk is the name of the Pouzza Fest game, as are Pabst and poutine, all a part of the fests take over of 10 downtown Montreal venues by 150 bands – there’s even a Sunday breakfast show at Foufounes and BBQ dinners at Katacombes. Among the headliners: Me First & the Gimmie Gimmies, New Found Glory, A Wilhelm Scream, The Planet Smashers, Saves the Day, and man, many more, including free outdoors shows at the Quartier des Spectacles (at the corner of Clark and Ste-Catherine) on Saturday and Sunday starting at 11 a.m. Later in the week, catch a variety of great solo acts at the One Man Band Festival, May 23-26: on Thursday night, see Bloodshot Bill, Danny Lutz, André Daneau and more.

(more live music) Friday night is alright for an electro-groove party with RJD2 at the SAT. On Saturday night, the man behind The Twist performs the kind of rock and roll that inspired a generation: Chubby Checker gets the crowd dancing at the Rialto Theatre, in the Mile End neighbourhood. On May 19, glam-rock band The Darkness prove they still believe in a thing called love, with Free Energy opening, at the Corona Theatre, while Connecticut-based rapper Chris Webby  rhymes to the beat at L’Astral (305 Ste-Catherine E.). Listen to the sweet and sometimes sad music of Montreal’s Folly And The Hunter and Aidan Knight at Cabaret Du Mile End on May 22. And on May 23, UK indie post-rockers The Boxer Rebellion bring their big sound to Petit Campus (57 Prince-Arthur E.), while The Shins get mildly happy, with openers Ra Ra Riot, at Metropolis.

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Thousands of people, Montrealers and tourists alike, of all skill levels and ages, take part in the Montreal Bike Fest every spring, in cycling tours of the city and other events. For over 40 years, non-profit organization Vélo Québec has been boosting biking for recreation, commuting and as a great way to tour Montreal’s many neighbourhoods – the Bike Fest takes this advocacy to the next level, with the Tour de l’Île de Montréal, the Tour la Nuit, an entertainment event at Olympic Stadium, a fashion show and more.

Serious cyclists take advantage of the just-right springtime weather on Sunday, May 26 in the Metropolitan Challenge, featuring 75, 100, 125 and 150-km routes leaving from Saint-Lazare, but for a more casual, chilled-out, city-focused bike ride, choose the Tour la Nuit on May 31 – experience Montreal by bike at night, surrounded by, oh, about 17,000 other cyclists, many of them in wild costumes, biking for 25 kilometres through the city streets. The event begins at 8:15 p.m. out on Boulevard Pie-IX and finishes with a party at Olympic Park’s Esplanade. Encouraging families to get and stay active together, the Tour la Nuit is free for all kids aged 12!

Also free for kids is the Tour de l’Île de Montréal on the morning of Sunday, June 3, a ride now in its 29th year, with options of 25 and 50 kilometres as well as a 100-km morning tour all along the city’s shoreline. Cyclists who want to test their speed and stamina can go for the 50 or 100 km Express routes, with average speeds of 30 km/h for 1½ hours. For families and others who want to stop and smell the roses, or at least glide past them more slowly, bike together on a loop of of either 25 km or 50 km, ending at a new finish site this year, Olympic Park’s Esplanade, complete with ferris wheel!

If you’re not bringing your own wheels to town or renting a bike from one of Montreal’s many bike tour and rental shops, opt for Montreal’s public bike system, Bixi, offering a $10 deal for the Tour la Nuit and the Tour de l’Île. But if you’re in Ottawa or Quebec City and looking for a challenge, bike over to Montreal on May 31 or June 1 and hop the train home after the Tour de l’Île with a special-to-the-festival VIA Rail Canada package. On the other hand, just soak up the fashionable side of cycling at the Montréal Cycle Chic fashion contest at a Happy Hour event on May 30, organized by new bike-culture magazine Vélo Urbain.

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 THE DETAILS

The Montreal Bike Fest, May 26-June 2, 2013

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The Mondial is a tasting party held every year inside Montreal’s Palais des Congres and on the esplanade outside. It’s a free-for-all in which visitors purchase tickets ($1 each) and exchange them for glasses of samples from around the world. Though it’s true that almost everybody is a fan of drinking beer, the Mondial is an event that elevates beer to its highest form. It’s one of the foremost events of its kind in the world, and is frequented by bloggers and beer critics from around the world, as well as regular people who just love tasting beer as well as drinking it.

This is the Mondial’s 20^th edition: The festival is now two years older than the age of majority in this province, and thus, all grown up. So, to give it the respect it deserves, we asked a beer expert how best to enjoy it. Aaron Marchand, one of only eight Canadian beer judges certified by the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) judges – there are only eight in the whole country. While it does seem counterintuitive to need guidance on how to get the most out of an event that celebrates everything about drinking hops,  Marchand had a thing or two to teach us.
While other events like the Great American Beerfest and its British counterpart are replete with “guys in giant foam hats throwing up in planters,” says Marchand. “In Montreal it’s a smaller, and therefore more exclusive (read: classier) event.”
But you don’t have to be a professional beer nerd to enjoy the Mondial de la biere, he says; there’s something there for everybody.  Local beer drinkers go for a rare chance to sample brews from around the world that we don’t normally have a chance to sample here in Quebec. Tourists come for the love-in of local microbrews because it’s an excellent place to sample many of our brews in one location (Marchand recommends Dieu du Ciel, Benelux and Hopfenstark, for starters).

Marchand’s advice for beginners seems like something we might have figured out for ourselves: Fan out, diversify, and regroup to taste as many beers as possible. Bring a group of friends and make a day of it. Pace yourself. In general, start with lighter, less hoppy beers, and move towards more alcoholic ones. Or, try the opposite strategy, which has been known to lead to a good time as well. He also recommends hanging out with locals to find out about sideline events that happen around town the same week as the festival. Finally, he shares some advice about how to taste the rarest, most unusual and worthy finds.
“At the risk of offending people, I’d say that if you go to a booth and there are a bunch of girls in hot pants and tube tops, they are trying to disguise lack of flavor in their beer,” he says. “You want to go find the booths frequented by fat guys in beards.”

 THE DETAILS

Mondial de la biere, May 29-June 2, 2013

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Immerse yourself in festive, summery Montreal at its best with the free outdoor frenzy of the FrancoFolies de Montréal, June 13-22, 2013. Just like the Montreal Jazz Fest will a bit later in the season, the Francos animate the whole Quartier des Spectacles with music and joy – the only difference is that the acts in this fest are in French. What better way than to experience la belle ville? Among the indoor paying shows this year there are at least seven umissably cool acts – do yourself a favour and check them out.

Marseilles’ Keny Arkana is a newbie at the Francos but an old hat at speaking her mind and dropping sick rhymes made en France. Catch her with Quebec’s own Souldia, from the FaceKché 187 collective, who opens. (June 14, 7 pm, at Club Soda)

There’s no hotter name in the French world than Karim Ouellett, a French Canadian prince of folk, pop, electro and soul. His opener is soulful blues funnyman Féfé – previously from the Saïan Supa Crew – on his first trip to Québec. (June 16, 7 pm, at Club Soda)

As the 1990s ambassadors of French rap, IAM shared the stage with Public Enemy, James Brown and Madonna. They’re back in Montreal with blamd new licks – and some old school hits too. The Québécois duo Taktika has the honour of opening. (June 18, 9 pm, at Metropolis)

Coeur de Pirate is one of Quebec’s sweetest superstars. She’s played huge venues with dozens of accompanying musicians over the last few years, but this show sees her play solo, in a warm, intimate space. Electro popper Fanny Bloom opens. (June 20, 8:30 pm, at Gésu centre de créativité)

He’s got am=n enchanting voice and sings sweetly about dark things. Peter Peter has a sound you’ll remember, situated somehwerre between electro and poetry. French band La Femme will kick the night off with some addictive electro punk. (June 20, 7 pm, at Club Soda)

Her accent is only half the ear candy – Lisa Leblanc, from Acadie, has guts and attitude and a killer smile too. She paints pictures of moments with each song and will have you signing along even if you’re just guessing the words. Switzerland’s answer to Cajun, Mama Rosin, open. (June 20, 9 pm, at Metropolis)

Oxmo Puccino is fierce and sharp and a hell of a lyricist – no wonder the French rapper has taken Quebec by storm. He’s back at the Metropolis, a venue that’s fast becoming his home away from home. The famous Disiz, previously from La Peste, will get the party started. (June 22, 9 pm, at Metropolis)

THE DETAILS

Les FrancoFolies de Montréal, June 13-22, 2013

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Reserve a spot for you and the kids on the Amphi-Bus and you’ll see Montreal two ways: onshore or off. The incredible amphibian vehicle transitions seamlessly from a road tour to the St. Lawrence River. Starting in the hopping Old Montreal corner of De la Commune and St-Laurent, the historically enlightening journey around Old Montreal will acquaint you with all the unmissable sites – Notre-Dame Basilica, Marché Bonsecours, Place Jacques-Cartier, the quais – before taking a dive into the river. Then you’ll see it all from the vantage point offshore, and take in the beautiful view out across the water.

A special treat you can offer yourself is a romantic tête-à-tête aboard the Amphi-Bus during the International Loto-Québec Fireworks throughout the summer (starting on June 22). There’s no better place to view the spectacular light show than in the middle of the St-Lawrence. You’ll be invited to toast the occasion with a glass of sparkling wine, to add to the mood. Montreal, this one’s for you!

THE DETAILS

Amphi-Bus, Starting at De la Commune and St-Laurent, (514) 849-5181

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F1 drivers in 2013 aren’t burning rubber so much as burning through rubber, and the super tight turns and sharp chicanes of Montreal’s Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve are virtually certain to add a chapter to the controversial tale of the tires at this year’s Canadian Grand Prix…

For the 2013 season, Italian tire maker Pirelli – responsible for supplying all F1 wheel-wear since 2011 – did what would be unthinkable for a maker of regular street tires: they made them softer so they’d fall apart faster. Rapidly degrading tires make for more exciting racing as the quick decline in performance enables more passing and requires more pit stops. (Which not all of F1’s 22 drivers are thrilled about since it impedes their ability to hold a lead.) Pirelli says the tires are tailor-made for twisty tracks like the 4.361 km Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, which means the hundreds of thousands of elite racing fans who attend the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal (taking place this year on June 7-9) will be in for a show.

The show, of course, won’t be limited to the blacktop. Numerous celebratory events take place across the city, beginning with the annual three-day Crescent Street Grand Prix Festival. On June 6-8, from 11 am to 11 pm, a blocked-off Crescent Street will be flooded with race fans taking in bands and DJs and other live entertainment. F1 driver autograph sessions and the Pit Stop Challenge (see how fast you can change a tire, pit crew style) are prominent features of this popular – and free – outdoor party.

Less free, but certainly no less fun, is the third edition of The Grand Evening on June 6, a benefit gala established by the Canadian Grand Prix. Tickets are a grand a head, or $25,000 for a table for you, seven of your friends and a bona fide F1 driver. All proceeds from the black-tie formal will be donated to the Canadian Olympic Foundation and to the Fondation de l’Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal.

For those who want to mingle with the jet set while enjoying a more Montreal neighbourhood–type vibe, Grand Prix on the Main might be just your cup of authenticity. Upscale eateries, buttoned-down pubs, and trend-setting restos and bars line the sides of Montreal’s renowned Saint-Laurent Boulevard (known to locals as The Main), which will be closed to traffic from June 6-9 to allow for street patios and a lively range of top-shelf entertainment that’ll smoke your tires.

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THE DETAILS

Canadian Grand Prix, June 7-9, 2013

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La Ronde, the Six Flags amusement park on beautifully green Île Ste-Hélène  just off the island of Montreal is a source of excitement for everyone in the family. This year they’ve added some wet and wild action for all: it’s called the Aqua Twist, and it’s a North American first! Based on the success of the crowd favourite, the Splash, Aqua Twist is an interactive ride that will leave you drenched.

It’s a round ride (picture a giant pool) populated with nine boats, each with six riders. Each rider is equipped with a water gun, which means IT’S WAR: you can soak both the other ships and the unsuspecting public that may be within reach in the park! But beware, they have water guns too – a whole slew of water weapons surround the outskirts of Aqua Twist, making you the perfect aim for any ill willed passersby.

If wet willies aren’t your thing, worry not, you’ve got 40 other rides and attractions to choose from: among them seven roller coasters that range from classic (the Monster) to friggin terrifying (the Goliath). La Ronde has got its fair share of upside downers, too, like the Attack (the name says it all), not to mention a bungee ball and last year’s star ride, the Vol Ultime, which rewrites the game in terms of flying high. Add the excitement in the air, the kiddie section, the electric gondola that crosses the entire park, the popcorn, the candyfloss and all the Beaver Tails you can eat (and try to keep down) – no wonder the thrill-seekers are stoked!

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THE DETAILS

La Ronde, 22 Chemin MacDonald, Île Ste-Hélène, (514) 397-2000

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The store’s mission is to help its customers discover the wonderful products of our fair province. It works closely with some of the Quebec’s best suppliers like Le Canard Goulu for their duck, Atkins & frères for their local fish or La ferme des Voltigeurs for their organic and grain fed chicken. Hard to find specialty meats like bison, rabbit and venison are also available at FOU D’ICI for your cooking experiments pleasure. The market also caters to many food allergies sufferers by offering them a large variety of quality products.

FOU D’ICI’s ready-to-eat section is a hub of activity come lunch time. Chef Daren Bergeron – a talented chef who has honed his craft in some of the country’s best kitchens – is the creative force behind the mouth-watering fresh and seasonal daily meals at FOU D’ICI. Gourmet sandwiches and salads as well as ready-made hot meals are prepared on the spot daily. FOU D’ICI offers a lunchtime à la minute tartare bar starring Wagyu beef and Atlantic salmon.

But perhaps the most interesting service as Montreal embarks on its most prolific annual festival season is the FOU D’ICI lunch box. Enjoy the many outdoors activities that take place around Quartier des spectacles this coming summer and fall while indulging in a delicious to-go meal packaged for your convenience. Don’t forget to pick up one of the many delicious sweet treats from the dessert counter for that afternoon pick me up.

THE DETAILS

FOU D’ICI, 360 De Maisonneuve West, (514) 600-3424

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Montreal excels at the art of performance – theatre, dance, music, circus and everything in between, whether it be on a stage or in a street – and also fittingly revels in performance that challenges conventions, plenty of which can be seen at this year’s Festival TransAmériques, including a show that literally goes to the dogs…

Now in its seventh edition, Festival TransAmériques , May 22 to June 8, has made a name for itself by featuring Canadian and international performances that challenge conventions of theatre and dance, altering our perspective on what performance is and how it can affect us. This year’s festival features 22 shows full of radical hope and insight into the state of our world. Six international new works debut at the FTA, long-awaited well-known artists make their mark on Montreal, and crowds will gather around three free outdoor events, namely Dachshund UN, Australian artist Bennett Miller’s replica of the United Nations in Geneva, populated by 47 dachshunds (with the permission of local owners, of course), outside at Place des Festivals, May 24-26.

Opening the festival is Berlin-based Schaubühne theatre company director Thomas Ostermeier, who comes to Montreal for the first time, with his interpretation of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People, a story of power and manipulation, the choice between morals and money, and having a dissenting voice among the status quo. Political motivations again rear their heads as Italian company Motus (Daniela Nicolò Motus Rimini with Enrico Casagrande) performs the world premiere of Nella Tempesta, Melbourne’s Back to Back Theatre sees a Hindu deity travel to Nazi Germany in Ganesh Versus The Third Reich, Canadian choreographer Ame Henderson’s What We Are Saying is inspired by the Occupy movement, and Winners & Losers, from Vancouver’s Theatre Replacement, stages a game-like confrontation of personal-meets-political values.

Also in Montreal for the first time is South African choreographer Robyn Orlin, with her multi-dancer show Beauty Remained for Just a Moment Then Returned Gently to Her Starting Position…, a colourful, humorous quest for beauty, performed in extravagant, 100%-recycled costumes. New Zealand choreographer Lemi Ponifasio makes profound connections between earth, sky and humanity in Birds with Skymirrors. French New Wave dancer-choreographer Boris Charmatz leads 24 dancers in Levée Des Conflits, and Swedish artist Markus Öhrn captivates and disturbs with Conte d’amour.

Some of Montreal’s most talented artists bring new dane shows to the FTA this year too: famed Montreal choreographer Marie Chouinard’s In Museum in the galleries of the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, performance artist and dancer Dana Michel plays with stereotypes of black culture in Yellow Towel, Marie Brassard’s poetic, musical performance Trieste, dancer-choreograper Louise Lecavalier’s So Blue, Frédérick Gravel and Étienne Lepage’s Ainsi Parlait, Ginette Laurin’s Khaos, and more. Also outdoors, beginning in front of the Grande Bibliothèque, see 13 “urban personas” with bells ringing, traverse the Quartier des Spectacles in Robin Poitras’ Bells 13, May 30-June 1. Along with live performances, the festival features film screenings, parties, dance nights and a number of special events for artists and audience to interact, imagine even more kinds of performance, and, as always, have fun.

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THE DETAILS

Festival TransAmériques, May 22-June 8, 2013

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