With the sweet scent of spring blossoms in the air, Montreal begins a new season of activity and entertainment, not to mention plenty to please every mom for Mother’s Day, whether that’s being outdoors, going to the ballet or the theatre, eating fabulous food, taking in some art, or rocking out to live music…

(outdoor days) Montreal makes it easy to spend fun time outdoors with the family: on May 10, head to the Morgan Arboretum for Frog Songs: The Symphony of Spring to discover the nocturnal activities of amphibians. The waterways around Montreal are slowly warming up too and starting May 13, H2O Adventures begins its new season renting kayaks, pedal boats, canoes and other water ways to get out on the water around Montreal, including the St-Laurent River and the Lachine Canal. And even if it starts to rain, see the outdoors while inside at the Montreal Science Centre diving into the fascinating exhibition Planet Shark, with over 100 shark species including a life-size great white whale shark and two frozen specimens, or, on the lighter side of nature, seeing Flight of the Butterflies in 3D at the IMAX Theatre. Or just take mom shopping at La Virée des Ateliers, an open house event featuring the high-quality work of Montreal fashion designers, artists and artisans, May 9-12. Or go check out massive vintage boutique sale Old Wig at Bain Mathieu, May 10-11.

(dreams & drama) Les Grands Ballets  presents award-winning choreographer Stephan Thoss’ latest work, Dream Away, a highly physical yet surrealistic exploration of “the origins of movement and gesture,” May 16-25 at Theatre Maisonneuve at Place des Arts. Meanwhile, the movement of horses and their riders is given the theatrical treatment in Odysseo, a new show from the makers of the highly popular Cavalia, replete with drama, circus arts, music, a light show and more – starting May 14 in Laval – just look for the custom-made white tents that are home to the show until June 9. And get deeper into mysteries of Sherlock Holmes in a new adaptation, by Greg Kramer, of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle classic, starring Jay Baruchel, at the Segal Centre until May 28.

(art & bubbly) Why not celebrate spring with champagne?  Maison Veuve Clicquot throws it’s first week-long party in Montreal: Yelloweek, May 14-19, is a series of art, food and fashion events, including: an evening of fashion and Veuve Clicquot champagne at Birks jewellery store on May 14; dinners that pair food and champagne at restaurants such as Milos, Ryu, L’auberge Saint-Gabriel, and more; a night of art and bubbly at Galerie 203 in the Old Port on May 15; and the free Yellow Picnic event, marking the opening of the terrace at New City Gas in Griffintown.

(electrifying art) Two new exhibitions at the PHI Centre alter our perceptions of reality and imagined: Cereus Queen of the Night, an interactive video system by artist Philomène Longpré explores “the subversive spirit of the Lettrism movement” by enveloping visitors in its nocturnal world; and Gabriel Coutu-Dumont’s audio-visual Wonders of a Transient Universe uses elements of the electronic arts to create a parallel world from which to look at the visual language of music. Over at artist centre Eastern Bloc, The Sight and Sound Festival is underway, showcasing installations and live performances that blend art and technology, to May 29: this weekend, see and hear works by Nicolas Maigret, Steve Bates, Melissa F. Clarke and Nat Roe, Victor Mazón Gardoqui, Erin Sexton and many more. And interactive music-art installation 21 Swings let’s you go for a swing like no other with family, friends and people you don’t even know, outdoors in the Quartier des Spectacles.

(classical & traditional) Traditional classic music and jazz combine forces at the 18th edition of the Montreal Chamber Music Festival, May 9 to June 1 at beautiful St. George’s Church in Old Montreal. Opening night brings the Boston Chamber Music Society to Montreal for the first time, followed on May 10 by Montreal jazz legend, pianist Oliver Jones, with musicians Eric Lagacé and Jim Doxas and opener, bassist Brandi Disterheft and her quartet. Master cellist Colin Carr performs on May 11, and Saint-Saëns’ chamber music comes to life in three concerts, May 14-16. Meanwhile, the Orchestre Métropolitain concludes its 32nd season with Strauss: 2 Orchestras, 1 Conductor, at the Maison Symphonique at Place des Arts on May 10. Also this weekend, Quebecois, Canadian, American, Belgian, Irish and more traditional music is in the spotlight at the 21st Festival La Grande Rencontre and at the Trad Montréal Conference, with four Grand Concerts, music showcases, workshops roundtable discussions and more at the Gésù Theatre in the Quartier des spectacles, May 9-12.

(more music) On Friday, May 10, UK indie rock band Foals tours their new album, Holy Fire, at Club Soda, while on Saturday night, see Canadian electro-pop artist Lights performing songs from her new album Siberia Acoustic, which is literally acoustic, with Sam Cash opening, at the Corona Theatre or dance hard to dubstep/electro-house producer Kill the Noise at the SAT. On Monday, May 13, Mötley Crüe return to hard-rock Montreal with Big Wreck, at the Bell Centre. Also good Monday options: the funk-soul sounds of Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires at the Corona Theatre; Stockholm, Sweden’s Shout Out Louds, along with opener Haerts, at Sala Rossa, or opt for experimental electro and hip hop with the amazing Flying Lotus  at the SAT. On May 14, it’s Airbourne at the Corona Theatre, and for a real local Montreal experience, check out a live taping of indie talk show Parc Avenue Tonight, featuring music, comedy and more, May 15 at Cabaret Mile End while Montreal klezmer-hip-hop act Socalled releases his new album, The Season, at the Rialto.

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(hot shop) Shop for holiday gifts or yourself at the annual souk @ sat art and design fair – it’s hip, it’s cool, it’s very Montreal, with over 100 professional artists and designers selling unique clothing, jewellery, handbags, furniture, home accessories, toys, art and more. The sale happens November 30 to December 2 at the Société des Arts Technologiques downtown, where you can also stop for a bite at their FoodLab restaurant. Find more Quebec-made creations, from clothing to gourmet food, at Le Marché Casse Noisette, also known as The Nutcracker Market, a non-profit market co-organized by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens – it’s one of many of Montreal’s December craft and artisanal fairs. Environmentally conscious shopping meets eco-education and entertainment – including a Green Santa! – at the Recycling-Artists Eco Fair at the Biosphère ecological centre in Parc Jean-Drapeau, November 30-December 2. And in Mile End, check out Marché de Noël du Mile End at Ecole Lambert-Closse (5840 St-Urbain), November 30 until 9 p.m. and December 1, 10am-5pm., featuring food, gifts and more.

(winter wonderlands) Montreal’s first snowfall has come and gone already, but more picturesque snow days are certainly on their way – and with them, winter sports! The huge outdoor skating rink in the Old Port opens December 1 – if you get there before 11 a.m., skate for free! If you get there afterwards, it’s only $6 anyway, with rentals available on site too. Later on December 1, the TELUS Fire on Ice fireworks show lights up the sky over the Old Port starting at 8 p.m. And over at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, wander through an indoor forest of Christmas trees, decorated in different styles with traditional and hand-painted decorations by local associations and cultural groups. Access to the museum’s permanent collections is free at all times, as are the museum’s weekend art workshops and tours for kids and families.

(comedy gold) Some big names in comedy come to Montreal this week, but while Jerry Seinfeld’s December 1 at Place des Arts is sold out, there’s still a chance to see Robin Williams in freewheeling conversation with fellow comedian (and director and author) David Steinberg on December 5 at Place des Arts. Not only is Williams’ career in television, film and on stage on the interview agenda, but so is his personal life – sure to be strange, hilarious and entertaining. On a smaller but just as funny scale, New York City veteran comic Al Lubel treads the Montreal Comedy Works stage November 30 and December 1. And family-friendly circus, musical and epic adventure show Loucho the Clown continues at Theatre Ste-Catherine to December 2.

(immersive art) Montreal lights up throughout the month with Luminotherapie, works of high-tech art located throughout the Quartier des Spectacles in the downtown core. Follow the story of an iceberg in interactive installation Iceberg – human movement actually transforms the physical structure and the sounds within, and look out for the many videos of Le Jour des 8 Soleils, projected on buildings throughout the Quartier. Create a professional self-portrait at the WonderWall collective art project at ArtLab (5524 St-Patrick), all day December 1 and 2 – you don’t need any art experience to be a participant and all materials will be supplied. And the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal holds its Giant Inventory Sale of Musée Publications – all publications are on sale for $2, cash only – December 4-5.

(film lands) At the end of Montreal’s film festival season, we find a celebration: Image+Nation has spent 25 years bringing LGBT films from around the world to Montreal, with plenty of good ones this year too, playing at Cinema du Parc until December 2 – feature length dramas this weekend include Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean, Nicole Conn’s A Perfect Ending and more. Also at Cinema du Parc is Montreal’s Brazilian film festival, November 30-December 6, featuring premiers of new Brazilian films along with directors present for Q&A sessions after screenings.

(opera & theatre) Opera de Montreal holds its 17th annual Gala fundraiser with some of the companies most adored singers performing arias and ensembles from productions past and present – held at the beautiful new Maison symphonique de Montréal on Sunday, December 2 at 2 p.m. Meanwhile, in theatre, David Lindsay-Abaire’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Good People, set in Boston’s working-class Irish “Southie” neighbourhood, continues at the Centaur to December 6. Contemporary painting gets the dramatic treatment in Red, based on the work and life of artist Mark Rothko, at the Segal Centre to December 16. And live it up with a night of vaudeville on December 6 at the Segal, with live music from Bad Uncle, comedians Mike Paterson, Tim Rabnet and Ryan Wilner, burlesque and circus acts, and  more.

(dancing days) The fairytale of Snow White is turned into an urban, dreamy, often funny dance odyssey in Où est Blanche-Neige?, choreographed by Manon Oligny as part of this winter’s Parcours Danse events – see a free performance at Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme at Place des Arts on December 4 at 5 p.m. and a free performance of Alors, Dansez Maintenant! on December 5 at 11:45 a.m. Persian music and contemporary dance combine in Śūnya, at the Segal Centre on December 1. Dance Cité presents Nancy Leduc’s Projet Harlequin, inspired by reading Harlequin romance novels as a teenager, to December 8 at Théâtre de Quat’sous (100 Pins W.). And up-and-coming dancers perform short pieces at the Bouge d’ici Mash Up, hosted by Miss Sugarpuss on November 30 at Shift Space (1190 St-Antoine W.).

(warm-up music) Back home after European tours, Montreal’s Jonas and the Massive Attraction show off their rock-pop stuff at Club Soda on Friday, November 30. On Saturday, December 1, Montreal musician Ariane Moffatt returns with her bilingual blend of jazz, electro and folk, with electro-pop makers Young Galaxy at the Corona Theatre, while jazz-blues entertainer Leon Redbone is at Sala Rossa – and on a different, but also Montreal-based note, Grim Skunk get their rock-punk-world-beat on at Club Soda. Sunday, December 2 is the right kind of day for the Gospel Celebration 30th Anniversary, featuring the wonderful Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir and special guests at Théâtre Maisonneuve at Place des Arts, 8 p.m. On Monday, December 3, get into the soulful, kind of jazzy, kind of rock music of Rachael Yamagata at Sala. On Tuesday, December 4, it’s NYC folk-pop group Pearl and the Beard at Sala. And on Thursday night, spend an evening with Loreena McKennitt at Place des Arts, or chill out with the Americana-style rock of Band of Horses at Metropolis, or dance to the electro-beat of Diamond Rings and Mozart’s Sister at Sala.

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