(food & fun) Find a kind of satisfaction in the slow advent of spring with fabulous, thoughtfully created food, beginning with a seasonal menu at the FoodLab at the SAT until April 12, and followed up on April 15 with a “Schnitzel & Riesling” food party, full of Germanic flavour and complemented afterwards by an electronic music soiree. And, of course, the famous maple syrup of Quebec is in abundant supply during sugaring-off season, with inspired menus at restaurants around the city, and a full-on sugar shack down at the Old Port at La Cabane. Or simply sink your teeth into one of the best steaks in Montreal.

(sports & laughs) Basketball, comedy and entertainment fuel the Harlem Globetrotters, putting on a show for the whole family at the Bell Centre on April 12 – and of course, the Bell Centre sees hockey season head into spring as the Canadiens play the Flyers on April 15 and face off against the Lightning on April 18. More comedy, of the non-sports-related variety, comes to Club Soda on April 17 at An Evening of Comedy for the Benefit of On Our Own, an organization that provides services and housing to vulnerable families, with Montreal funny people Joey Elias, Eman, Dan Bingham, Sebastien Bourgault and Jess Salomon.

(theatre & dance) Contemporary ballet meets the music of Elton John and plenty of sequins and bright lights and colours in Love Lies Bleeding, at Place des Arts, to April 14. Sinha Danse Company presents Sunya, a new work for four dancers and three musicians, inspired by Persian music, contemporary dance, and bringing different cultures together, part of the Danse Danse spring season, April 17-27 at Cinquième Salle. Danish dance-theatre troupe Granhøj Dans crafts dramatic theatre, comedic moments and sings plenty of Leonard Cohen’s songs in Dance Me to the End On/Off Love, to April 14 at Centaur Theatre, or entertain the kids with The Trial of Goldilocks, an updated fairy tale at Centaur Theatre on Saturday, April 13. And check out the experimental theatre of love u lovecraft [lab], inspired by the world of H.P. Lovecraft, April 16-20 at Bain St-Michel.

(fashion finds) Find out what many Montreal fashionistas already know at this year’s Braderie de Mode Quebecoise, a huge 50-80% off sale of samples and inventory surplus from local designers, April 11-14 at Marché Bonsecours in the Old Port – find unique clothing and accessories, talk to designers, and perhaps even meet some of the designers and people behind Montreal Fashion Week.

(art worlds) As part of the MMFA exhibition Peru: Kingdoms of the Sun and the Moon, see Peru on the big screen in documentary films from the TV5 series Amérikologie, playing on April 13 – free at the Maxwell Cummings Auditorium, and on April 17, attend an Afro-Peruvian percussion workshop with Kullak Viger Ross. Enter the labyrinthine fact-meets-fiction world of Laurent Grasso’s multi-room Uraniborg exhibition at the MACM, showing along with work by photographer Lynne Cohen and live performance conjured up by artist Tino Sehgal. Over at the Society for Art and Technology, see P3rception, surround-sound-and-image films shown in the Satosphere dome, to April 29. Hear more about the Thomas Demand exhibition at DHC/ART in a round-table discussion on April 17. And the Montreal Symphony Orchestra performs Beethoven’s Third Concerto, with pianist Till Fellner and Kent Nagano conduction on April 16-17.

(live music) Start the weekend with the psych-rock of The Black Angels at Le National on Friday night. Saturday, April 13 is a big night: choose from a massive show with Canadian rock-punk Billy Talent, Sum 41, Hollerado and Indian Handcrafts at the Bell Centre, the East-Coast folk-rock of Great Big Sea at Metropolis, Welsh alt-rock band The Joy Formidable plays Theatre Corona, the myriad musical styles of Montreal hip-hop collective Nomadic Massive at Club Soda, or great MTL indie-rock of The Besnard Lakes at Cabaret Du Mile End. On Sunday, listen to the live electro-pop of Rhye at Cabaret Mile End. Funnily enough, Monday night is also a big one, with Australian “metalcore” band Parkway Drive at Metropolis, and for those of us who like it loud, it’s a tough choice between Japan’s Acid Mothers Temple at Sala Rossa  vs. Pissed Jeans at Il Motore. On April 16, tune in to Stereo Total at Il Motore. And on April 18, get your folkoric-pagan-metal on at Paganfest America 2013 with Finland’s Ensiferum, The Faroe Islands’ Tyr and more beer-soaked mayhem at Metropolis on April 18. Meanwhile, Montreal’s Bran Van 3000 and Paul Cargnello headline a fundraiser for community organization Le Sac à Dos at Club Soda.

The post Things to Do in Montreal: April 12-18 appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

With two floors full of historical photos, film and audio footage, interesting facts and figures, and intriguing memorabilia, The Beatles in Montréal exhibition is a colourful and chronological account of the music and career of the most famous pop band in history, but where the show shines brightest is in its Montreal-focused moments. It’s a thrill to see black-and-white footage of young people excitedly lined up for blocks to get tickets for The Beatles’ 1964 show at the old Montreal Forum, let alone the footage of the band’s long-awaited arrival at Dorval airport and the back-to-back evening concerts themselves, where everyone seems on the edge of happy pandemonium.

It’s the true extent of The Beatles phenomenon that is conveyed in this exhibition, beginning on the ground floor with a chronology of the band’s rise from small-town rock to stadium spectacle – juxtaposing that with larger-than-life images of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in action and Lennon’s psychedelically painted Rolls-Royce shows not only how embedded in the culture of the time The Beatles were, but how much they contributed to creating that culture.

Along with a steady soundtrack of Beatles’ tunes and some great first-hand accounts of the Montreal shows and interactions with band members themselves, comes all kinds of memorabilia, from records and merchandise (everything from tea towels to combs) to clothing and art work. And guitar enthusiasts will want to spend some time looking at – but unfortunately not touching nor playing – the many guitars on display, the same makes and models as those originally played by band members.

The band’s sound directly influenced Quebec’s 1960s “yéyé” music too, in bands like Les Baronets, Les Classels, Les Hou-Lops and Les Sultans, all of which show up in the exhibition, including on a vintage jukebox. Their music and many, many songs by The Beatles are also central to other activities related to the exhibition, including A Cultural Feast, an outdoor event happening May 25-26, and a series of expert talks on the British Invasion and its music. In quality museum form, The Beatles in Montréal exhibition manages to not get overly nostalgic about the band or the era, while still showing the profound impact The Beatles had on popular history and culture.

THE DETAILS

The Beatles in Montréal, to March 30, 2014

Pointe-à-Callière, 350 Place Royale, (514) 872-9150

The post THE BEATLES INVADE MONTREAL, AGAIN appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

LA VITRINE: La Vitrine is a detailed and up-to-date cultural calendar app for Montreal. Last minute offers with in-app ticket purchasing to shows, concerts, exhibitions, and other cultural activities.

NUIT BLANCHE A MONTREAL 2013: This is the official app for the 10th edition of Nuit blanche à Montréal. It’s an interactive guide to +170 activities in 3 districts and 1 pôle. The app has a futuristic “augmented reality” feature, and a very handy radar with social networking integration for optimal connectedness on Saturday, March 2, 2013!

ART SOUTERRAIN 2013: This app is the official guide to the maze of underground tunnels in Montreal that is transformed into a contemporary art gallery in March. There will be 130 art projects displayed in 7 km of underground spaces. The app includes social networking integration, multimedia elements, and practical info like maps, and calendars.

MONT-ROYAL APP: Remember when I said that everything has an App these days? Well that giant hill in the middle of Montreal has it’s very own app. It contains detailed maps and points of interests. CASINO DE MONTREAL: The magnificent Casino de Montreal has a gorgeous app that details all the events, slot machines, tables, Food and Bars. Must be 18+ to download.

DHC – ART MONTREAL: One of my favorite art galleries in Montreal that brings in some of the coolest and contemporary art from around the world has a beautiful app filled with events, podcasts, and an audio guide to their latest exhibit.

MONTREAL MUSEUMS: While many of the museums in Montreal have their very own stand-alone app, this app aggregates all the museums in Montreal into a single place so picking a place nearby or checking out exhibits all around the city is easy. It even includes special walking tours!

McCORD MUSEUM: A modern and a cutting-edge app for a museum filled with really old stuff. Montreal’s history is on full display here and with the app you can read about artifacts, watch videos, comment on items and exhibitions and create lists of your favorites.

URBAIN MTL MUSEUM: A very cool app by the McCord Museum in collaboration with Historia, allows you to take a historical walk through Montreal via a series of pins set into a map. Clicking on a pin brings up photos from that location but a very different era.

MONTREAL FINE ARTS MUSEUM: A 53 stop guide to their permanent European Art collections all set to music! Also available for $4.99 is an App to their latest exhibit, Peru: Kingdoms of the Sun and Moon.

CA MUZ MUSICAL CALENDAR: What’s playing tonight in Montreal? Check out Ca Muz with the most up-to-date live music events around the city. Filter by genre or flick through the week to find whatever suits your taste in Montreal’s eclectic music scene.

BIOSPHERE: Located on Ile Sainte-Hélène the Biosphere is an Environment Museum. The app is a bit scarce, but is a useful guide to the museum and the surround attractions in Park Jean Drapeau.

The post BEST MONTREAL CULTURE APPS 2013 appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.