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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Despite seriously cold weather (even for Montreal), almost 18,000 people checked out the opening weekend of Igloofest. We think the video above does a pretty good of explaining why. With three more weekends ahead of us, and music from Ellen Allien, TNGHT, A Tribe Called Red, Caspa, Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard, Joy Orbison, Chris Liebing and many more on the way, there’s no reason for you not to suit up and come get down in the Old Port.

THE DETAILS

Igloofest at Jacques-Cartier Quay, January 17 to February 9, 2013

Photos by Susan Moss

The post MONTREAL’S OUTDOOR WINTER DJ FESTIVAL: IGLOOFEST appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

(winter warmth) Montreal has many ways to warm up the great outdoors. Igloofest, winter’s answer to Piknic Electronik, continues its first weekend at the Old Port on Friday night in collaboration with Mutek, featuring Stephen Beaupré, Germany’s Mathias Kaden and Bulgaria’s KiNK, while on Saturday, dance to DJ Josh Wink and Canadian faves Paolo Rocco and DJ Sneak. Come back on Thursday, January 24 for Alicia Hush, Miss Kittin and Ellen Allien. Across the river from Igloofest, settle in at Montreal’s one-of-a-kind Snow Village, with restaurants, a hotel, activities and more. And outdoors right outside Place des Arts, get interactive with music-and-light installation Iceberg, part of the Luminothérapie exhibition in downtown’s Quartier des Spectacles.

(game on) NHL hockey comes back to Montreal this week! To smooth the ice and get fans back into the groove, the Bell Centre is inviting everyone to check out morning skates for the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, January 19 – it’s free, doors open at 9 a.m., seating is on a first-come-first-served basis, and fans will be treated to a hot dog, chips and a soft drink as well as 50 percent off Canadiens merchandise. Later that day, the Habs play the Maple Leafs, and on January 22, they face off against the Panthers.

(circus, song & dance) The art, antics and dreamworld of Salvador Dali are the inspiration for the acrobatic, song and dance of circus show La Verità, created by Daniele Finzi Pasca and featuring a gorgeous original Dali backdrop painting, on at Place des Arts to February 3. More music is in the picture in Beautiful City Theatre’s rock-musical rendition of Godspell, The Musical, January 24-26 and 31 at Centaur Theatre in Old Montreal. La Otra Orilla shows us new and traditional forms of flamenco dance, with dancer/choreographer Myriam Allard and singer Hedi Graja, at Cinquième Salle to January 26. Marie Béland’s Bleu-Vert-Rouge offers a taste of Montreal’s contemporary dance scene at L’Agora, January 23-26, as does the Bouge d’ici Festival, with shows from emerging dancers and choreographers at Mainline Theatre to January 19. And amazing puppetry wows as The Old Trout Puppet Workshop comes to Montreal with their “happiness” show Ignorance, January 18-19.

(screen time) See recent and acclaimed Canadian films for free at the PHI Centre this week: director Nisha Pahuja’s The World Before Her on January 18, Kim Nguyen’s Rebelle on January 21, David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis and Michael Dowse’s Goon on January 23, and Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children and Sean Garrity’s My Awkward Sexual Adventure on January 24. The PHI Centre also presents a series of films selected by filmmaker Denis Côté, including Sergei Loznitsa’s My Joy, Bill Ross’ Tchoupitoulas and Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s Abendland. Over on the 360-degree domed Satosphere screen at the SAT see Chaos and Order, a panoramic work by media artist Rocco Helmchen and composer Johannes Kraas, playing to February 22 – and as a bonus at the SAT’s Foodlab on January 20, eat well and talk gluten-free gourmet with guest chef Aran Goyoaga of Cannelle et Vanille.

(art world) Innovative Old-Montreal-based DHC/ART impresses yet again with their mind-expanding new show Thomas Demand: Animations, opening January 19, featuring the German artist’s films and videos, interlacing photography, architecture, sculpture and media images. The must-see, 1960s-to-present-day installation work of Canadian art legend Michael Snow is explored in Solo Snow: Works of Michael Snow at Galerie de l’UQAM. And Parisian Laundry, located not far from downtown in the neighbourhood of St-Henri, shows new brightly coloured new work by Jennifer Lefort and Samuel Roy-Bois’ installation J’ai Moonwalké Sans Cesse, Jusqu’à L’épuisement, which includes a drum kit ready for visitors to play.

(music time) On Saturday night, listen to the inventive sounds and inspired lyrics of Christopher Owens and Gentlemen Reg, at Cabaret Mile End. Hear and see something different on January 21, as saxophonist Adam Kinner collaborates with pianist Andy Costello for a theatrical performance at Sala Rossa. On January 22, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra welcomes the Budapest Festival Orchestra to the new Maison symphonique de Montréal to play a program of 20th-century works, from Shostakovich to Rachmaninov, while Californian electro-folk (and much more) singer-songwriter Chelsea Wolfe  captivates at Il Motore, and L.A.’s Hollywood Undead play Theatre Corona. And on January 24, Brooklyn indie-rock band Wakey Wakey gets toes tapping to love songs at Cabaret du Mile End, and The Whammies, an all-star jazz group of players from Chicago, Boston and the Netherlands make a night of it at Sala.

The post THINGS TO DO IN MONTREAL: JANUARY 18-24 appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

(New Year’s Eve) Montreal’s long-time reputation as a party town is based almost entirely on fact, with a few tall tales thrown in to keep people guessing – and New Year’s Eve always has the potential to be the stuff of legend. Sure, NYE isn’t technically in January, but its after-effects usually continue for at least a day or three, so consider the Montreal Buzz Guide to New Year’s Eve 2012, a key to starting the month out right. Whatever your style, the guide has a suggestion: dinners out, fun with the family, big parties, small parties, dancing and romancing.

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(snow city) Montreal’s Snow Village, the first and only of its kind in North America, steps it up another notch this year to bring a bit of New York City into the wintry mix. The Snow Village still has a giant snow slide and other outdoor activities, hot tubs, a heated igloo, a fully equipped hotel and restaurant, and more, but with a few big-city twists. The site, located in Parc Jean-Drapeau just across the water from the city centre, officially opens January 18, but the bar and restaurant, along with many activities – including a train ride and snow sculpture workshops for kids – will be open starting January 4. And there’s more to do in the snow at the outdoor skating rink in the Old Port, open all winter with rentals available on site, and over at the Olympic Park Winter Village.

(on-stage spectacle) Live theatre and dance is big in Montreal, especially during the winter months, with visiting troupes and local companies taking the city’s stages. World-wide award-winning hit Billy Elliot: The Musical comes to Montreal for eight shows January 8-13 at Place des Arts – based on the film of the same name, the show tells the story of a young British boy who dreams of becoming a dancer. Beautiful City Theatre puts on rock-musical classic Godspell, The Musical, January 24-26 and 31 at Centaur Theatre in Old Montreal. On a smaller scale, Centaur Theatre’s Wildside Festival showcases plays that are a little off the beaten track – and always entertaining – January 3-13. In dance, Danse Danse brings us La Otra Orilla, a new flamenco show from dancer/choreographer Myriam Allard and singer Hedi Graja, at Cinquième Salle January 16-26. Contemporary dance is always on the program for L’Agora de la danse, celebrating the 10th anniversary of Andrew de Lotbinière Harwood’s Discovery bal January 11-12 and choreographer Marie Béland’s Bleu-Vert-Rouge January 23-26.

(spa zone) Warm up in January at one of Montreal’s fabulous spas, such as beautiful Bota Bota, located on a refurbished boat on the St-Lawrence River just steps from Old Montreal, tranquil Spa Scandinave in the heart of the old city, or head over to the thermal waters and Finnish saunas of Strøm Spa Nordic located on Ile-des-Soeurs – they even have a Night Under the Stars late-night spa/nightclub event. Wherever you are in Montreal, there’s a spa close by, whether in Old Montreal, downtown or in the nearby Plateau neighbourhood.

(dancing on ice) Get your groove on at Igloofest, Montreal’s one-of-a-kind outdoor electronic music festival, spanning four weeks this year, with big-name music talent, awesome visuals and crowds ready to dance the night away. Igloofest goes down every Thursday to Saturday night from January 17 to February 9 at Jacques-Cartier Quay in the Old Port, kicking off with none other than Sasha on the main Sapporo stage and running strong from there with house, dubstep and all kinds of electronic music in between and beyond.

(educational fun) Science and music combine in Musik: From Sound to Emotion a cool, kid-friendly, hands-on exhibition about how music works on our minds and bodies, featuring videos from pop-punk band Simple Plan and an opportunity to create a personal composition, at the Montreal Science Centre until March 10. Watch Montreal history unfold and see rare artifacts from Richard Béliveau’s vast collection of samurai armour, weapons and more at Pointe-à-Callière, the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History – where if the temperature drops below zero degrees celsius, visitors get an equal percentage off the admission price throughout January and February!

(out-there art world) Montreal’s high-tech art, culture and education centre, Society for Art and Technology (SAT) opens its state-of-the-art, surround sound-and-image Satosphere to new media artist Rocco Helmchen and composer Johannes Kraas, who show their panoramic symphonic audio-visual show Chaos and Order, every night from January 15 to February 22 – an immersive work of art that uses fractals, geometric forms and chaos theory to blur the edges of reality, mathematics and the imagination.

(live music) As always, Montreal has a packed live music schedule. Among the bigger names this month are popular hardcore rock band Quicksand, playing January 8 at at the Corona Theatre, followed at the same venue by the greatness of The Walkmen and Father John Misty on January 15, and All Time Low, Yellowcard and Fireworks on January 16. On January 10, Montreal indie-pop-rock band Purity Ring prooves why they’ve gotten so much hype, with Young Magic, at Le National (1220 Ste-Catherine E.). Wakey Wakey raise the roof with rollicking love songs at Cabaret du Mile End (5240 Parc) on January 24. British electro-pop singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding comes to Montreal with St.Lucia on January 26, while Reel Big Fish brings a good ol’ time to Theatre Corona Virgin Mobile, and The Harley Show revs its engines with motorcycle mania and rock n’ roll at the Bell Centre. On January 28, still going strong in his own special way, Marilyn Manson takes the stage at Metropolis. And rock n’ roll nostalgia is in full force at The Queen Extravaganza at the Bell Centre on January 30.

The post THINGS TO DO IN MONTREAL: JANUARY 2013 appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

With 2013 fast approaching, we wanted to look back at some of the amazing moments that made 2012 so special and recognize and highlight all the amazing work our cameraman Guillaume Langlois has done. Please check out all of the videos on the Tourisme Montreal Youtube channel and we’ll see you next year!

The post BEST OF 2012 MONTREAL BUZZ VIDEO appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

A true born-and-bred Montreal phenomenon, electronic music festival Igloofest has changed thousands of people’s minds about spending hours outdoors in wintry January and February – now in it’s seventh year, the Igloofest party is bigger than ever, spanning four weekends in the picturesque Old Port…

Igloofest turns the Jacques-Cartier Quay into a dance-party zone starting Thursday, January 17 with an amazing, break-the-bank first night: none other than Sasha, yes, the Sasha of the trancy-techno, the blonky drumbeats, the space-echo vocals, shows us what he’s made of (a lot) on the main Sapporo stage. Not only that, but Wolf and Lamb return to deepen the groove. I am very there. The music continues on Friday night in collaboration with Mutek, Canada’s biggest electronic music festival – they’ve got Montreal’s Stephen Beaupré, Germany’s Mathias Kaden and Bulgaria’s KiNK on the program. January 19 brings in acclaimed American DJ Josh Wink and Canadian faves Paolo Rocco and DJ Sneak.

On January 24, Montreal purveyor of hipness, Urbania magazine presents a trio of awesome women producing some of the latest and greatest electronic beats around: Alicia Hush, Miss Kittin and Ellen Allien. January 25 gets it right again with Berlin-based duo Pan-Pot, not-to-be-missed Nina Kraviz (label-mate with Carl Craig and DJ Hell) and Pierre De Lux, and Saturday night gets heavily funky with Germany’s Schlachthofbronx, TNGHT, Tronald Trump and Kaytranada. Stay in town until the following weekend for much-talked about locals who’ve recently made it big A Tribe Called Red, British dubstep master Caspa, Berlin’s Magda, France’s Agoria, housey-experimental Audiofly, and more.

Igloofest’s final and fourth weekend sees Nightlife magazine bringing Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard to the party along with cutting-edge Ben UFO. On Friday, February 8, summer music festival Osheaga presents DJ Oneman adding melodic elements to hip hop beats and dubstep producer Joy Orbison, plus Canada’s The Gulf Stream. Saturday night ends the fest with huge techno-leaning sets from Germany’s Chris Liebing, Tommy Four Seven and Pulses.

Perhaps as a way for dancers to better keep up their stamina over the next few weekends, the Igloofest site has been redesigned this year, with more space to chill out and socialize, as well as a new “village of playful activities.” More flatscreens and LED displays fill the space along with the fest’s immersive, high-tech projections and light show. Igloofest’s secondary space, an indoor venue called the Virgin Mobile Igloo, isn’t a place to rest though – over 40 great local and up-and-coming DJs and VJs like Scott C, Mossa and Montreal new media studio Gridspace turn the Igloo into a sweaty, celebratory hive of dancing bodies throughout Igloofest. And besides simply dancing the night away, Igloofest veterans know how to dress: in bright colours, one-piece ski-suits and flashy toques, accompanied by a tall can of Sapporo and a general spirit of happiness.

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 And, before January 5, 2013, absolutely make sure to enter to this AMAZING IGLOOFEST VIP CONTEST which includes travel, accommodations, VIP tickets to Igloofest and much more!

THE DETAILS

Igloofest at Jacques-Cartier Quay, January 17 to February 9, 2013

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We’ll begin with one of the epicenters of New Year’s Eve partying in Montreal: the Sir Winston Churchill Pub Complex, which is comprised of three popular spots on bar-and-nightclub-clustered Crescent Street. For their part, Winnies Bar will ring in the New Year with the help of singing DJ Sandy Duperval spinning house – advance tickets are available for only 20 bills and include champagne.

The adjoining Karina’s Club Lounge and piano bar steps things up a notch, offering a five-course meal accompanied by a live piano and a dance party hosted by DJ Tag. Their $79.95 ticket also comes with a glass of champagne at midnight. And in the Sir Winston Churchill Pub proper they’re promising the “ultimate” NYE courtesy of DJ Jeff Lauzon, who will be spinning Top 40 club hits, old school R&B and house. For a limited time only tickets are $20 and include, of course, champagne.

Are your end-of-year appetites hungering for lively jazz and blues and an equally exciting menu? If you decide on the perennially classy Upstairs Jazz Bar and Grill, you’ll be picking a winner that makes a regular habit of picking its own winners. To wit, Upstairs has again this year invited Dawn Tyler Watson, a six-time consecutive winner of the Quebec Lys Blues Award for Best Female Artist to provide the sultry soundtrack for your good time. And while Watson takes care of your cerebral needs, the Upstairs grill will gratify gastronomic imperatives with a three-course meal that is included in the $134.95 ticket price. It all gets cookin’ at 8 pm.

Not to be outdone, Montreal’s House of Jazz dinner club (formerly the storied Biddle’s, a mainstay for many top-shelf Montreal jazz players of yore) is offering a five-course spread, with dinner followed by dancing courtesy of the Carolyn Fe Blues Collective featuring special guests Graham Chambers and Daniel Prévost. This soulful soirée goes for $114.95.

If you fancy a pub crawl, popular Crescent Street brew pub Brutopia will be celebrating the passing of 2012 with Montreal five-piece Kebeko who, in the band’s own words, “well-illustrate the cultural diversity of Montreal with a mix of rock, world music, Quebecois folk and a lot of groove.” The $10 admission includes party favours and a burst of the bubbly at midnight. MTL’s self-proclaimed oldest Irish pub, The Old Dublin is no stranger to a party, and on Dec. 31 will play host to old-school rock’n’roll outfit Flashback. It’s all covers, but without the cover charge. And the Irish Embassy Pub and Grill is, oddly but engagingly, offering a Mardi-Gras themed New Year’s party with live music courtesy of The Jack.

Speaking of Mardi Gras, as well as odd and engaging, Cirque de Boudoir – who specialize in unique thematic events that cater to the senses, mixing and matching elements of circus, burlesque, electronic dance music and fetishism – bring a New Orleans theme to their Carnavalesque 2013 New Year’s brain burner, which takes place at Bain Mathieu, an old public pool converted into a multipurpose arts and party place. Tickets are $60 (free drinks until midnight) and $85 (for open bar all night). Things get wonderfully weird beginning at 9 pm.

Montreal’s two principle comedy clubs – Comedyworks and The Comedy Nest – have got the funny for your money on New Year’s Eve. The Comedy Nest features The Late Show veteran Jeff Caldwell in their special New Year’s show (“which always sells out”), which boasts special comedic guests, party favours, a champagne toast at midnight, a light buffet and goes for $49.50 and gets underway at 10 pm. For their part, Comedyworks has two shows featuring much-loved Montreal comic Mike Paterson (who captains weekly stand-up nights on every Tuesday) at the helm of a cast of some of Montreal’s best hilarity-makers. Each show is a $20 ticket, and following the second show the party will move downstairs to Jimbo’s pub where there will be DJs and dancing and carefree carousing.

If serious is more to your taste, as in serious partying, then many of Montreal’s premiere dance clubs are stepping to the fore once again. As would be expected, Circus Afterhours is going big with an international lineup of top-tier DJs, including Orjan Nilsen, Leon Bolier, Jay Lumen, Koen Groeneveld and Uppercut. Tickets are $60 in advance and $85 at the door, which opens at 10 pm. Arena Rendez-Vous NYE 2013 (located in the former Montreal Forum) plans to let the genies out of the bottles a bit earlier, with open bar from 8-11 pm, followed by a “huge” balloon drop, party favours and a live countdown from Times Square on the big screens, all for only $30. And finally, rising U.K. dirty house and soulful techno DJ Nicole Moudaber returns to Stereo to anchor their NYE dance floor.

While the term “high” certainly has relative applications as it relates to clubland, when it comes to Altitude Club 737, atop Montreal’s distinctive 47-storey Place Ville Marie building, high is simply about location, location, location. And sadly for fans of the sky-based bar, this NYE party begins the countdown to the end of the club which, after 18 years, officially closes on Jan. 1 following the expiration of their lease. Starting at $55 a ticket, all attendees can avail themselves of VIP treatment from 8-11 pm, and arguably the best view in town all night, for one last night.

Sister venues Casa del Popolo and Sala Rossa – located directly opposite one another on Saint-Laurent – provide affordable New Year’s support of first resort for the city’s indie scenesters again this year. At Casa, DJs Mark Slutsky and Raf K bring their no-pressure cooker back to both rooms for their annual spectacular. Across the street, perpetual-motion hip-hop/funk/soul/jazz collective The Goods – conceived a decade ago by DJs Scott C and Andy Williams – will put dance in the pants of all comers commencing at 10 pm.

And for those who like to put their hair up, two legendary punk bands from both near and afar will be moshing in the New Year in Montreal. Indefatigable L.A. skate punksNOFX, who celebrated their 30^th (!) anniversary in 2013, will play a “New Year’s Heave” show at the Olympia Theater with similarly awesomely elderly Brit punks Snuff, The Creepshow and The BCASA. Local punk scene legends Ripcordz continue with a tradition of their own making in the form of the Ripcordz Annual Punk New Years Eve featuring special guests Ab Irato, Sale Gauloise, Talk Sick and Bastard 86 at Café Chaos. Get in the holiday spirit of things by wearing your best and brightest Christmas tree studs. Tix are only 10 bones, and the show blows off the doors starting at 9 pm sharp.

They call themselves Montreal’s “best open bar party,” and for the past 14 years they’ve certainly been a contender for that title. Featuring 10 bars arrayed around Club Soda in the Quartier des Spectacles, the annual Fluid party offers a “leave your wallet at home” policy, meaning that in addition to all drinks, even tips are covered with your entry fee, which ranges according to how much attention you need: tickets start at $84.99 (entry, coat check and tips covered) and go up to a whopping $1,999.99 (a 10-person package that includes full bottle service, champagne all night, and a promise of absolution from whatever higher power you observe). Dance music will be provided by DJ Yo-C, David A and more. Lift-off at 9 pm.

Also competing for best open bar party is New Year’s XS Celebration. And if size matters, New Year’s XS may have the edge at an anticipated 6,000 partygoers filling what remains of the old Montreal Forum. Billing themselves as the “biggest all-inclusive party in Montreal history,” New Year’s XS features 12 international DJs spinning R&B, house, hip-hop, Top 40 and more in five themed rooms, 50 bartenders, midnight champagne, circus performers, body painters, a laser show and a “super-secret countdown surprise.” A one-way ticket to crazytown is $79, or $159 for a ticket and hotel.
And last but definitely not least, the Grand Bal in Montreal’s historic Old Port is one of the most-anticipated highlights of the holiday season. The Bal’s now expanded form includes numerous activities, but the main event (which is free to attend) on New Year’s Eve itself has youthful pop-rock-reggae outfit Raffy warming up the crowd in the central Place Jacques-Cartier from 10 pm until 11:59 pm, at which time the annual countdown will take place. At midnight the Telus “Fire on Ice” musical fireworks display will boom in the New Year, kicking of an outdoor dance party that will go until 2 a.m. If your outdoor winter activities don’t include the shaking of the booty, the Quays Skating Rink, with its own DJ, will stay open until 1 am on this special evening.

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All of the aforementioned New Year’s parties merely scratch the surface of everything that happens in a city that takes its celebrations seriously. So please, if you know of an event that didn’t get a mention here, please post all the pertinent details below in the comments section.

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Black & Blue is all about creating a space that is filled with positive energy, respect, fun and even love. The main event will take place Sunday, October 7 and, like the past 21 editions, will feature the best local and international DJ’s like the UK’s Gareth Emery, Holland’s Sander van Doorn, David Morales from the United States, and Montreal’s own Stephan Grondin. The Black & Blue main event boasts three rooms: The Black Room, The Blue Room and the Chill Lounge. For a full list of DJ’s spinning in each room click here.

Black & Blue continues to evolve with the addition of a brand new event on Saturday (October 6) at 3PM called “De-Light” and is completely free with live music, DJ’s and lots of entertainment. Shows to look forward to include Debbie Tebbs, The Easton Ellises, Donzelle et El Negro and Footprintz. For a full list of shows during De-Light click here.

Black & Blue Festival is an entire weekend of pre-parties, parties, pre-recovery parties and recovery parties. Kickstarting the whole thing will be a Launch Cocktail at Club 737 Lounge Panoramique. That’s the club on the roof of Montreal’s famed Place Ville-Marie, for directions look up at the sky and head towards the giant spinning spotlights. Tickets are $15 at the door and include two drinks, but is free for anyone with a Black & Blue VIP pass.

Along with the main Black & Blue, there will be the annual Jock Ball, Leather Ball and HardBall. For Jock Ball (Oct 4, Circus, 11PM) get your best sports wear and game face ready. Leather Ball (Oct 5, Club Soda, 10PM) will have a dress code of obviously leather, but I’ll probably be wearing lace because I’m a rebel. HardBall (Oct 6, Club Soda, 10 PM) will feature a special presentation by Montreal Fetish Weekend and tickets are $40 at the door.

Ready to get your black, blue and leather on? Before you start making plans remember that Black & Blue is a safe space and prevention is very important to the BBCM. Party wise, play safe and have a blast!

THE DETAILS

Black & Blue Festival, October 3-9, 2012

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The SAT, or Society for Arts and Technology, is one of Montreal’s most dynamic and innovative spaces. Home to everything from cultural happenings to DJ nights (including many of the Mutek festival events over the years), it’s an impressive venue with a tech-centered, cutting-edge mandate. What they’ve added recently speaks directly to this point: the Foodlab, a guerilla kitchen with an eye towards experimentation, and the Satosphere, a 360-degree immersive environment filled with projectors and over 150 speakers. We sent our cameraman to give you a sneak peak but make sure you check it out for yourself. Society for Arts and Technology, 1201 Saint-Laurent, (514) 844-2033

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(night terrors) Oh, we do love Halloween in Montreal. With parties – especially Saturday night – at every place under the moon. Halloween stalwart The Rocky Horror Picture Show goes down – in a live theatrical production! – at the Rialto Theatre, October, 29–31, and the results of the 48-Hour Horror film festival screen on October 29 at Blue Sunshine. Plus burlesque-like Blood Ballet Cabaret on October 30 at Belmont, Live Band Karaoke at La Sala Rossa on October 31, and a ghostly Haunted Tour up Mount Royal, beginning at 8 p.m. at Barfly, also on October 31. If you don’t have a costume yet, try a costume store like Malabar (5121 Parc) or Image In (34 Mont Royal East), any dollar store, or just buy some cheap black eyeliner and get all evil on yo’ face.

(danse macabre) Dancer and movement artist Stéphane Gladyszewski immerses us in intensely emotional corporeality in his Corps noir ou l’inconscient convié, a multi-media dance creation, part of Festival ArtDanthé at Theatre LaChapelle, November 2–4. The choreography and amazing dance talent in Sylvain Émard’s newest creation Fragments: Volume I captivates at Cinquième Salle at Place des Arts, to October 29. And if you’re looking for high drama and ballet bombast, Les Grands Ballets has just the ticket: choreographer Peter Quanz’s full-length, two-act ballet, Rodin/Claudel, at Place des Arts, also to October 29.

(film fantasies) Montreal’s LGBT-focused Image+Nation film fest runs to November 6, featuring over 125 feature, shorts, documentaries and, yes, musicals! And, because apparently Montreal can’t get enough of film fests in the fall, our very own celebration of all things French and filmic, Cinemania, begins November 3 for 10 days of films from cinema greats and up-at-comers, at the Imperial Cinema (1430 Bleury). And, in celebration of International Animation Day, learn more about the history of animation at the National Film Board’s Get Animated mini-festival, with screenings, workshops and talks at the NFB’s Cinerobotheque, to October 30.

(surround screen sound) While Montreal has been host to a brilliant and eclectic arts community since its urban beginnings, the city’s technological leanings have been slower in their notoriety. But with Montreal’s success in the video game industry and high-tech start-ups, the truth is coming out: we’re secretly a bunch of techy nerds, but, you know, the cool kind. And cool stuff like the Satosphere, a 360-degree immersive sound-and-video theatre at the Society for Art and Technology is proof. Now operational, the Satosphere is host this week to Six mil Antennas, an experimental film and audio creation that integrates coding, design and photography, October 27–28. For that matter, there’s also J.E.U.X., a transdisciplinary event that blends video games with round-table discussions and art, at Eastern Bloc, November 3–5, 6:30 p.m. each night, free.

(freshly painted) Artists challenge concepts of gallery space as non-profit arts organization Cease brings together five great Montreal-based art entities – En Masse, DÉCOVER Magazine, MASSIVart, and Papirmasse – for Cease It 2, a site-specific, multi-media installation art project featuring the work of 17 artists, at the two-level Fresh Paint Gallery. Exhibition opening party is October 28, show runs to November 26. And The Musee d’art Contemporain’s Quebec Triennial 2011 weekly free performance features Karl Lemieux on November 2 (a Wednesday, also the museum’s weekly no-entrance-fee evening). Check out great work by contemporary Quebec-based artists and afterwards, step outside and watch the blue spotlights of Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s art installation at Quartier des Spectacles.

(devilish drama) Plays within plays, dramas within dramas – it’s the stuff of life and TV sitcoms, and it’s hilarious as long as you’re not directly involved. Theatrics and comedy abound in Ferenc Molnar’s The Play’s The Thing, by Ferenc Molnár, the story of two playwrights, a young composer and love gone awry via communication breakdown, all set in an Italian castle – at the Segal Centre, October 30 to November 20. Enter the unconscious mind of a newspaper humour columnist in Pierre-Michel Tremblay’s dark comedy Coma Unplugged, produced in English by Talisman Theatre, to October 29 at Conservatoire d’art dramatique et de musique (4750 Henri-Julien).

(animal instincts) Most of us don’t hang around with horses regularly – we might pass them in the car as they graze in a field somewhere, being all majestic and stuff, but up-close-and-personal horse time isn’t an everyday occurrence. That’s okay though: feed your inner horse lover at Odysseo, the newest horse-fantasy live spectacular from the creators of Cavalia, to October 30, in Laval. And animal life and metaphor come alive in amazing performer Cat Kidd’s funny, emotional, brilliant show Hyena Subpoena, set in South Africa’s Kruger Park and in fact-meets-fiction memory, at Les Ateliers Jean Brillant (661 Rose De Lima), to October 29.

(night of the living music) Start your Halloween weekend with the psychedelia of The Australian Pink Floyd, a quadraphonic, 3D stereographic spectacle, October 28 at the Bell Centre. Or if all the Halloween-party hype is too much for you, turn to a soothing night of music instead. On October 29, Indie-folk duo The Civil Wars play sweet sounds at church-turned-cultural-venue Gesu (1200 Bleury), and Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls bring their style to the already stylish Corona Theatre (2190 Notre-Dame East). Meanwhile, The Slackers chill out at Cabaret Mile End (5240 Parc). On Sunday, October 30, Selena Gomez teen pops it up at the Bell Centre. On Halloween actual, October 31, gloom and doom descends on Casa del Popolo (4873 St-Laurent) with A Winged Victory For The Sullen, featuring members of Stars of the Lid. And fittingly named, sort of, Holy Ghost is resurrected at Le Belmont (4483 St-Laurent). November 1 sees psych-metal Danava at La Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent) and UK hip-hop producer Star Slinger at Il Motore (179 Jean Talon W.).

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