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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(light entertainment) The winter nights light even brighter during the 14th Montréal en Lumière, a festival of food, free outdoor activities (a ferris wheel, an ice slide and more!), music, theatre and dance shows, and other entertainment. Gourmet cuisine comes in all shapes and sizes at the festival, from multi-course meals to cheese samplings – see our Top 5 food picks for ideas. Tango enthusiasts and the curious are in for a treat at tango-meets-cabaret-meets-circus show and milonga La Pista Tango, the art of singer Tonny Bennett is on display, French music star -M- plays February 22, theatre-dance show The Humanity Project provokes deep thoughts, Haitian-born Québécois artist Marie-Josée Lord sings February 25, singer and pianist Diana Krall entrances in a solo concert on February 26, and none other than The Zombies rock out on February 28.

(circus & butterflies) Add far more than a dash of bright colour to snowy days at the 34th Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain, a internationally touring circus show featuring some of the top circus acts from the Paris-based competition of the same name, including acrobats, trapeze artists, jugglers, clowns, contortionists and more, to March 2 at La Tohu. More brightness awaits at the Butterflies Go Free exhibition at the Montreal Botanical Gardens, where 2000 butterflies and moths from around the world take up residence until the end of April. Or step outside at the Old Port to see the astounding athlethics involved in the Ice Canoe Races on February 23.

(dance & theatre) For the first time in Canada, the National Ballet of China performs Raise the Red Lantern, a classical Western ballet interpretation of Zhang Yimou’s dramatic film of the same name – the director even added his creative voice to the production by writing the libretto, designing the lighting and signing the stage direction – on stage February 22-24 at Place des Arts, presented by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal. Danse Danse presents Corps de Walk, a thoroughly cool, contemporary-culture show (in music, movement and style) by choreographers Gai Behar and Sharon Eyal and 12 dancers of The Norwegian National Company of Contemporary Dance, February 28 and March 1-2 at Place des Arts.

(travel with art) Take a different kind of walk around downtown’s happening Quartier des Spectacles to the tune of Luminothérapie: use your iPhone or mp3 player to interact with art project Le jour des 8 soleils by artist Pascal Grandmaison who tells a story through video projects video projections on buildings in the area, from Berri-UQAM metro station to Place des Festivals and points in between. Indoors, visit Peru through its art, history and culture, presented in stunning detail at the MMFA’s Peru: Kingdoms of the Sun and Moon. The Musee d’art Contemporain features intriguing large-scale colour photography by celebrated photographer Lynne Cohen and an immersive, mysterious multi-room installation called Uraniborg, by French multidisciplinary artist Laurent Grasso.

(live music) Old Montreal cultural hub the PHI Centre hosts Thus: Owls on Friday, February 22 and follows that up on Saturday, February 23 with amazing Haiti fundraiser party Kanaval Kanape, with performances by Arcade Fire with Haitian group Doody & Kami and a dancetastic afterparty – in partnership with Black History Month Montreal. Also on Friday, ska-rock the night away with The Planet Smashers at Club Soda, while Bosnian Rainbows play Cabaret du Mile End and the good folks at Passovah Productions throw a party with Young Galaxy, Valleys and many more (plus doughnuts from Chez Boris!) at Il Motore. On Saturday night, dance to the electronic music of Bordello, Vosper and Jealous Lovers at the SAT. On Sunday, the MSO hosts conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky and pianist Viktoria Postnikova, while The Montreal New Music International Festival showcases some of the best in new classical and experimental works. On February 25, feel the Irish spirit with Celtic Woman, February 25 at Place des Arts. On February 26, indie-experimental-rock artist Eels  is at Theatre Corona, and on February 27, Swedish House Mafia makes the Bell Centre thump.

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(discover downtown) There’s always something happening for free at the Quartier des Spectacles in the downtown core. Outside, make some music with the illuminated outdoor installation Iceberg and watch for video-projection art on the sides of buildings, part of the high-tech Luminothérapie art exhibition. Inside in the centre of the Place des Arts complex until February 3, see photography exhibition Finzi Pasca, Dali & La Verità, of and inspired by the Salvador-Dali-focused stage show La Verità, opening at Place des Arts in January.

(cool outside) Outdoor enthusiasts love Montreal in winter – when you’re cross-country skiing, playing hockey, skating or into any winter sports, the cold just doesn’t seem to matter as much – and if you’ve got your own equipment, much of it doesn’t cost a thing. Skating in Parc Lafontaine, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on the Mountain, or simply walking through the city are all free all the time, and there’s plenty to see too. Walk around Old Montreal and be sure to look into the sky on New Year’s Eve at midnight and on January 5 at 8 p.m. to see the Telus Fire on Ice fireworks. And the all-new Olympic Park Winter Village is free for everyone, with a skating and hockey rink, a toboggan run, activities for kids, a snowy tennis tournament on January 5, a “Funky Karnaval” music and dance performance January 5-6, and more – and while not free, on Saturday, January 5, several of Montreal’s food trucks will serve up delicious food, from burgers to gourmet dishes.

(art activities) Admission is always free to the permanent collections at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, where new exhibitions open this January: see an array of works by Impressionist artists, Taiwanese artist Chih-Chien Wang’s As Far As We Were, As Close As I Can, Iranian photographer Aydin Matlabi’s Landscape, Revolution, People, as well as paintings, sculpture, new media art and more from famed Quebecois, Canadian and international artists. On January 19, DHC/ART foundation in Old Montreal unveils Thomas Demand: Animations, an exhibition of the German artist’s films and videos, interlacing photography, architecture, sculpture and media images. Outside the downtown core, climb inside SQUEEEEQUE the Improbable Igloo, artist Alexis O’Hara’s large speakerbox igloo, where she and other artists will be performing and welcoming the public to play too from January 10 to February 17 at Maison de la culture NDG. And for a taste of what Montreal artists are up to, visit smaller galleries and artist-run centres in the five-storey Belgo Building (372 Ste-Catherine W.)

(moving images) Escape the cold throughout January at the state-of-the-art PHI Centre, a multidisciplinary arts and cultural hub in beautiful Old Montreal, where free screenings of top Canadian films such as Xavier Dolan’s Lawrence Anyways, Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell, Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis, Midnight’s Children, The End of Time, and more will be shown on select evenings – admission is on a first-come, first-serve basis!

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Photo credit: © Thomas Demand, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn / SODRAC, Ottawa
Rolltreppe / Escalator, 2000, 35 mm Film Loop, 2,00 min

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Unsurprisingly, the free stuff start and ends with big names: Rufus Wainwright takes the main outdoor stage to open the festival on June 28 and electro-dance party makers Chromeo close the fest on July 7. But in between those famous bookends comes a slew of fantastic musicians on the fest’s outdoor stages, starting at 11 a.m. each day and ending after 10 p.m.

The party keeps going indoors with free shows late into the night – see acts such as electro-rock Artist of the Year, DJs Ghostbeard and Poirier, Jazz Amnesty Sound System, Heavy Soundz, John Roney, Thomas Carbou, Canicule Tropicale and Kalmunity.

As always, the Jazz Fest let’s us see first-hand how genres evolve and change. Soul and heart-felt vocals will always be in style, and American singer Gregory Porter (June 28, L’Astral) is proof, as are fab Scottish singer Emeli Sandé (July 2, Club Soda) and inspiring Malian singer-guitarist Sidi Touré (July 2 at Scene Bell and July 3 at Scene Rio Tinto Alcan).

Classic names in electronic music and prog Tangerine Dream and Van der Graaf Generator are on the bill this year along with up-and-coming electronic musicians such as violinist Chapelier Fou (July 2-3, Theatre Quat’Sous), Danish jazz drummer Mikkel Hess’ Hess Is More (June 28, Scene Bell), whose style swings from a pop-folk akin to Sufjan Stevens to smooth, fun-times electro-dance, and techno dancefloor shakers Nobody Beats the Drum (July 5, SAT), as well as amazing post-rock saxophonist Colin Stetson (June 29, Gesu).

The past, present and future of jazz also collide in Get the Blessing (July 1, Gesu), a British rock-jazz quartet featuring members of Portishead, Mr. Ho’s Orchestra (June 29, Scene TD) , a 20-piece-plus orchestra playing Juan Garcia Esquivel, Swiss group Colin Vallon Trio (July 4, L’Astral), Quebec City-based pianist Vincent Gagnon (June 29, Scene CBC), Montreal’s pop-tinged Jérôme Beaulieu Trio (July 2, Scene CBC), American-turned-Montrealer pianist Taurey Butler (July 1, L’Astral) and Quebecoise musician Jorane with the Orchestre I Musici de Montréal (June 30, Maison symphonique de Montréal).

Jazz-tinted pop, rock and folk are no stranger to the Montreal Jazz Fest either. Hear it in the Brooklyn-based indie-rock of The Dirty Projectors (July 7, Club Soda), super tight and captivating Montreal trio Timber Timbre (July 6, Theatre Maisonneuve), jazz guitarist Misja Fitzgerald Michel’s A Portrait of Nick Drake, (July 6-7, Theatre de Quat’Sous), Ian Kelly’s pop-folk crooning and guitar (June 30, Scene TD), François & The Atlas Mountains (July 2, Scene Bell), The Barr Brothers (July 1, Metropolis) and Parc-X Trio, who play with Meshell Ndgeocello (July 1, Club Soda) as well as outdoors (June 30, Scene CBC).

And true to Montreal’s urban style, hip hop also makes the Jazz Fest scene in many of its different styles: The Narcicyst (July 4, Scene Bell) is known as much for his politics as his high-energy performances; the awesome, outer-spacey Deltron 3030 (Dan The Automator, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien and Kid Koala) and Montreal’s Nomadic Massive (July 6, Metropolis), none other than one of the first Canadian hip-hop stars Maestro Fresh Wes (July 6, Scene Bell), and Stalley (July 6, SAT), an Ohio MC making a name for himself with mixtapes full of critically praised rap, soul and spoken word.

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THE DETAILS

The Montreal International Jazz Festival, June 28-July 7, 2012

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(christmas sights in lights and song) Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica goes high-tech this year with multimedia production And Then There Was Light, the work of over 100 artists and technicians – shows Tuesday to Saturday until December 31, while December 9-10 a dozen Quebecois stars sing Christmas songs. And on December 10, singing all things yule and yore, Quebec choral group The Choeur Quebecois holds its biggest show of the year, in the city’s east end at the Maisonneuve Presbyterian Church. Les Choralies de la Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours present seven choirs singing Christmas music, traditional and contemporary, sacred and secular, old and new, at Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, on weekends in December. And add some art to Christmas tunes at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ free weekly concerts: Les Filles de l’Ile on December 11 and Sainte-Anne Singers on December 18.

(celestial orchestras) The Montreal Symphony Orchestra begins December on a universal theme with Holst’s The Planets on December 9, Christmas According to Fred Pellerin, December 16–17, and Handel’s Messiah, December 21–22, at the Maison Symphonique de Montréal. The Orchestre Métropolitain celebrates the season with The Nativity According to Bach, a performance of the six cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Christmas Oratorio, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and also featuring The Orchestre Métropolitain Choir and four soloists – December 17 at Théâtre Outremont in Mile End, and on December 22 at Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste downtown.

(sing it loud) In a show rightly called Sacred & Profane, Montreal’s glorious all-women choir Choeur Maha sings an eclectic mix of traditional and folk music from around the world, Brazil to Bulgaria, North America to Asia, with guest director Linda Morrison, along with a sometimes-subversive, always catchy gospel opening set from Irreverend James and the Critical Mass Choir – December 17, at the Ukrainian Federation (5213 Hutchison), with a party afterwards, of course.

(kiss and tell it on the mountain) Known for their performances with Cirque du Soleil and popular Quebec artists, The Jireh Gospel Choir celebrates 15 years of making the season bright with their style of American gospel music, a repertoire of original and coversongs sung in English and French, downtown at Club Soda, December 11. Meanwhile, on December 14, have a very Motown Christmas with Alma Faye Brooks & La Gioventu Band, at the Rialto Theatre.

(celtic-canadian christmas) The genuine article, Irish-Canadian folk group The Irish Rovers have been adding fuel to many a holiday party for years and years now, whether with drinking songs or heart-felt ballads – and now they’ve got an honest-to-goodness Christmas album out. Sing along with the boys on December 10, at the Corona Theatre.

(light the lights) This year’s Chanukah Blowout at the Segal Centre, Montreal’s biggest Jewish theatre-dance-music-performance space, brings together hip-hop artist Josh Dolgin (Socalled), blues-klezmer outfit Shtreiml, and big brass band Fanfare Severni, to play holiday classics and dance tunes, at the Segal Centre, December 17. Meanwhile, on December 22, Passovah Productions teams up with info-rich music site Meet You at the Show to put on its annual multi-artist holiday performance party, with Kara Keith, Caila Thompson-Hannat, Dave MacLeod, members of Parlovr, Caroline Keating, Sebastian Chow, and many many more, at Casa del Popolo.

(jingle bell rock) Embrace the season non-denominationally via the universal truths of rock n’ roll à la Quebec. The light show shines on some major Montreal-based bands at Metropolis in mid-December. On December 14, award-winning Montreal good-time favourites Malajube are joined by The Besnard Lakes at Metropolis. On December 15, the Acadian-French-singing Maritime natives, Radio Radio, tune in. And on December 16, Karkwa, who opened for Arcade Fire during their massive outdoor concert this fall for Pop Montreal, ring in heart-felt indie-rock cheer.

(jazz tidings) Montreal’s world-traveling, in-demand Indigone Trio, no stranger to the Montreal Jazz Fest, let alone Stevie Wonder and Ornette Coleman, lead by pianist and song writer David Ryshpan, pairs with Mexico-based guitarist Todd Clouser for an ear-altering show at Casa del Popolo, December 11. And No Wave meets free jazz in New York vocalist/saxophonist James Chance, back in town to prove avant-garde is alive and well this holiday season, December 17 at Il Motore.

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(bright lights) Fireworks aren’t just the purvey of summertime here in Montreal – this month’s Telus Fire on Ice fireworks events are like an intense pyrotechnical substitute for daylight, brightening the sky and reflecting off the St-Lawrence River at the Quays of the Old Port every weekend in December (and one in January). Ooh, aah. Not only that, but on Bonsecours Island see fire dancing shows before the fireworks start and an ice sculptor at work on December 24 and 31. For even more entertainment at the Quays, stick around for music, art and more at the Old Montreal Extravaganza, December 9–31.

(the plateau lights up) Go beyond the usual tourist fare and and check out the 7th edition of Noël sur l’Avenue happening all month long, all along Mont-Royal Avenue in the Plateau neighborhood – a great location for restaurant-going and people watching. Activities include a Christmas Torchlight Parade, fireworks, music and creative activities for the whole family, including activities at Park Lafontaine and the Maison de la culture Plateau-Mont-Royal (465 Mont-Royal East).

(crafty idea gathering) Even if you’re not in the mood to buy, arts and craft fairs can be a boon for the imagination and a creative, social way to pass some time and see what local artists, artisans, designers and food-makers have in store this year. In Old Montreal, the massive Salon des Métiers d’Art is entertaining just to walk around, December 2–22 at Place Bonaventure. Minimal and modern, hip and sleek are on hand at Souk at SAT, Dec 9–10, at the SAT (1201 St-Laurent) and the Holiday Puces Pop Craft and DIY Fair brings together 85 vendors of handmade art, craft and design, from jewellery to socks, toys to posters and preserves, December 10–11, at St-Enfant Jesus Church (5035 St-Dominique).

(dance together) Sundays are active at the Bal du Dimanche at Place des Arts, a free learn-to-dance event that happens every month – this month, learn traditional Quebecois dances taught by dancer-choreographer Chantal Dauphinais. Whether you’ve danced before or not, it doesn’t matter – Bal du Dimanche is all about having fun, plus enthusiastic live band, RéVeillons, keeps the mood upbeat too, December 4, 2–4:30pm. In the same space on December 22, live music event Rendez-vous des rythmes du monde, brings sounds from far and wide, at 5 and 6:30pm.

(sing a song) Brush up on your Christmas carols and sing along with strangers (it’s a good feeling, really and truly) for the CBC Christmas Sing-In, December 4 at the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, doors open at 2pm. For those who would rather listen than sing, Les Choralies de la Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours present seven choirs that sing a diversity of Christmas music, traditional and contemporary, sacred and secular, old and new, at Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel (400 St-Paul E.), at 1:30 and 3 p.m. on weekends in December.

(child’s play) The McCord Museums’ Toys 2 exhibition is a mini-playground in a museum setting – and entry is free. The toys on display are both old and new, with the old serving as inspiration for the completely hands-on new: an igloo made of pillows lights up from the inside, at the McCord Museum. Kids can run free in the enclosed Christmas-themed park at the corner of St-Laurent and St-Joseph, where sing-alongs and other entertainment go on until Christmas – and, if you’re missing the Christmas-tree scent of pine or fir, it’s a good place to pick up a bough (or a whole tree, if so inclined).

(art happenings) During these days when the sun sets before 5, outdoor art that lights up the town makes a lot of sense. The University of Quebec a Montreal has become adept at lighting up building walls in its section of the Quartiers des Spectacles. See the light indoors at the MMFA’s Big Bang exhibition, a free, multidisciplinary, multi-artist show that runs throughout December and January. Big Bang sees 20 artists and other creative minds (such as filmmaker Denys Arcand, fashion designer Renata Morales, graffiti collective En Masse, and dancer-choreographer Marie Choinard) take inspiration from different works in the museum’s collection. And the MACM’s Quebec Triennial is a wide-ranging overview of recent and celebrated contemporary art – and every Wednesday evening, entry is free!

(self-made sound) If you’re looking for something a little different on Boxing Day this year, Le Placard Headphones Festival  is definitely not your same-old same-old. Starting at 4 p.m. on December 26 and happening during the evenings on December 27 and 28, the free, international, DIY entertainment event invites everyone to play a song, whether it’s punk or a lullaby, show a video or film, or just hang out and see what transpires…

(skate on, skaters) Winter weather can seem downright balmy when you’re skating or cross-country skiing – bring your skates or skis to Montreal and keep that heat alive on the cross-country ski trails of Mount Royal Park or along the Lachine Canal. The Parc LaFontaine outdoor skate rink in the heart of the Plateau neighborhood is close to cafes and bars for after-exercise warming up. And, while it’s only technically free to kids under 6, ice skating at the Quays of the Old Port in Old Montreal on the St-Lawrence River is worth the $6 ($15 for a family) – bring your own skates or rent them on site, with special events like mid-day skate-alongs with Disney mascots, evening and ballroom matinee skates to music of the world.

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Yes, in a relative-to-art-not-physics way, Big Bang lives up to its name, producing exciting new art via the pairing of different art forms from different eras. In this overt way, Big Bang points out why big museums and galleries exist in the first place: to show us where we’ve come from, where we are and where we might be going. That feeling of being a part of history is writ large in an entire gallery room covered in the black-and-white mural art and graffiti of Montreal collective En Masse paired with A.R. Penck’s 1982 cave-painting-like The Start of the Lion Hunt.

It’s also felt in filmmaker Denys Arcand and artist Adad Hannah’s installation: a celebration and a critique of pop art spanning the last half of the 20th century, done in a faux-leopard-skin party vibe. And even in Claude Cormier’s wall of plush toys looking at and being looked at by a 12th-century stone head of Christ.

In each of the exhibition’s offerings is something universal, a very human, if often unconventional, expression that binds artists and their art with viewers. Big Bang begins, as many good, refreshing things do, with a joke – graphic artist Michel Rabagliati, playing off Rodin’s The Sirens, pokes fun at the reverence given to art museums as hallowed, high-art ground, when in reality, much of the art here seeks to reflect life right back at us from new perspectives. This liveliness runs right through Big Bang, from Jeannot Painchaud’s translucent, filmed circus acts paired with Riopelle’s The Circus, to Jennifer Alleyn and Nancy Huston’s dreamy, heady take on the work of Edmund Alleyn, to an art-packed room that reverberates with the avant-guard jazz of Jean Derome.

Restful moments occur throughout the exhibition too, especially in landscape-related pairings such as photographer Geneviève Cadieux’s massive sky shots framing Tom Thompson’s small painting Northern Lights, and Collectif Rita’s rolling, soft benches that reflect the water, hills and sky of Lawren Harris’s Morning, Lake Superior – and provide a comfortable place to contemplate. Time is also needed to take in Wadji Mouawad and art director Raymond Marius Boucher’s installation Vierge au couteau, a deep, somewhat disturbing consideration of birth, life and death, formed around a brilliant Catherine Opie photograph.

After seeing the Big Bang exhibition, go downstairs to see a stunning retrospective of Montreal-born painter Dorothea Rockburne’s work. In bright colours and bold shapes, the 50 paintings in the exhibition, called In My Mind’s Eye, balance emotion with mathematical logic, surface with depth, to intelligently explore philosophical questions and the artistic process. As well, the museum’s contemporary art collection includes a new installation work by Quebec artists Louis Couturier and Jacky Georges Lafargue looks into daily life in the community of Resolute Bay in Nunavut. The museum’s newly inaugurated Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion of Quebec and Canadian Art is also open to the public for free, with featured exhibitions such as Michael Merrill’s Inner Space, Tête-à-tête: Portraits of Quebec Artists by Richard-Max Tremblay, and Quebec and Canadian Art 1980-2010.

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THE DETAILS

Big Bang, November 6, 2011 to January 22, 2012

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1380 Sherbrooke West, (514) 285-2000

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(walk in the park) This time of year is great for walking in any of the city’s many parks and neighbourhoods – the leaves have turned orange, yellow and red and are falling fast as our usual winter wonderland months approach. Walk the wide, level path up Mount Royal (and take the steps to the top for a great view of the city), or dress warmly and head to Parc LaFontaine for an afternoon picnic. Parc Jean Drapeau, located on an island in the middle of the St-Lawrence River and home of the Biosphere, offers plenty of free and natural distraction too.

(artistic freedom) Buzz abounds about the MMFA’s Big Bang show, a multidisciplinary event-exhibition that can be enjoyed on many levels, whether you’re an art aficionado or just looking for a dry place to spend a rainy day – it runs until January and entry is free! Twenty artists have teamed up to show not only their talents, but the interplay of their work with works in the museum’s collection – from the video work of Denys Arcand and Adad Hannah to choreographer Marie Choinard’s photography and En Masse collective’s graffiti-like mural art – the show is an intriguing and entertaining journey. Access to the museum’s wide-ranging permanent collection remains free as always – current exhibitions include Dorothea Rockburne’s first Canadian retrospective In My Mind’s Eye, an installation called Resolute Bay by Quebec artists Louis Couturier and Jacky Georges Lafargue and paintings by Michael Merrill, inspired by the architecture of the Museum’s new pavillion.

(public entertainment space) Inside the Place des Arts complex is a newly-appointed public performance space: L’Espace Georges-Emile-Lapalme. And by public performance, I mean free performances – awesome! As part of this month’s Arab World Festival, the series Charabia (Babble) features film screenings, music, dance and visual art every evening until November 13. Meanwhile, as part of the Quebec Triennial, artist Lynn Marsh’s video installation, The Philharmonie Project (Bruckner: Symphony No. 5, movements 1 & 4), shows until the beginning of January. On November 17, enjoy a little klezmer-Quebecois music from Gadji Gadjo, and on November 18, hang with the Yoel Diaz Cuban Jazz Trio. Dance features too: learn the polka on November 20, and on the evenings of November 23–24, see performances from Louis Bédard Danse, Wants and Needs, and Isabel Mohn.

(modern art movement) The Musée d’art Contemporain’s Quebec Triennial, continues with free entry every Wednesday evening alongside the free events series featuring Montreal artists, performers and musicians – Tim Hecker on November 9, Dominique Pétrin and Georges Rebboh on November 16, Sylvie Cotton on November 23, and Martin Tétreault on November 30. Galleries – public, commercial and artist-run – in the Belgo building at 372 Saint-Catherine West are always free and open to the public: check out Galerie Pangée, Skol, Galerie B-312, Art 45 and many more. Up near Jean Talon Market, visit Battat Contemporary, currently showing new provocative work by truly great Canadian artist Sophie Jodoin.

(zine scene) While you can spend a fair amount of pocket change at Expozine, the two-day fair is more than a marketplace – it’s a celebration of Montreal’s incredible independent creators of books, comics, zines, poster art, crafts and assorted miscellany. Now in it’s 10th year, the event brings together not only over 270 exhibitors from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the US and Europe, but acts as a community meeting place and a free-form idea-generation zone. Often, Expozine happens around the same time of our first snow fall, but this just makes the whole experience somehow cozier – plus there are snacks and warm beverages: November 26–27, noon to 6 p.m. at Église Saint-Enfant Jésus (5035 St-Dominique).

(a lot like christmas) I’m just not ready yet. Seasons tidings and all the trappings seem to come earlier every year. But can I really feel irked in the face of the Montreal Santa Claus Parade? It’s been going on since 1925, after all, and tradition is tradition, just as happy, excited kids is the kind of excitement I can fully buy into. On November 19, see Santa Claus among the 20-plus floats making their way along Saint-Catherine street in downtown Montreal, from Fort Street to Saint-Urbain. And on November 25, Plaza St-Hubert hosts it’s own, if lower-key, Christmas Parade, starting at 7 p.m. on Saint-Hubert at Bellechasse and traveling down the plaza’s shop-strewn street to the corner of Jean-Talon.

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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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What follows is your key to a terrifyingly fun Halloween, commencing with the family-friendly stuff first…

World-class Montreal amusement park La Ronde is frightening at the best of times, but turns up the terror with its annual Fear By Day/Fright By Night Halloween festivities. On the busy all-day itinerary of things to do on both October 22 and 29 is pumpkin carving, scary face painting, a Halloween-themed parade, “freaky Monster” performances as well as newly created thrills like The Cemetery, The Last Ride, The Carnival of Terror, The Vampire Lair and Death Row. And loads more – as most Montrealers know, La Ronde takes its Halloweening seriously.

For those inclined towards a no-less-entertaining, and possibly even educational, Halloween experience, the city of Montreal is again offering 90-minute Ghost Walks (a narrator leads tour participants on an exploration of Old Montreal haunted hotspots) and Ghost Hunts (an interactive tour whereby hunters track down the ghosties and ghoulies at various sites and speak with the spectres themselves). The hunts and walks are conducted in both French at English, and tickets can be purchased at 360 St-François-Xavier. For pricing and other info, please call (514) 868-0303.

The superb Pointe-à-Callière historical museum in Old Montreal is offering kids a “whimsical look (with some thrills and chills, naturally) at the cultural origins of Halloween and associated beliefs”, courtesy of Irish tour guide Jack O’Lantern and his carved-turnip-puppet lantern. The 45-minute march around the museum gets weirder with the addition of a superstitious witch, a druid magician and a couple of spooky twins (like twins aren’t spooky enough already). English tours are offered on October 22-23, 29-30 at 12:50 pm and 3 pm. For more info, check out the full schedule.

The Montreal Insectarium is totally bugging out this Halloween with a number of activities tailored towards the creepiest of creepy crawlers: spiders. The “We Are the Insects” exhibit pays tribute to this natural acrobat, whose life often “hangs by a single thread.” Assorted “spiders” will also be dressed up as superheroes as part of this exhibit, and attendees are warned to be careful if they feel a tugging at their leg. If jumping spiders are your thing, there will also be a display dedicated to these lively little guys, and the “pop capsules” series will see costumed museum staff “popping” up in various scenarios. This happens every day up until October 31. For times and other info, check out the full schedule.

Right next door to the insectarium, the Montreal Botanical Garden is going whole Halloween hog again this year with their month-long Great Pumpkin Ball (which closes after October 31). There are a scary range of events and activities for everyone’s enjoyment and amusement, including, but not limited to, an house of plants, a Little Monsters courtyard for kids, Halloween origami and The Great Pumpkin Ball itself – a ginormous display of crazy carved pumpkins that overwhelms the Main Exhibition Greenhouse. Plus lots and lots more.

For those looking for more grown-up oriented, predominantly night-time frights, there are the following for your consideration on Halloween weekend…

Popular live music venue Il Motore is going loveably left-field with their “Hallow-Meme” themed Halloween party, whereby participants are invited to dress up as their favourite cyber meme or internet celebrity. They suggest folks like Double Rainbow Guy, LOL-cat and the Bed Intruder Song Guy. There will be prizes for best costumes in the form of concert tickets from independent music promoters Blue Skies Turn Black. Dancing comes courtesy of DJs Mitz, Seez, Tess & Danielle and Schwarzy. And best of all? Admission is free.

Tipping the scary-fun scale is Theatre Ste-Catherine’s annual haunted house show, which this year invites participants to “A ghostly tour that will transform your ideas of what is wrong… and what is possible. This experience is not for the light-hearted or morally weak… Invite your friends and enemies!” The house is open for only four nights, October 28-31, with tours starting hourly at 8 pm (the last goes at midnight). It will cost you $15 to get out.

Internationally renowned punk and metal concert venue/dance club Foufounes Électriques – famous as much for its, let’s say, colourful clientele as the heavily Halloween-themed bands that play there all year ’round (cases in point: upcoming performances by Exhumed, Cephalic Carnage and Beneath The Massacre) – will host its annual Halloween party on October 29. The challenge will be to see if you can tell the difference from any other night of the week.

A definite Hallowin could be found when popular roots party band Lake of Stew presents their Halloween Hootenanny with musical guests Irreverend James and the Critical Mass Choir and The Unseen Strangers at Mainline Theatre on October 28 starting at 10 pm. Costumes are strongly encouraged, but not mandatory.

Those looking for Sexyween, should definitely check out Cirque De Boudoir on October 29 at L’Auberge St-Gabriel. This year’s silverscreen theme touches on frightfully wonderful classics like the Bride of Frankenstein and Dracula and features two rooms, tons of DJs, body painting, coffin photo booth and “rope suspensions by Dunter”. Fans of costumed dancery might also want to investigate the The Goods’ Halloween Masquerade at Sala Rossa and Casaweeeeen at Casa del Popolo across the street, also on October 29.

It couldn’t officially be considered Halloween if cult film classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show wasn’t screening somewhere. Well, this year that somewhere will be the Imperial Cinema, from October 29-31, with projections at 8 pm and 11 pm, and with a live cast accompanying the film onstage. If you’ve never been before, you should know that for the full experience you might want to come equipped with rice, a water pistol (loaded), confetti, toast, rubber gloves, a party hat, a newspaper and playing cards. You’ll find out why quickly enough. The screenings, which will also feature a “wild” costume contest, are to be hosted by inimitable Montreal drag queen, DJ and rock star Plastik Patrik.

And finally, and funly, if you’re having trouble getting into the ghostly spirit of Halloween, or are just super-excited and want to get an early start, the Montreal Zombie Walk on October 22 might be just what the coroner ordered. Starting at the Mont-Royal metro station, a lopsided mob of undead folks will stumble, zombie-style, through the Plateau and Latin Quarter on their way to Club Soda where classic zombie movies will be screened. The Montreal Zombie Walk is free (including admission to the films at Club Soda) and open to everyone, so get your dead on!

Guest blogger Jamie O’Meara is a Montreal editor and journalist who covers arts, culture and, er, Halloween. Formerly the editor in chief of Hour Magazine, he is now an editor at Roverarts.com.

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