After gaining international attention, Les Boules Roses are returning to Montreal’s Gay Village for the 2013 edition of Aires Libres…

Somebody somewhere is polishing up 170,000 balls this week in preparation for their starring role dangling above our heads for the third time during the pedestrian-only festival Aires Libres 2013 in the Gay Village. They’ll be gracing us with their presence from May 16 to September 3, 2013, so get your party tanks ready!

Designed by renowned landscape architect Claude Cormier, the pink balls stretch down 1 km of Saint-Catherine from Berri-UQAM metro to Papineau. The balls come in three different girths, and five varying shades of pink that create a dreamy ambiance as you stroll outside day or night.

Les Boules Roses gay marries business with art. It brings people together to enjoy the burgeoning restaurant and club scene, all while experiencing a large-scale art installation. Its impact has earned cool awards like the National Honor from the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects, and Phénicia award for International Influence from the Gay Chamber of Commerce of Québec.

The pink balls make the Gay Village one of the most unique and fun open air spaces in Montreal during the summer months. LGBT and straight people from around the world enjoy the pink while chilling on the plethora of terraces consuming gallons (and gallons) of sangria. Gay locals know that when the balls go up, summer has officially arrived. It ushers in another season of iconic LGBT festivals like Divers/Cité (July 30-August 4, 2013) and Fierté Montréal Pride (August 12-18, 2013).

Keep tabs on everything happening in Montreal’s LGBT scene this summer by following Queer MTL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We have many exciting events happening in and around the Gay Village all summer so stay tuned!

A

THE DETAILS

 Les Boules Roses, May 16 to September 3, 2013

The post The ”Boules Roses” Are Returning to Montreal’s Gay Village appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Monday: Monday Blues? Jazz it up a little by catching a low-key show and eating some BBQ Chicken at Le Maison de Jazz (House of Jazz). If you want to get in on the action, Club Date Piano Bar has Karaoke every night of the week. Bar Le Stud in the Village has a weekly night on Monday’s simply called “Boys” with DJ Sylvio Bray.

Tuesday: Le Cagibi is an adorable little bistro café located in the Mile-End and popular with the LGBT community. It is a cozy hotspot that celebrates art and music every single week. On Tuesdays, they have an event called Mardi Spaghetti. It’s a night of improvised and experimental music that is always an unexpected delight. If made-up music isn’t your thing, then every Tuesday at Royal Phoenix is Bingo night! 3 cards + 1 beer = $5. Now that’s the kind of math I excelled at in school.

Wednesday: Wednesday night is Ladies Night at the infamous gay strip joint Stock Bar. So obviously Wednesdays are the best. Nothing says “I need at least five drinks” more than seeing a beefcake male stripper fish a $10 bill out of a middle aged women’s cleavage while the gays and gals cheer on. Too crazy? Wednesday’s at Royal Phoenix are called “Royally Chilling” inviting people to just hang out, plus the kitchen is open until 1 AM!

Thursday: If there’s one thing we can all count on, it’s that a Thursday night at Apollon will be fun, and filled with people getting a head start on their weekend. Thursday’s at Apollon are called City Beats with a $4 cover and Hip Hop music.

Friday: There’s always somewhere to go on a Friday night. Just look around or follow the crowd. However if you want something a little different, it’s Open Dance night at Club Bolo in the Gay Village starting at 9:30 PM. If you get a kick out of line dancing to Shania Twain, then this is for you. The photo is of fellow Bolo fans dancing during the Gay Pride Parade!

Saturday: It’s Game Night at L’Aigle Noir, Montreal’s best leather bar. They play all night, and there are many prizes to be won! If it’s not your scene, down the street at Drugstore is Amateur Drag Night. See these budding starlets get their start in the ruthless world of drag, and like Ru Paul says: “let the best woman win!”

Sunday: Sunday is brunchday. No matter what week of the year you’re in Montreal, if it’s a Sunday, then you should go brunching. Good brunches in the Village include Saloon, Chez Cora on Saint-Catherine, or Dame Tartine on Ontario. Royal Phoenix in the Mile-End also has some delicious brunch.

The post 7 (GAY) DAYS A WEEK appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

There’s a feeling I get every summer I spend in Montreal that has me tickled pink. It starts at the end of June and grows until it reaches the climax the last few weeks of August. It’s the LGBT energy in the air. A feeling of pride, inclusiveness, community and yes, that famous humidity-heat thing. Now that we’re reluctantly being pulled into fall, check out the video for a gander back on some summer highlights in Montreal!

Divers/Cité was “all together different” this year with a big move to the Vieux-Port. And let me say, this festival practically double-rainbows the entire Old Port. Watching world class entertainment with the striking Montreal skyline in the background was a sight to behold. Tourists who would never usually attend such an event found themselves drawn in by the sounds of Divers/Cité’s roster of DJs, the world’s largest drag show Mascara, and live music from Quebec and International artists.

Fierte Montreal Pride 2012 broke records in their 6th year with over 320,000 total spectators! This is definitely attributed to the hard work in adding a variety of programming like the first ever official Dyke March, Kids Day, and the Generation Boomer show. Not to mention classics like T-Dance going to a whole new level with a performance by Shangela (beautifully captured by Montreal Buzz videographer Guillaume) that will knock your socks off.

The Fierte Montreal Pride Parade 2012 under the theme “Our Flag, Our Pride” drew another record crowd of 167,000 people along René-Levesque all thanks to the 3,000 energetic and divers participants! The jury awarded some parade floats in six categories with the “Most Crowd Pleasing Float” going to the Conseil Quebecois des Gais et Lesbiennes, and the “Corporate Float of the Year” going to Loblaws with their awesome rainbow shopping cart explosion:

Another community highlight was Pink Dot, a movement that originated in Asia and has hundreds of people making a giant pink dot in a silent yet powerful statement about global LGBT human rights.

Tourisme Montreal kept the competition fierce and the silliness fresh with the 3rd Edition of Queer of the Year! This was the first edition won by a female, Ivette Gonzalez-Alé and we can’t wait to have her back to Montreal as part of her prize package ! Check out all the QOTY shenanigans that went down here.

We’ll see everyone again next summer for another round of LGBT Pride events that only a place like Montreal could host with such flare and class.

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