(easter time) Celebrate spring in Montreal by spending some time in nature, indoors and out. Take the kids on a different kind of easter egg hunt at the Ecomuseum zoo or hunt for butterflies (with your eyes only) at the Montreal Botanical Gardens’s Butterflies Go Free special exhibition. Learn more about the environment and biodiversity at the Botanical Garden’s Base Camp and at the Montreal Biodome, where kids can discover live animals and plants from around the world, there’s even a (non-chocolate) egg exhibition in the lobby. And see even more butterflies at the Montreal Science Centre’s IMAX screening of Flight of the Butterflies in 3D.

(easter eats) Quebec’s famed sugar shack season happens to be in full form this Easter weekend too – try out La Cabane in the Old Port, restaurants with maple-syrup themed menus, or take a short drive out of town to experience the complete sugar shack experience. Visit the Montreal Botanical Gardens to learn more about where maple syrup comes from and try out the candy-like concoction of maple syrup on snow, until April 26. For even more sweet treats – and several savoury ones too – peruse Montreal’s excellent Italian delis, the Jean Talon Market or simply go for the classic Easter brunch at one of many Montreal brunch spots, from Old Montreal to Mile End, and pick up some chocolate along the way.

(dance & theatre) Danse Danse presents The Light Between, a new work of hope and vulnerability by Governor General’s Award winning choreographer Margi Gillis, to March 30 at Place des Arts, and, beginning April 4, the astounding Spanish flamenco of María Pagés as the star dances a show called Autorretrato, “a self-portrait created at Mikhaïl Baryshnikov’s instigation.” More dance takes the stage at the Centaur Theatre, where Danish dance-theatre troupe Granhøj Dans celebrates the music of Leonard Cohen – in intriguing, funny and surprising ways – in Dance Me to the End On/Off Love, to April 14.

(immersive art) Artistic visions of spring are beginning to show themselves this week too. New exhibitions at the MACM captivate with colour and intrigue with interactivity and every Sunday afternoon, kids and adults alike can participate in hands-on art-making workshops. Experimental, immersive, digital video art amazes at the SAT’s 360º Satosphere dome: audio-visual show Chaos and Order continues until March 29, followed up starting April 2 with P3rception, a program of three exploratory works that might just cause sensory overload: Diana Reichenbach’s animated film ||0.1.||, Eric Hanson and Charles Lindsay’s Carbon-X, and Ulf Langheinrich’s Hemisphere. And outdoors, projected on the face of UQAM’s Président-Kennedy building in the heart of the Quartier des Spectales, see animated film Le cycle de l’eau.

(live music) One of hip-hop’s best starts the weekend right on Friday night: Brooklyn-based rapper Talib Kweli gets lyrical with Koriass, Ceas Rock and Dj Manifest at Club Soda – the show is one of many at the Montreal Hip Hop Festival, happening all weekend. Also on Friday, Los Angeles indie-rock band Local Natives comes to town with Superhumanoids at Le National, and Saturday night is nothing but old-school LA punk with Bad Religion at Metropolis. On April 1, The Dear Hunter tour their new album Migrant, at Sala Rossa. Turn Tuesday night into a sweaty electronic music dance party with Chicago DJ duo Flosstradamus at the SAT or British electro-rock band Modestep at the Corona Theatre. On April 3, Alicia Keys and Miguel (!) put a spell on the Bell Centre and K-OS and Rich Aucoin shake up the Corona. And on Thursday, April 4, much-loved Francophone singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Damien Robitaille plays Metropolis and Montreal’s Suuns brighten up Sala.

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Pointe-à-Callière, the Montreal history and archaeology museum, has been hosting its Port Symphonies for 20 years now, challenging a local or international composer to pen a symphony to be performed using a variety of ship horns, train whistles and percussion found in the harbour of the Old Port – the result of that endeavour plays out near the museum at Place Royale on March 3 and March 10 at 1:30 p.m.

This year, in light of Pointe-à-Callière’s Japan-focused temporary exhibition Samurai: The Prestigious Collection of Richard Béliveau, the museum asked Japanese Montrealer Kota Nakamura to compose a work that would evoke the culture and history of Japan. The symphony, entitled Cymbidium, not only makes use of train whistles and tugboat horns, but incorporates human voices, flute, taiko drums and more.

While the armour and weaponry of Japan’s samurai tradition stand proudly displayed in all their finery inside the museum, representing one aspect of the country’s culture, Nakamura’s symphony, named after Japanese orchids that blossom in March, lends a lighter note to traditional and contemporary Japanese ways of life, while also commenting on the urban landscape of the Port of Montreal. The museum even adds another Japanese touch this weekend with their Nuit Blanche festivities including re-tellings of traditional samurai tales.

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THE DETAILS

Pointe-à-Callière’s Port Symphonies, March 3 and 10, 2:30 p.m.

Photo Credit: © Noémie Letu

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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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Arsenal was already among the city’s biggest non-museum art spaces, but as of last week they’ve broken their own records. With a brand new show dramatically titled Like Thunder Out of China, uniting nearly 50 works by contemporary Chinese artists, they revealed a massive (think 22,000 square feet) section of the building that was as of yet unused. Part cavernous exhibition hall, part loading dock, the possibilities for parties (Grand Prix and Fashion Week are already regular clients) are endlessly exciting.

The art on view also does the space justice: The showstopper is the famous Miss Mao 3 by the Gao brothers, an 8-foot-tall stainless steel bust of Mao sporting huge inflated breasts, a creepy doll smile and a Pinocchio nose. (Is it any surprise the work is banned from exhibition in China?) The father of Chinese pop art, Qui Jie, contributes a series of drawings replacing politicians’ heads with those of cats – another sort of derision, only cuter. In fact, all the art was chosen for its cheeky spunk, its dissidence, its ability to comment on the state of China today from within. All the artists included still call China home.

When you hear Chinese art you may automatically think Ai Weiwei – he’s not included in this show, which focuses on the younger generation, but Like Thunder Out of China does mark the Canadian launch of the book Weiwei-isms and MAO, the complete book of his Mao iconography. Check it out in person, in the beautiful Arsenal space.

THE DETAILS

Like Thunder Out of China, Until July 27, 2013

Arsenal, 2020 William, (514) 931-9978

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(play outside) More snow is on the way, so why not embrace it at Montreal’s own Snow Village, featuring heated igloos, a hotel, restaurant and bar, and more over at beautiful Parc Jean-Drapeau. Stay active outdoors at the Old Port of Montreal’s huge skating rink (rentals on-site) or settle in at the Old Port’s Ice Fishing Village, with genuine (heated) ice fishing shacks and a well-stocked river. Or get in on a game of pick-up hockey at one of Montreal’s bustling outdoor rinks. If the weather proves too much, duck inside for the more summery natural world of 3D IMAX film Flight of the Butterflies, an epic journey across North America and Mexico, playing at the Montreal Science Centre, also host to the fun, interactive, music-making exhibition Musik: From Sound to Emotion.

(stay warm, eat well) All that outdoor activity builds up an appetite, and while Montreal Poutine Week may officially be over, that won’t stop the gravy from flowing and the cheese curds from melting – poutine will always be a classic winter warm up food, so go for it after playing or watching outdoor sports or opt for an even more “manly meal”. Wherever you are in Montreal, from Little Italy to Plateau-centric St-Denis, good food abounds. Or warm up in the kitchen yourself at a cooking class at Les Touilleurs as Stéphanie Labelle reveals pastry secrets on February 11 or at Dante in Little Italy with Nick Hodge, chef-owner of Kitchenette on February 13.

(thrilling theatrics) Intrigue is on stage this week when a town’s peaceful ways turn tumultuous as “civilized” colonialism faces an “uncultured” tribe in Waiting for the Barbarians, based on the Nobel Prize-winning book by J.M. Coetzee, at the Segal Centre, to February 17. Drama is in full force at Centaur Theatre in the true story of murder in 1950s rural Ontario unfolds in Innocence Lost, to February 24. Colourful, comedic, Dali-inspired circus show La Verità extends its run at Place des Arts to February 9. Theatrical, emotional Indian dance show Bharati – The Wonder that is India returns with over 70 dazzling dancers, musicians, singers and acrobats, February 12-17 at Place des Arts. And for something a little different on Valentine’s Day, see cabaret variety show 25 Years of Mado, a foray into the world of famed Montreal drag queen Mado Lamotte, at Metropolis.

(Black history & culture) Montreal Black History Month continues throughout February with music, art exhibitions, workshops, film screenings and more. On February 9, see classic funk-jazz music group Tchukon come back together for a night of dancing and fun at the PHI Centre, while Melodi Muzik & Vox Sambou play Cabaret du Mile End. Political and social activism pervades the story of an African price turned slave turned revolutionary in Oroonoko, written by Aphra Behn and directed by Paul Van Dyck, playing at the MAI February 6-17, and Martin Luther King’s famous speech of 50 years ago is the inspiration behind I Have a Dream: The Exhibit, a historically insightful, thought-provoking show of photography, painting, sculpture and even fashion, at Espace Georges Emile Lapalme at Place des Arts.

(art ideas) Get a little lost in thought, space and time in Uraniborg, an amazing new multi-room exhibition from French multidisciplinary artist Laurent Grasso, showing alongside 40 captivating recent photography works by Lynne Cohen, and a film by Jonathas de Andrade, all at the Musee d’art Contemporain. Travel to Peru and discover its history and culture without leaving town: the MMFA’s’ Peru: Kingdoms of the Sun and Moon features pre-Columbian masterpieces as well as modern art. Catch the last week of a mini-retrospective of Michael Snow’s photography, video and sound work at Galerie UQAM. And colourful solo work by Jason Botkin, one of the founding members of public art collective En Masse, covers the walls at at Lndmrk Gallery (550 Beaumont).

(music moves) The final weekend of Igloofest goes down this Thursday to Saturday with wintery electronic music mayhem from Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard, Ben UFO, Joy Orbison, Chris Liebing and more. Taking the beat down a few notches, Blue Rodeo celebrates 25 years of making music, February 8 at Place des Arts. Dead Kennedys prove punk ain’t dead on February 9 at Theatre Corona, while on February 10, Zappa Plays Zappa- Dweezil even teaches a guitar class to keeners earlier in the day. Lady Gaga brings her Born This Way Ball to the Bell Centre on February 11, while Yo La Tengo settles in for a sweet night at the Corona Theatre. Believe it: Ghostface Killah and Sheek Louch are at Club Soda on February 12. Meanwhile, British Mercury Prize winners The Maccabees play Cabaret Mile End. Bon Jovi bring their Because We Can Tour to the Bell Centre February 13-14, while on February 13, noise-textured, electronic pop, brain-sparking duo Matmos  plays Il Motore. And for lovers, French metal band Gojira ups the intensity at Le National on February 14.

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The hottest show in the city right now (so popular half the people couldn’t get in on opening night!) is Jason Botkin’s solo exhibition titled ALLKIN, at the brand new Lndmrk Gallery. Botkin is one of the founding members of En Masse, one of Montreal’s greatest artistic claims to fame: it’s an art collective that groups over 20 artists at a time to make amazing black-and-white wall art. They’ve done work inside office buildings and museums, but you might know them best for their work on city walls.

In full contrast to those monochromatic group works, Botkin’s solo work is a mind-blowing, crazed colourfest full of tribalesque masks and monstrous personages. It’s mostly faces – some small, some bigger and more complex, made out of various layers of thin wood painted bright colours. And of course there’s the biggest face of all, the black-haired beast Botkin built around a staircase at the back of the gallery, which gives the viewer the impression they’re about to be eaten. Amazing.

Lndmrk is the latest brainchild of gallery owner Yves Laroche, whose other space, on Saint-Laurent in Little Italy, is also showing work that’s associated with street art these days. Among this commercial gallery’s most famous top sellers are Ron English, who famously manipulated billboards in 1980s America. Laroche also represents graffiti artists like Other, Cope2 and Push, all of which have works up right now. Stop by to check them out.

And finally, downtown at Galerie B-312 in the Belgo Building, duo Séripop – composed of Chloe Lum and Yannick Desranleau – has created a massive installation that will be in the gallery’s main room until February 7. Séripop made its name on the Montreal scene in the early 2000s because of their postering – the duo silkscreened beautifully weird and idiosyncratic ads announcing upcoming music shows. They’ve segued from that into an exciting gallery career, full of outlandish paper-based works like this one, which makes the viewer feel like they’re awash in a sea of colour.

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THE DETAILS

ALLKIN, by Jason Botkin, at Lndmrk Gallery (550 Beaumont), until March 29, 2013

General collection at Galerie Yves Laroche (6355 St-Laurent, 514-393-1999)

The Options that Are Offered to Us: The Least Likely/The Most Tolerable, by Séripop, at Galerie B-312 (372 Ste-Catherine W., suite 403) until February 7, 2013

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The Zoolympics, happening at the Ecomuseum Zoo on February 2 and 3, will inspire the champion in participants of all ages to sharpen their eagle eye, race like a coyote, listen like a Barn Owl and sniff like a Gray Wolf. The various challenges will educate you all about the hundred-plus species of animals native to Quebec that reside in the Ecomuseum, including the Bald Eagle, the raccoon, the Snowy Owl and the lynx. (A lynx can jump a distance of 6.5 metres – will you beat that record?)

Since 2013 marks the Ecomuseum’s 25th anniversary, there are a whopping 25 prizes to be won at the Zoolympics – including an invitation to come back to share breakfast with the wolves. The anniversary is also the perfect excuse for the coolest of contests, happening between now and February 20, which could see you win a free weekend getaway to Montreal for you and yours! In addition to a hotel stay – with breakfast included – for two adults and two kids, the lucky winner will get a visit to the Ecomuseum zoo and an expedition on Mount Rigaud. Bring your skis for the full wintry experience.

The Ecomuseum Zoo is a non-profit charity located just at the western tip of the Island of Montreal, whose mission it is to protect Quebec’s natural heritage. They’ll be hosting a whole variety of special 25^th anniversary activities throughout 2013 – including a days when kids get in for free, on February 17. Plus, if you “like” them on Facebook, there are prizes to be won on the 25^th of every month this year! So stay tuned…

THE DETAILS

Zoolympics, February 2-3, 2013

Ecomuseum Zoo, 21125 Ste-Marie Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, (514) 457-9449

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(happy outdoors) Bundle up the whole family for Fête des Neiges, a weekend of outdoor activities and entertainment – including tube sliding, a zip-line, ice skating, snow-shoeing and dog sledding – at Parc Jean-Drapeau. While at the park, visit Montreal’s one-of-a-kind Snow Village, featuring heated igloos, a hotel, restaurant and bar, and more. Or go rustic and sporty at the Old Port’s Ice Fishing Village, with genuine ice fishing shacks (heated!) and a well-stocked river.

(ice dancing) Pull your warmest toque on, lace up your snowboots, zip into that neon one-piece snowsuit (or not…) and join thousands of electronic music fans for the fun and spectacle that is Igloofest, a four-weekend-long outdoor electronic music festival unique to Montreal, happening at Jacques-Cartier Quay in the Old Port. This Friday night, groove to Berlin-based duo Pan-Pot, Russia’s Nina Kraviz and Pierre De Lux. Follow that up on Saturday night with Germany’s Schlachthofbronx, TNGHT, Tronald Trump and Kaytranada.

(stage & scene) Art, theatre and circus acts come together in La Verità, a talent-packed show created by Daniele Finzi Pasca based on a captivating original Dali backdrop painting, which often features in the forefront of the show, along with trapeze artists, dancers, jugglers and more – at Place des Arts to February 3. Opéra de Montreal Johann Strauss II’s lively Die Fledermaus, featuring tenor Marc Hervieux, January 26, 29 and 31. Fall under the rock-music-inspired-by-parables spell of Beautiful City Theatre’s production of Godspell, The Musical, January 25-26 and 31 at Centaur Theatre in Old Montreal. See flamenco done in new, often experimental ways in La Otra Orilla from dancer/choreographer Myriam Allard and singer Hedi Graja, at Cinquième Salle to January 26.

(movie magic) Cozy up to some great films this week at the PHI Centre. The Old Montreal-based arts and cultural hub welcomes the public to free screenings of Peter Mettler’s The End of Time on January 25 at 5 p.m. and Michael McGowan’s Still at 7 p.m. The Centre also presents a series of films selected by Quebec filmmaker Denis Côté, with Antoine Boutet’s Le plein pays screening on January 30, along with a special screening on January 30 of György Pálfi’s Final Cut Ladies & Gentlemen, a Cannes 2012 selection.

(art inspiration) The MMFA is warm and admission to its permanent collections is free! See new acquisitions of Quebec and Canadian art from 1980-2010 (such as Kim Dorland’s Nature Painting #2, above) work by Taiwan-born Montreal photographer and video artist Chih-Chien Wang, and Iranian photographer Aydin Matlabi’s Landscape, Revolution, People. Go to DHC/ART in Old Montreal for a heady trip into German artist Thomas Demand’s multi-layered recreations of reality in still images and carefully animated film installations. See images Montreal’s past at Pointe-à-Callière – and save money on admission whenever the temperature drops below zero degrees celsius: visitors get an equal percentage off the admission price throughout January and February. Head outside again to play with colourful, illuminated outdoor music installation Iceberg, located at Place des Arts.

(live music) On Saturday night, get your ska-punk on with Reel Big Fish at the Corona Theatre, melt away to the electro-pop sounds of Ellie Goulding at Metropolis, and The Harley Show revs its engines with motorcycles and rock n’ roll at the Bell Centre. On January 27, California psych-rockers The Growlers play La Sala Rossa. On January 28, Marilyn Manson does his thing at Metropolis, punk-hardcore Hot Water Music maybe mess up L’Olympia, and Montreal musicians get together for Lettingo: The Music and Influence of Ornette Coleman at Sala Rossa. On January 29, a whole bunch of great Montreal musicians, like Plants & Animals, Galaxie and The Barr Brothers, play benefit concert Unis Contre at Cabaret du Mile End. And on January 30, The Queen Extravaganza belts its drama-rock way into the Bell Centre.

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This world premiere opening on February 2, fully organized, mounted and toured by the MMFA, is loftier than any anthropological-style expo you might imagine because it covers thousands of years of history, including Peruvian art produced in modern times. In addition to displaying an extensive collection of pre-Columbian treasures and masterpieces from the colonial era to Indigenism, including over 100 pieces that have never before been seen outside of Peru, you will be able to bask in modern Peruvian creativity.

As curator Victor Pimentel says, “Through the representation and reinterpretation of myths, rituals and other primordial symbols of identity captured by different artistic traditions, the exhibition will illustrate how the evocative power of images have influenced the history of pre-Hispanic, colonial and modern Peru.” Here are three treasures you simply can’t miss seeing.

1) A photograph by the wonderful Amerindian artist Martín Chambi, titled Tristeza andina, La Raya, from 1933. At the beginning of the 20th century, Indigenism flourished as an artistic and intellectual movement in Peru based on revalorizing and reaffirming the country’s indigenous heritage. Works depicting scenes of Native life and the idyllic landscapes of the Peruvian countryside and highlands such as this one were to transform the visual culture of Peru in the modern era.

2) The figurehead work of the exhibition, featured on its posters and promotional material: A Mochica frontal ornament in the shape of a half-feline, half-octopus dating from 100-800 A.D. and recently repatriated and exhibited for the first time outside of Peru. Made of pure gold and intricately carved, it symbolizes the constant dialogue between the world of the living and the world of the dead that was an essential component of Andean spirituality.

3) A beautiful anonymous 18th century painting titled Young Virgin Spinning, from the era after the Spanish conquest of Peru in the 16th century that led to the hybridization of the Peruvian culture. Paintings like this one, from the School of Cuzco – established by the Spanish as a means of converting the Incas to Catholicism – testify to the powerful role played by images in the campaign to evangelize the Native peoples of the Andes.

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THE DETAILS

Peru: Kingdoms of the Sun and Moon,  February 2 to June 16, 2013

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

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(illuminated learning) Hands-on learning about how music works on our minds is at the heart of Musik: From Sound to Emotion, a cool new exhibition at The Montreal Science Centre. Every step of the exhibition’s journey is interactive – each visitor carries an MP3 player to listen to music of all kinds (including by pop-punk band Simple Plan, who collaborated on the exhibition), answer questions and create a personal composition. Less high-tech, but delightfully educational nonetheless is a visit to the Insectarium and The Botanical Gardens, where the main greenhouse is decked out for Christmas with lights, new plant life, choir performances on some afternoons, and even a craft fair December 7-9.

(glorious showtime) Lumberjack acrobats tumble among pine trees in Cirque Alphonse’s Timber!, a comedic, musical circus for the whole family, December 18-31 at Montreal’s one-and-only circus centre, Tohu. Geordie Productions specializes in creating shows for children that their parents can also truly enjoy – this year they’ve put a new twist on Robin Hood, the classic tale of do-good outlaws and their merry ways, playing December 7-16 at the Centaur Theatre in Old Montreal (453 St-Francois-Xavier). For more traditional holiday theatre fair, see Les Grands Ballets unveils its colourful annual performance of The Nutcracker, December 13-30 at Place des Arts, while Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol becomes a musical, complete with 14 songs, at Theatre Rialto on December 14.

(holiday history) A question possibly on many a kid’s mind this season: Who is the real Santa Claus? Pointe-a-Calliere Museum of Archaeology and History answers with an theatrical tour of international holiday traditions, from St. Nicholas, Melchior and Babushka to Santa Claus, throughout December – see the museum’s website for tour times. For toys and nothing but toys, visit The McCord Museum’s Toys 3 – The Voyage exhibition, where children aged 3 to 9 can travel through the adventureland of Abracadabra, where 200 historical toys are on display in wild jungles and next to crackling campfires.

(joy of art) The Montréal Museum of Fine Arts gives the gift of free tours and art activities this season: wander through an indoor forest of 35 Christmas trees, decorated in different styles, see museum’s permanent collections, kids and parents can make their own tree decorations and wrapping paper in a Holiday Decoration Workshop (Saturdays and Sundays, drop in), paint a pastel and ink landscape (Saturdays and Sundays, 1 and 2:30 p.m.) and listen to stories (in English Saturdays and Sundays, 1 p.m.). The Musee d’art contemporain also has art workshops for the family every Sunday afternoon, with a different theme each week. And traditional and contemporary art as well as plenty of craft – including all kinds of hand-made toys – that you can not only look at but buy is in abundance at Montreal’s artisanal and craft fairs.

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