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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One of the world’s best and most anticipated electronic music festivals, Mutek challenges and surprises festival goers while consistently entertaining with musicians, producers and multimedia artists from around the world, specializing in both big and upcoming names in edgier electronic music.

At Mutek this year, the A/Visions evening shows and Nocturnes late-night events herald close to a hundred artists. Multifaceted producer Matthew Herbert comes back to Montreal after an eight year absence to perform three projects – One Pig, a musical improv set centred on a war photojournalist’s audio, and a DJ set as Wishmountain – throughout the festival, the UK’s undefinable and deeply cool Jamie Lidell returns, as does Catalan house beatmaker John Talabot, Detroit techno minimalist Robert Hood, Germany pianist Nils Frahm, Japanese audiovisual artist Ryoichi Kurokawa, and Montrealer Ghislain Poirier unveils his new synthy, cinematic, minimalist project, Boundary. There’s even a special performance by Pantha du Prince and The Bell Laboratory at the Maison Symphonique de Montréal, the city’s recently built and acoustically impressive symphony hall in the heart of downtown at Place des Arts.

Those in the know never underestimate the greatness of Mutek’s opening event: this year, that night  celebrates the 20th anniversary of German label Kompakt, with performances from American producer Michael Mayer, Saschienne and Swedish producer Alex Willner, a.k.a. The Field. The festival program rambles on in the best way possible with the return of British producer John Hopkins, German trio Brandt Brauer Frick, Raster-Noton duo Emptyset’s minimal noise and beats, and after years away, the jazz-infused sound of Frivolous. Also hear Mutek first-timers like young American techno experimenter Laurel Halo, prolific American producer John Tejada, and deep house makers Berlin-based Efdemin and John Roberts.

The Redbull Music Academy puts on a series of shows at high-tech, long-time Mutek venue the Society for Art and Technology, with the likes of Andy Stott, Martyn and Onra, Montreal fave Deadbeat, Space Dimension Controller, L.A.’s Nosaj Thing, and new Ninja Tune players Emika and Letherette. And on the last night of the festival, get right into Borderland, a new dub-meets-loops project from Juan Atkins and Moritz von Oswald, and a long, analogue-rich set by Juju & Jordash. Unbelievably, there are even more artists on the roster, and more still to be announced, meaning that, as always, Mutek’s a guaranteed good time.

THE DETAILS

Mutek, May 29-June 2, 2013

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(pop music city) Pop Montreal takes over many of the city’s music venues until the wee hours of Sunday night, with bands that both exemplify and defy the modern definition of pop. Among the many, many shows to see this weekend: on September 21, see David Byrne and St. Vincent, Tim Hecker, Yamantaka//Sonic Titan, free afternoon shows at Parc Petite-Italie and at Divan Orange; on September 22, hear the piano stylings of Chilly Gonzales, the hip hop of Big K.R.I.T. and Slim Thug, and more frees shows; and on September 23, check out Purity Ring, Grizzly Bear, Patrick Wolf and stay out late at the fest’s closing party with Nicky Da B. Plus, September 22-23, peruse the creative output of artsty-crafty Montrealers at the Puces Pop Craft Fair, at St-Michel Church.

(life on film) The 8th edition of the Montreal International Black Film Festival runs to September 30 on screens around town, featuring a program of documentaries, feature films and shorts from around the world, including an Homage to Harry Belafonte, winner of the festival’s Humanitarian Prize this year, a talk by Stedman Graham, screenings of new film Winnie, about the life of Winnie Mandela starring Jennifer Hudson, jazz-singer doc Girls in the Band, Luv starring Common, and much more. And dance enthusiasts can see performances and discussions on film at the first Cinédanse Montréal film festival, September 20-23.

(circus & burlesque) Creative Montreal-based circus Cirque Éloize blends circus arts with hip hop, breakdance and stories of identity in their new, all-ages show iD , featuring 14 high-energy performers,  at Montreal circus centre La Tohu, September 20-October 6. Acrobatics and music astound in Pfffffff, a show by French circus troupe Akoreacro, running September 25-October 6 at La Tohu. And on a smaller scale and more adult-oriented, on September 21, see the Candyass Club burlesque-meets-subversive-vaudevillian-cabaret show, downtown at Café Cléopatra (1230 St-Laurent, 2nd floor), 10 p.m.

(dance days) The dance season officially opens this week with Danse Danse celebrating the 40th anniversary of BJM – Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, a show featuring pieces by Cayetano Soto, Benjamin Millepied and Barak Marshall, September 27-29 at Place des Arts. The Quartiers Danses festival comes to a close September 22 with a performance by Manuel Roque at Tangente at 6:30 p.m. and with dance performances and a roster of great DJs at the Darling Foundry (745 Ottawa) in Old Montreal, starting at 8 p.m. Twenty-one dancers take the stage in Cas Public’s Duels September 20-22 at Agora de la Danse, and Danse-Cité presents Ta Douleur by choreographer Brigitte Haentjens at Théâtre La Chapelle.

(theatrical times) Verdi’s La Traviata opens the 33rd season of L’Opéra de Montréal, featuring Greek soprano Myrto Papatanasiu, Italian tenor Roberto De Biasio and baritone Luca Grassi, to September 22 at Place des Arts. Metachroma Theatre sticks to the classics while still taking chances with Shakespeare’s Richard III, at The Segal Centre, to September 30, and Theatre Teesri Duniya put on Governor General’s Award-winning playwright Kevin Loring’s Where the Blood Mixes, about the life-long effects of Aboriginal residential school experience – at Centre Culturel Calixa-Lavallée (3819 Calixa-Lavallée) in Parc Lafontaine to September 30.

(art of performance) Art, music and dance converge this weekend, partly due to Pop Montreal. On September 23, see a show by Los Angeles-based performance duo Lucky Dragons, who mix synthesizer sounds, video projections and movement, some of it involving the audience, at the PHI Centre in Old Montreal, 5 p.m. Also on September 23, see dance performance Where the River Gets the Water Remix, with live music by Katie Moore and Matthew Woodley, at the Ukrainian Federation (5213 Hutchison), 4 p.m.. And on September 27, get lost in audiovisual performances from German producer-artist Byetone, co-found of electronic music label Raster-Noton, and French producer and video artist Nohista at the PHI Centre, 9 p.m.

(fresh air) The weather is still warm enough to spend a few hours outside this weekend. Take a walk around the Botanical Gardens and stay until the sun goes down to see the amazing lanterns at the Chinese and Japanese gardens. On September 22, from 10 am to noon, explore one of Montreal’s neighbourhoods by foot at Heritage Montreal’s family workshop on Little Burgundy. Down at the Old Port, check out the Clock Tower Beach, complete with food and full bar, before it closes for the season on September 23. And over at Parc Jean-Drapeau on September 23, daytime dance party Piknic Electronik parties in Pop Montreal style with Pierre Babin, EZLV, J.A.S.S. , PillowTalk and Catz N’ Dogz.

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(pop ‘til you drop) Pop Montreal, the little music fest that could, celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, proving that it may be all big-time now but it’s still fun and friendly. The fest, running September 19-23, bends the definition of pop to include rock, hip hop, folk, electronic and combinations of all of the above and more. On Wednesday alone see Stars (for free!), Laetitia Sadier, Antibalas, Knaan, Joseph Arthur, and on Thursday not only are there free outdoor shows at Parc de la Petite Italie  in Little Italy (St-Laurent at Ste-Zotique), but see Dirty Three, Gang Gang Dance, Katatonia, Grimes, Alaclair Ensemble, Deerhoof and many, many more play throughout the evening.

(fall fresh air) Five Tall Ships drop anchor at the Quays of the Old Port, September 13-16, open for tours and accompanied throughout the weekend by activities day and night, including music concerts, street performers, food, games, nautical-themed vendors, a Pirate’s Cabaret and fireworks every night! And see lanterns of every size, shape and colour light up during the evenings at the beautiful Montreal Botanical Gardens throughout the fall, with special events for families and for food lovers.

(fantasy land) Montreal’s Comiccon, happening September 14-16 at Palais des Congrès, isn’t only for fans of comic book heroes and graphic novel anti-heroes – no, Comiccon is a carefully curated pop culture interzone where fiction meets reality, where stars like William Shatner, Patrick Stewart (two Enterprise captains! I mean, actors who played Enterprise captains!) and Malcolm McDowell chat with fans, famed comic book creators talk about their work and even do some live drawing, and the Batmobile revs its engines.

(film forays) The 8th edition of the Montreal International Black Film Festival begins September 19 with an Homage to Harry Belafonte, winner of the festival’s Humanitarian Prize this year, and a screening of opening film Winnie, about the life of Winnie Mandela, directed by Darrell Rood and starring Jennifer Hudson. The festival continues until September 30 with films from around the world. Two more film phenomena happen this week: iF3, the International Free Ski Film Festival, to September 16 at the Monument National screens films on skiing, welcomes pro athletes to town, sets up an outdoor village next to the SAT and throws a few good parties; and the M60 film fest, September 13-15 at Excentris, screens a wide array of Montreal-made films that clock in at under 60 seconds – always a fun time!

(art action) The Ryoji Ikeda exhibition at DHC/Art is worth a visit any time, but on September 15, it’s extra special because the artist/musician himself will be in town and performing a live set of Test Pattern at the nearby PHI Centre – fans of minimalist electronic music won’t want to miss this. Also in Old Montreal, catch the artistic, political and emotional World Press Photo exhibition until September 30. And SBC Gallery of Contemporary Art presents Technical Temptations: The Films of Maria Lassnig, showcasing the work of the acclaimed Austrian artist. And venture over to the Parisian Laundry in the neighbourhood of St-Henri (also home to the Atwater Market) to see mind-warping paintings by Rick Leong and an interactive installation by Dean Baldwin.

(stage setting) L’Opéra de Montréal opens its 33rd season with Verdi’s La Traviata, September 15-22 at Place des Arts. Greek soprano Myrto Papatanasiu shares the stage with Italien tenor Roberto De Biasio and baritone Luca Grassi to play out a dramatic tale of love, honour and sacrifice. For more drama, see Theatre Teesri Duniya put on Governor General’s Award-winning playwright Kevin Loring’s Where the Blood Mixes, about the life-long effects of Aboriginal residential school experience – at Centre Culturel Calixa-Lavallée in Parc Lafontaine. In dance, the Quartiers Danses festival roams the city with the aim to make dance accessible to all – see Florence Figols in a “carte blanche” evening for Marie Brassard, at the Darling Foundry September 15-16, Spain’s Kukai and Montreal’s Atypique collection outdoors at the Quartier des Spectacles September 14-15 starting at noon, and more dance throughout the week.

(music delights) Hip hop happens September 14 at Olympia as part of the iF3 festival: get down with legendary Mix Master Mike, Rahzel and more. Meanwhile, over at the SAT, groove to Ladyhawke and Computer Magic – also at the SAT, starting September 18, see DJ Food’s immersive music-and-video experience The Search Engine. On September 15, listen to the sweet, weird, strange San Francisco sounds of Vetiver at Il Motore. On Sunday afternoon, dance to the beats of Oliver$, Electric Rescue, Astropolis tagteam, Sipherdee and more at Piknic Electronik. Sandro Perri knows how to captivate a crowd September 17 at Cabaret Mile-End. And on September 18, Peter Gabriel comes to the Bell Centre to remind us that it’s been 25 years since his album So – and it’s still good.

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(pop overload) It’s all just so much, really. As a fan of live music, I’m in my happy place during Pop Montreal – and since the fest takes over many venues, that happy place seems to be everywhere. Whether you’re into folk-pop, indie-metal or country-electro, check out at least one show at this music fest. There’s also a great film program, stellar art exhibitions, free afternoon BBQs and music at Notman House (51 Sherbrooke W.), a talk by Maus creator and comic book icon Art Spiegelman (September 24, 4 p.m., 1455 de Maisonneuve West), and more. Shoppers can check out Puces Pop, an art, craft, jewellery and fashion fair, September 24–25 at St-Michael Church and the Record Fair at the Ukrainian Federation (5213 Hutchison). Lest we forget the children, Kids Pop offers sing-alongs, yoga, a dress-up photo booth and art workshops on the afternoon of September 25, at the Chinese Presbyterian Church.

(artistic leanings) The stunning Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is only on until October 2 – it seriously deserves at least one viewing, and I know several people who’ve made repeat visits. The Museum also unveils on Monday a monumental public artwork by internationally renowned Montreal artist David Altmejd in front of the Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion of Quebec and Canadian Art (1339 Sherbrooke West). The wonderful city-wide photography festival Mois de la Photo as well as the World Press Photo exhibition continue until the end of the month, as does Workspace Unlimited’s immersive multi-media work RealTime UnReal at the Musée d’art Contemporain.

(it’s not all pop) Pop Montreal may be drawing crowds young and old and rock n’ roll will never die, but neither will jazz and classical music, if Montreal can help it anyway. Jazz legends Oliver Jones and Michel Donato along with The Doxas Brothers play the Segal Centre, September 25, and the Montreal Jazz Festival’s autumn show series at the Bistro Le Balmoral heats up every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 9 p.m. Meanwhile, the 13th Orgue et couleurs Fall Festival of classical organ music runs September 23 to October 2, with free lunch-time concerts and reasonably priced evening concerts at churches, music venues, cultural centres around town. And the Montreal Symphony Orchestra settles into its new Concert Hall with conductor Michel Plasson, cellist Gautier Capuçon and works by Ravel, Roussel, Gounod and more, September 29 to October 2.

(Indian rhythms) This Sunday’s La Bal du Dimanche Danse Indienne not only gives us a performance by dancer Deepali Lindblom along with 6 other dancers skilled in various forms of Indian dance, such as folkloric theatrical dance and the classical Karthak, but also a free class on Bollywood dance, open to everyone! September 25, 2 p.m. at Places des Arts’ Espace Culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme – free!

(far-east acrobatics) Montreal’s own circus centre, La Tohu, stretches the definition of circus once again with Chi of Shaolin: Tale of the Dragon, a high-energy, family-friendly show that blends martial arts, dance, sabre work, hand balancing, contortion, foot-juggling and Chinese diabolo to tell tell the story of a monk who takes a failed young thief under his wing. See the feats of studied technique, strength and pure entertainment as Chi of Shaolin’s Chinese acrobats push their own limits in a surprising show, at La Tohu, September 27 to October 6.

(fresh air) There’s still time to spend outside while the warm-ish weather lasts! Popular Sunday-afternoon electro-dance-party Piknic Electronik invites everyone out to Parc Jean Drapeau for the grand finale piknic of the year with French trio dOP and local favourites. Meanwhile, downtown on Ste-Catherine Street W., as part of In Town Without My Car, Cease Collective presents the vision of five artists who will create a 20′ x 8′ billboard using paper, glue, and scissors to be complete on September 22, at Square Phillips (Ste-Catherine at Union).

(high drama) Make a dramatic, thought-provoking night of it with Peter Shaffer’s play Equus – the performance, directed with creative panache by Domy Reiter-Soffer, left me, and the rest of the theatre, with plenty to ponder and talk about – at the Segal Centre, to October 2. Over at Places des Arts, the Opéra de Montréal goes grand and pulls out all the stops with Mozart’s classic Le nozze di Figaro, featuring soprano Nicole Cabell, to September 24.

(new dance) One of Montreal’s avant-garde dance institutions, Agora de la danse, produces two challenging shows this week: Jocelyne Montpetit’s butoh work Avril est le mois le plus cruel inspired by the poetry of T.S. Eliot, September 22–23, and Danse à 10, an unconventional approach to dance from young, hip, experimental dance troupe La 2e Porte à Gauche, known for performing in strange locales – eight choreographers take over a strip bar this time, Kingdom Gentleman’s Club of Montreal (1417 St-Laurent), September 25–27 and October 2–3, 7 p.m., $10. And on September 29, Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui returns to Montreal with Babel- 18 dancers and musicians representing elements of 13 countries and 7 religions, at Places des Arts.

(audio hackers) Montreal, ever the creative land, becomes a part of a relatively new phenomenon that blends music, technology and rebellion: Music Hack Day Montreal. Though it seems that musicians have been altering their instruments to get the sounds they want forever (hey, what are pedals for), new technologies in software and hardware have expanded the realm of music making exponentially in the last 50 years. Music Hack Day brings together programmers, musicians, designers and anyone with a bent for making music in any way shape or form – September 24–25 at Eastern Bloc (7240 Clark).

(film forum) The Montreal International Black Film Festival introduces a great variety of films from around the world that tackle everything from day-to-day existence to historical issues of slavery to racism in the suburbs of Paris. The opening film is French comedy Case Départ (Back to Square One), and closing the festival is Gabriel Range’s I Am Slave, based on the life of Mende Nazer. In between are over 125 more films as well as a September 24 conference on African-Americans in the film industry. The fest runs September 22 to October 2, at Cinéma Impérial, Cinéma ONF and Cinéma du Parc.

(music and more) While Pop Montreal would seem to be taking over the city’s music scene September 22–25, there’s still more music to be had. Like the full-on force of team Kanye West and Jay-Z – together the hip-hop royals make The Throne, at the Bell Centre, September 25. The music of Sigur Ros comes in film form in the North American Premiere of INNI, by amazing Montreal filmmaker Vincent Morisset – 75 minutes of footage from their last live shows at London’s Alexandra, playing September 27 at Le National (1220 Ste-Catherine E.), 8 p.m. Also that night, not only do indie-pop forerunners and always a good time, Mates of State play Il Motore (179 Jean Talon West), but Who-frontman Roger Daltry performs The Who at Place des Arts! And on September 29, long-time heavy new wavers Trans Am returns to play the entirety of their album Futureworld, at Il Motore.

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(pop ‘til you drop) Okay, so it doesn’t start until Wednesday, but the 10th-anniversary hype for Pop Montreal began sometime in the summer, right around the time Arcade Fire announced they were playing a free outdoor show on September 22 – so consider this a warning of the frenzy that’s about to happen in just a few days… Of course, like all good festivals in this city, Pop Montreal gives us a few previews, including some film screenings (including H2Oil and Blue Gold) on Tuesday, September 20–21 at Places de Festivals, 6–11 p.m., during In the City Without My Car week. The party begins in earnest on Wednesday, with all kinds of music, film and much, much more.

(high-class and high-art) The Marriage of Figaro kicks off the new season for Opera de Montreal with the music of Mozart and the romantic notions of the ages, September 17–24 at Places des Arts. The Montreal Symphony Orchestra continues to inaugurate its new concert hall with classics and more creative fare like pairing up with pop group Simple Plan for a benefit show on September 20. And Montreal’s dance scene begins to heat up already – and it only gets hotter as winter comes on: dancer-choreographer Jocelyne Montpetit delves deeply into butoh in at Agora de la danse to September 23, and Virginie Brunelle’s Complex des Genres feels out the commonalities between men and women, at Theatre La Chapelle to September 17.

(extreme winter sports) With summer barely over, the International Freeski Film Festival already wants us to get ready for winter sports season – the fest brings some of the greatest extreme freeski films and skiers to town, screening films at the Imperial Cinema (1432 Bleury) September 16–18 and outdoors on September 15 at Peace Park (on St-Laurent between Ste-Catherine and Rene-Levesque), and throwing parties all weekend. Friday night’s Reggae Party, hosted by freeski legend Tanner Hall brings reggae star Cali P. and others to Metropolis, while Saturday night’s Rocker Party with Sean Pettit goes off at Club Soda after the IF3 Palm Awards Gala at 9.30 p.m. at Imperial Cinema.

(equestrian thespians) The new theatre season opens in high-drama style with Peter Shaffer’s Equus, directed with nuance by Domy Reiter-Soffer, with some of Montreal’s best actors doing some of their best work, at the Segal Centre to October 2. Zeitgeist Theatre Collective sheds necessary light on women in Canadian prisons in Unfit for Bears, at Les Ateliers Jean-Brillant (3550 St-Jacques W.), to September 24. On a lighter note, Processed Theatre puts on comedy-musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, the tale of overachieving adolescent outsiders and their perfect-spelling dreams, at Mainline Theatre to September 24.

(art again) Montreal’s independent galleries are back in action this week, with vernissages (openings) for new shows all around town. Some of the shows are a part of Le Mois de la Photo, such as at Galerie Pangée (now in its new home in the Belgo building), showing new large-scale colour photographs by Normand Rajotte, at Dazibao, where photography by Hans-Peter Feldman and video by Saskia Holmkvist provokes the senses, and in work by Éliane Excoffier and Serge Clément at Galerie Simon Blais. New painting work by John Ancheta is unveiled September 15 at Battat Comtemporary and sculpture and drawings by Jean-Pierre Larocque comes to life at Galerie D’Este, while artist-run feminist centre La Centrale challenges perceptions with the work of painter Marie-Claude Bouthillier.

(good people, good causes) Dig in to some haute hamburgers made by some of Montreal’s best chefs at From the Street to the Stars, an evening of creative cuisine inspired by the humble burger and a fundraiser for Dans la Rue, a grassroots organization that works with street kids in Montreal, on September 21 at at the Montreal Science Centre. Hit the streets with thousands of others on Sunday morning at Place Emilie-Gamelin (at Berri-UQAM metro) for Ça Marche, Quebec’s biggest AIDS walk, with all funds raised going to community groups dedicated to research, awareness and prevention of AIDS and HIV.

(short short film) Short, sweet and very local, The Montreal 60 Second Film Festival screens the resultant films made by amateurs and professionals alike earlier this summer. This year’s theme is “chance” – a word and idea open to much interpretation. See what the filmmakers made of it in 69 films, each no longer than a minute, all playing at the Rialto Theatre (5723 Parc), September 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m., $8. And on September 18 at the Rialto, a film slightly longer than 60 seconds: The Wizard of Oz, screening at 8 p.m.

(fun and games) Montreal is as charming as it is creative, as funny as it is sexy – if you’re still in any doubt of that, check out the outrageous and fun Strip Spelling Bee – like strip poker, but with spelling instead of card-sharking – on September 17, 11 p.m. at Mainline Theatre (3997 St-Laurent). In that same group-participation vein, Sunday night’s Crowd Karaoke – like regular karaoke except everyone sings together in one big, joyous crowd – fills Montreal’s hottest hippest queerest Royal Phoenix Bar (5788 St-Laurent), 8 p.m.

(music moods) This Friday starts the weekend off on a Northern-Irish indie-rockers-note with Two Door Cinema Club at Club Soda (1225 St-Laurent). The weekend offers up some tough choices for live music lovers. Or at least for this music lover. On Saturday, The Olivia Tremor Control returns to the present day and plays Il Motore (179 Jean Talon W.), while Toro Y Moi chill at Cabaret du Mile End (5240 Parc). On Sunday afternoon, Piknic Electronik sets up its second-to-last dance party in the park for the season, and later Wilco and Nick Lowe play Metropolis in what’s sure to be a memorable show, and the great and powerful and loud Kyuss destroy L’Olympia. On Monday night, The Moody Blues count the days of future past at Theatre St-Denis (1594 St-Denis). And starting Wednesday, it would seem to be Pop Montreal everywhere, all the time for the next five days… Whoo!

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(fashion parade) Seems like there’s been a parade in Montreal every weekend for at least five weeks now… No joke! Who knew Montrealers loved dressing up and marching down streets so much? Well, I guess I did. This weekend’s Carnaval Arts Parade, this year known also as Pinkarnaval, kicks off the 29th edition of the Street Arts part of the Just For Laughs Festival.

The 1600-person-strong parade, inspired by the equal parts classy and outrageous French designer Jean Paul Gaultier and his current Montreal exhibition, The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, starts at 7:30 p.m. on July 16 at Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and makes its way to Place des Festivals. The next day, performers (dancers, choreographers, DJs) and non-performers (that might include you, especially if you’re ready to learn some new moves) dress in their striped best for the Striped Ball dance party at Place des Festivals at 9 p.m.

(acrobatic entertainment) Montréal Complètement Cirque is drawing crowds around town, turning frowns upside down on the young and not-so-young alike. Boundary-pushing Australian circus troupes Circa and Tom Tom Crew put their own twist on acrobatics, adding in elements cabaret and hip hop respectively. Co-director of Quebec-based circus Les 7 doigts de la main, Patrick Léonard puts on one of the most physically demanding one-man shows imaginable. And, of course, what would a circus festival in Montreal be without Cirque du Soleil? The imagination soars in nature-meets-culture extravaganza Totem. Catch free performances – and try the trapeze out yourself – with Cirque Carpe Diem at the Quays of the Old Port, every day from 2–8 p.m. Montréal Complètement Cirque runs July 7–24 at various locations. For tickets and showtimes, see the full schedule.

(rhythms of africa) Expect the unexpected at the 25th edition of Festival International Nuits d’Afrique – the term “world music” means so much more than it used to, especially when that music is coming from the world’s second most-populous continent. Hear traditional and folk music alongside rock, blues, jazz and the uncategorizable, at shows downtown in the Quartiers des Spectacles and at cool venues around town, to July 24. Also focusing on Africa, this weekend Théâtre De Verdure hosts African films under the stars at Parc La Fontaine: on July 15, the band Maloukai warms us up at 7, followed by a screening of Abdelkrim Bahloul’s Voyage à Alger at 9; on July 16, it’s Quebec multi-instrumentalist Atna Njock, followed by documentary Kinshasa Symphony; and on July 17, be charmed by Namori, preceding Boubakar Diallo’s film Julie et Roméo.

(taste of osheaga) At the end of this month, comes Osheaga, Montreal’s biggest outdoor concert – three days of music and more over at Parc Jean Drapeau, but to tide us over until then, Osheaga has are a few pre-show treats for us. This weekend, chill with musician, DJ and creator of immersive-art happenings, Kid Koala on his Space Headphone Tour, all set up nice and cosy at the awesome Biosphere, July 15–17, various showtimes. Also part of Osheaga Arts, check out Montreal’s always-thrilling rock n’ roll poster art at the Music on Paper exhibition at 4220 Drolet (corner Rachel) to July 20.

(film fest fantasies) It’s been 15 years, but Montreal’s Fantasia Film festival keeps getting weirder, wilder and creepier – and more popular (sold-out screenings are a regular occurance at this fest.) Fantasia brings together films from around the world that are anything but mainstream, no matter how big their budgets – see films at the fest before they open to a wider audience months later or films that will never make it back. This year’s biggie is Kevin Smith’s Red State, a comic-book-style action-horror film – the director will be here to introduce it too. Also making their premieres at Fantasia are Joe Cornish’s alien-invasion-in-London flick Attack the Block, Carl Tibbetts’ thriller Retreat starring Cillian Murphy and Thandie Newton, Mike Flanagan’s indie-horror Absentia, South Korea’s Ryoo Seung-wan introduces his The Unjust, Korean director Kim Jeong-hoon’s Petty Romance, a sex-and-violence take on the romantic comedy, Japanese director Shinji Imaoka’s fantasy Underwater Love, Takashi Miike’s Ninja Kids, and many, many, many more. All at Concordia University’s Hall Theatre and J. A. de Sève Cinema, July 14 to August 7.

(laughs, gags and chuckles) Just For Laughs is just warming up with the ever-popular, ever-totally-nasty The Nasty Show, hosted by Jeffrey Ross and featuring Anthony Jeselnik, Mike Ward and more – July 14–16 at Metropolis (59 Ste-Catherine E.). The Couscous Comedy Show, created and hosted by Uncle Fofi takes us on a tour of the new and hilarious multi-culturalism, July 13-18, at Esplanade de la Place des Arts. JFL kid sister, Zoofest always gives us what we want in comedy, but with a twist and don’t forget to try a tour off the beaten path with Local Montreal – tours start in English at 10:30 a.m. every day!

(outside entertainment) In the middle of the St-Laurence River, just across from downtown Montreal, is Parc Jean-Drapeau, a gorgeous park on Île Sainte-Hélène, easily accessible by public transit (the metro goes under water! This still somehow thrills me). During July, the park hosts Weekends du Monde – this weekend, catch mini-festivals highlighting the arts and culture of Haiti, Brazil, Mexico, Cuba and more, from 11 a.m. to midnight, June 16–17. Meanwhile, on Île Notre-Dame, a 15-minute walk away, the Vans Warped Tour shows that its still going strong as long as kids still skate and listen to California punk and metalcore – Less Than Jake, Against Me!, Planet Smashers, 3OH!3 and D.R.U.G.S. are among those causing sanctioned trouble on stage.

(hot sounds) The aforementioned Nuits d’Afrique, Vans Warped Tour and Kid Koala shows make up the majority of music to be found in Montreal this weekend – but, of course, there’s always more, whatever your tastes run to. On July 16, dance to the melodic techno beats and blorps of Mutek fave Arthur Oskan, at Le Belmont (4483 St-Laurent). On July 17, old-school British punk is back with The Vibrators, with The Genratorz and many more at Cafe Chaos (1635 St-Denis), California’s ska-meets-indie-rock-folk RX Bandits are with Maps & Atlases at Cafe Campus. And on Sunday, as always in the summer, Piknic Electronik, at Parc Jean-Drapeau’s Jardin des Floralies for the day – dance in the sun and breeze, make new friends, try not to fall in love too deeply with Montreal…

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The legendary (nay, the infamous) summer event that hardly needs an introduction, Piknic Electronik, goes down every Sunday from May 22 to September 25…

I’ve always felt that Sunday was missing something but I never knew what to do about it. It seems that the pioneers behind the music festival Piknic Electronik felt the same way and unlike me, they did something about it. Every Sunday until late September you can go to the beautiful Parc Jean Drapeau and see several electronic music shows a day. The party starts in the early afternoon and jams till’ sundown. If you’re a fan of electronica and a socially acceptable atmosphere for daytime drinking, then it’s time to pack your woven basket and your finest red and white checkered blanket because Piknic Electronik is the summer music festival for you.

Piknic Electronik has blossomed into its ninth year and with the help of over 100 artists, they’ve planned one serious party. This year they’ve booked musicians from far and wide, many of them will be gracing Montreal for the very first time like Julio Bashmore, Luke Abbott, Max Cooper and Maceo Plex. In addition to this, they’re “bowing down to their pioneers” by showcasing some of the innovators who spearheaded the electronic music genre like Ian Pooley, Terry Lee Brown Jr., Misstress Barbara, Fred Everything and Dubfire who will open the season.

You can also look forward to a special nod to Canadian artists with the Made in Canada showcase where Canadian artists are featured exclusively. Look to the Guru Stage for acts like Recife, Botnek and LOL Boys. To make this year a real Canadian love fest, Montreal labels will also be given their own label showcases with three days devoted to Canadian artists. Montreal has perfected the summer festival so it’s no surprise that nobody does leisure better than Montrealers. But, Piknic Electronik is an international sensation and who wouldn’t want to travel to Montreal in the summer to play a show? Look forward to artists from labels like Night Slugs, Hemlock, Traum, Border Community and Hotflush Recordings. There’s no reason not to conclude the weekend with a lazy Sunday basking in the sun and taking part in vibrant music scene that has put Montreal on the musical map.

This year there are no excuses. You can’t even blame your children for not going. Piknic Electronik is proud to be a family friendly affair so you’re actually encouraged to bring the kids and it’s free for children under 12. Show the little ones that you’re still “hip” and that you’re by no means a “jive turkey.” Even if they don’t like electronic music, they’ll have fun networking with other children in the newly renovated Family Space. This year there are more playgrounds, games and children oriented activities than ever before. There’s even mini golf, which I guess is just regular golf to small people but hours of fun nonetheless.

I’m pretty sure that future generations will commemorate the Piknik Electronik festival with a national holiday or day of worship. But Piknic Electronik is not just one day; it’s every Sunday from May 22 until September 25.

THE DETAILS

Piknic Electronik, May 22- September 25

Parc Jean Drapeau, 1 Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, (514) 872-6120

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Piknic Electronik is Montreal’s weekly outdoor dance party.

Each week under the cooling shade of Jean Drapeau’s finest trees, international DJs spin electronic music to the masses. The event exists to share traditional perceived “nightclub” music with those who prefer their luscious beats in the light of day. And after more than a decade of Sunday afternoon dance parties, Piknic Electronik is a certifiable Montreal institution. Some even consider it their new religion.

Here are some photos from the weekly event.

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French DJ team NÔZE finishes off their set.

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NÔZE proves to be a crowd favorite!

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Oh the green, green grass of Piknic.

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One of the core principals of Piknic Electronik is accessibility to electronic music. Just because you got a couple of rug-rats, doesn’t mean that you need to stop enjoying the rhythm. Piknic is kid friendly.

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Wait, am I allowed to play on this too?

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Get your free photo taken at the “Photomantonvu” booth!

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Always lots of happy people at Piknic.

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More happy people… victims of the romantic/electronic vibe.

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Piknic staff are on site to answer any questions and to pose for photographs.

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Bring your blanket, a lunch, a bottle of wine, some sun screen and your hippest sunglasses, and you’ve got yerself a killer afternoon.

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When you are ready, the dance floor is waiting for you.

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Zombie Disco Squad from England start mixin’.

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Nice, nice, very nice. This is an excellent example of piknic’ing.

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The registered trademark on “Myself” is a nice touch.

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The sun slowly sets on a stellar afternoon.

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DETAILS

Piknic Electronik
Sundays, 2PM – 9PM
Parc Jean-Drapeau
www.piknicelectronik.com
Consult with website for DJ programming and site location.

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