We’ve curated what we think is a pretty great list of our favourite videos featuring Montreal-  check them out…

THE MAN WHO LIVED ON HIS BIKE: This short film by Guillaume Blanchet is simple, cute, and jaw-dropping. Montreal is one of the most bike-friendly places in North America with dedicated paths, trails and a city-wide public bike renting system called Bixi, not to mention the upcoming Montreal Bike Fest.

SEB TOOTS MONTREAL SNOWBOARDING RUN: We’re all happy that the trees of Mount-Royal are now leafy green and we can picnic, bike, hike, and hang around the Tam-Tams, but we can still reminisce about the fun winter things like this awesome video of Montreal native Seb Toots snowboarding.

SHANGELA PERFORMS “TURN ME OUT” AT MONTREAL GAY PRIDE: Shangela is an up and coming drag culture icon. During Fierté Montréal Pride 2012 she seriously turned it out in one of the fiercest performances to ever take the stage. Skillfully filmed by Tourisme Montreal videographer Guillaume Langlois.

SAINT-LAURENT: This adorable little love story features the coolest people and places of Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Can you spot your favorite?

COME LIVE SOME MONTREAL MOMENTS: What is a #MTLmoment? It’s a moment that is crazy, spontaneous, fun, with great friends and full of laughter. Those times when you say “I gotta Instagram this” while soaking up some of that Montréal je-ne-sais-quoi. Check out some #MTLmoments , or tag your own on Instagram.

YOURS TRULY, MONTREAL: For a museum that is built upon really old stuff (the ruins of the first settlement of Montréal) the Pointe-a-Callieres museum has some pretty cutting-edge features. Created by Moment Factory, Yours Truly, Montreal is an immersive video projection directly on these beautiful archeological sites. It’s make history fun!

MONTREAL – TRIBUTE TO LIVE THE LANGUAGE: A gorgeous video that hits all the “raphys”: Geography, Cinematography, Typography. A tribute to Live the Language by Xuan Pham and Roman Koscianski.

LES BOULES ROSES: Claude Cormier’s “Les Boules Roses” in Montréal’s Gay Village have become an integral part of summer in the Gay Village. People flock to the terraces that pop up along Saint-Catherine when the pedestrian-only festival Aires Libres starts every May, and the pink balls cast a dreamy glow over each and every one. Fabulous!

FITZ & FOLLWELL.: Who doesn’t like a video with a cute puppy and trendy bikes? Fitz & Follwell is definitely the trendiest place to get a personally guided bike tour of Montréal. Oh, and the tour usually comes with some form of Montreal snack/beverage.

FIREWORKS IN MONTREAL: The amazing International Fireworks Competition that lights up the Montreal skyline twice a week from June 22 to August 3rd, 2013. This video is just a sneak peek of what you can expect from this year’s edition, but every year they manage to make it even more dazzling.

BONUS VIDEO:

I’LL FAIT BEAU DAS L’MÉTRO: This is the amazingly campy first advertising campaign for Montréal’s Metro that was released in 1976. Kudos to anyone who does a 2013 version, guerrilla style. Montréal’s Metro is the fastest way to get anywhere, and if you’re coming into the city for a trip they have great deals on weekend passes!

The post 10 Great Montreal videos appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Montreal taxis zoom around the city from sunup to sundown. How many landmarks can you spot? Check out the full video of the Montreal tour here.

Montreal is known for its world class circus. Home to Cirque du Soleil, the circus festival Complètement Cirque, and the National Circus School, we know a thing or two about acrobatics. Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco, their oldest major touring show, will be returning to the Bell Center, December 19- 30, 2012. Get your tickets here!

As part of the Montreal edition of Fashion’s Night Out, Philippe Dubuc had his collection march through Old Montreal led by two male models on horseback.

During the summer months, Montreal’s Gay Village turns into party central adorned with the beloved Boules Roses. Drink beer while people watching from a terrace during the day, then dance deep into the night.

A couple watch fireworks explode over the Jacques Cartier Bridge during Montreal’s International Fireworks Competition. Twice a week during the summer, hundreds of thousands of people line the waterfront and bridge to watch the spectacular 30 minute show.

During Taste MTL (Montreal’s Restaurant Week) Laurent Godbout, chef and owner of Chez L’Epicier (311 Rue Saint Paul Est) slices some crispy pork belly.

Blowing kisses to the camera during Montreal’s Gay Pride Parade 2012. Muah!

Light writing on Nuit Blanche during the Montreal en Lumiere festival. The 10th edition will take place on Saturday, March 2, 2013!

Gifs by Alexander Dunphy, original videos by Guillaume Langlois.

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“Yours Truly, Montreal is a multimedia show using striking and evocative images to present the city’s history. It takes viewers to the heart of the action as they watch Montreal grow and earn its international reputation, from the birth of the island to the 21st century.”

One of the best ways to obtain a solid understanding of any destination is to learn a bit of local history. Montreal, considering its mélange of English and French lineage, has a unique evolution which has positioned the city as unparalleled in North America for creativity, open-mindedness and French flair.

The latest show at Pointe-à-Callière (Montreal Museum of Archeology and History), Yours Truly, Montreal, is an impressive video installation that literally screens over 17th century archeological ruins. With a 270° surround screen, the images are a visual feast that transport the viewer from pre-colonization to modern-day-Montreal. In 18 easy minutes, you can get a grasp of how Montreal was born. This is perfect for our contemporary twitter-esque attention spans.

Last week I headed down to the museum to check out Yours Truly, Montreal, and to chat with Anne-Élisabeth Thibault (Project Manager) about why this particular film is so special to the museum.

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DETAILS

Pointe-à-Callière, Montreal Museum of Archeology and History
350 Place Royale (Corner of de la Commune)
Old Montreal, (Quebec) H2Y 3Y5
Metro: Place-d’Armes
www.pacmusee.qc.ca

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Where to Stay: For a bit of luxury mixed with history, try the St. James Hotel. In the basement you can get a massage at “Le Spa,” which is nestled in the former Merchants’ Bank vault, and dates back to 1870.

Where to Eat: Maison Pierre du Calvet is the oldest historical house open for the public Montreal. The restaurant, Les Filles du Roy, serves local cuisine echoing culinary trends of early French settlers.

What Else to Do: If you have a passion for history, you might want to check out the Centre d’histoire de Montreal, as well as the McCord Museum of Canadian History.

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The post A HISTORY LESSON IN 18 MINUTES: “YOURS TRULY, MONTREAL” appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Hot off the heels of a new album (Oh Little Fire) and last week’s exclusive iTunes Session EP, Sarah Harmer was in Montreal last week to rock out at Cabaret Juste Pour Rire. After her previous offering of folksie-bluegrass, “rocking out” has become a greater priority for the Ontario-based songstress. Her new album  is “a gust of rock more forceful than anything she’s played since her mid-‘90s days with rambunctious Kingston rockers Weeping Tile.”

But despite exchanging fiddles for electric guitars and a cooler, grittier soundscape, Harmer is still the introspective, lovelorn woman that Canadians have known to love and appreciate.

We caught up with her backstage to talk about the new album, her activism and what she’s growing in her garden.

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DETAILS

Sarah Harmer
www.sarahharmer.com
Twitter: @Sarah_Harmer

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The post A BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW WITH SARAH HARMER appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

This year marks the second edition of Montreal’s Stop Motion Film Festival, which takes place October 29-31 down at Concordia University, where the fest’s head honcho Erik Goulet is a professor. Stop-motion is the incredibly pain-staking animation technique where movement is created by photographing an object then moving it a ridiculously small amount then photographing it again, then repeating and repeating and repeating. This technique has been around since the early 20^th century and while advancements in technology may have brought those stupid Navi into our lives, there’s no replacing the totally unique aesthetic that stop-motion brings to the screen. Here are some things going on that you should try to check out…

OPENING NIGHT: The fest kicks off with a Master Class with the renowned Barry Purves, who will talk about his craft and screen some of his masterpieces, including the one above which is called Next and amazingly runs through the complete works of Shakespeare in just over five minutes.

October 29, 7:30 pm

LA FAMILLE SAC À PAPIER: Saturday afternoon is a perfect time to take the family down to check out the world premiere of this Montreal-produced tale of a wonderfully dysfunctional family (the best kind of families, in my opinion). And feel free to stick around and chat with the film’s director and production team after.

October 30, 4:00 pm

AT-AT day afternoon from Patrick Boivin on Vimeo.

PATRICK BOIVIN: Head down to Concordia the next day to get to know Patrick Boivin a bit better. Boivin is an internationally respected stop motion animator and director from Québec, who is as well known for his cult classic series Phylactère Cola as he is for his short videos have become viral video sensations (I’ve been obsessed with one above for a while without even catching that it was his. It might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen). Since Boivin is self-taught, this screening and Q&A session may very be the fest’s best.

October 31, 4:00 pm

STRAIGHT SCREENINGS: But maybe you want to just see some animation. In that case, consider stopping in at 1pm and 7:30pm on both Saturday and Sunday to see more than 60 films from over 15 countries

The post MONTREAL’S STOP MOTION FILM FESTIVAL (OCT 29 – 31) appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

West Coast rapper Snoop Dogg was in Montreal on August 1st to perform at the city’s most popular hipster-y music event of the year, Osheaga Festival. Here’s 4:15 minutes of awesome Snoop footage.

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Walking through Montreal’s Chinatown, you’ll hear French, English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Vietnamese. You’ll also be drooling like a little puppy over the smell of dumplings, fried shrimp, Peking Duck, Crispy Chicken and Lobster dishes. Not to mention, you’ll be tempted by the Gods of Shopping thanks to superb gift ideas including silky soft kimonos, lingerie, crafts, tea pots, china and much much more.

Take a look at the video and allow me to take you on a little tour. You’ll see… Montreal’s Chinatown is a very pleasant place to be and it clearly deserves putting aside an hour or two of your time in the city.

As mentioned in the clip above, Montreal’s Chinatown was once home to Montreal’s Jewish community, with thousands of Yiddish speaking immigrants settling in the area from 1890 to 1920. Chinese immigrants then moved to the area, mainly on De La Gauchetière Street (which is now pedestrian for your strolling amusement) and lower St-Laurent Boulevard.

It is bordered to the South by Viger Street (where you’ll find your nearest metro station – Place d’Armes) and to the North by René Lévesque Boulevard.

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Here are some of my personal recommendations

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[TEA AND GIFT IDEAS]

My Cup of Tea, 1057A St-Laurent

[DUMPLINGS]

Mai Xiang Yuan, 1084 St-Laurent

[VIETNAMESE SOUP]

Pho Bang New York, 1001 St-Laurent

[LATE-NIGHT CRAVINGS]

Restaurant Beijing,  92 De La Gauchetière West

[FRUITS AND VEGETABLES]

Épicerie Kien Xuong, 1076 St-Laurent

[CAKE, PASTRIES, BUBBLE TEA]

Patisserie La Légende, 50 De La Gauchetière West

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**Insider Tip : Not responsable for weight gain

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The post A FUN TOUR OF MONTREAL CHINATOWN appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Take a quick visit of the city that I so dearly love…

This video does an excellent job of capturing the Montréal that I know and love. From the Old Port to the Plateau to Park Mount Royal, we are whimsically transported to some of the most stunning areas of the city.

And the best thing is that Tourisme Montréal used organic, free-range fairies to help with the delicate camera work.

Or you can watch a higher quality version here: Montréal TV

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“Le Monstre” is a true landmark of the city of Montreal. Build 25 years ago, the famous roller coaster of La Ronde amusement park is not only the largest wooden roller coaster in Canada but also the tallest two-track wooden roller coaster in the world. Just last year, “Le Monstre” beat out Magic Mountain’s “X2″ to win the Six Flags Tournament of Thrills.

Such achievements certainly deserve highlighting, so to celebrate 25 years of screams and sensations,  I headed to Parc Jean-Drapeau with my girlfriend Marie-Anne for a perfect girlfriend getaway! Take a look!

LA RONDE

The post NORTH AMERICA’S MOST FAMOUS ROLLER COASTER CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY! appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Confetti blizzards, strobe lights, smoke machines, Goliath-sized hand lasers, multi-coloured balloons and a giant space bubble…all the signs announcing the 2010 Tour of the Flaming Lips were gathered at Metropolis last Wednesday.

Fresh off their latest album, Embryonic, released last fall, the Oklahoma band presented the hyper Montreal crowd with a very high-energy and festive show despite the death-related themes that prevail on the record.

But death doesn’t always have to be a negative thing. In fact, it serves as a great reminder to make the most of your time on Earth. “If you understand what death is, this will make living so much more believable and wonderful, and you’ll remember that you’re alive”, said lead singer Wayne Coyne.

Which is why when I was asked to wild out on stage with the Lips, I said YES. Looking at previous Flaming Lips videos, my initial thought was that I would be a mascot – something I was really excited about, since every single time I see a mascot I wonder who the hell is in it and how the hell they got there.

As I reached for my costume though, I realized it looked a lot more like an outer-space, eye-popping orange yoga outfit, so I had to put my mascot dreams on hold for the night…but came up with another great idea instead. During the middle of the show, I would run through the stage and throw myself into the crowd. Something I clearly had never done before, except that one time at Osheaga Festival when I lost one flip-flop and had to walk barefoot from Parc Jean-Drapeau all the way home.

I obviously asked Wayne for his permission beforehand and was absolutely not surprised to get his total support on my crowd-surfing adventures.

The Flaming Lips concert turned out to be one of the great, positive, liberating and uplifting shows I’ve seen in the city this year. Now I’m looking forward to 35 more concerts to see this summer in Montreal that will help us all keep our sense of freedom and magic alive.

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