Archeologists have deduced that snowshoeing dates back thousands of years where it was an essential part of survival. Luckily here in Canada, snowshoeing was modernized in Quebec during the late 19th century where races would be held with food and drink. Now that’s my kind of winter sport. If you’re more of the DIY type person, you can rent snowshoes at several parks around Montréal for under $10 an hour: Mont-Royal, Cap-Saint-Jacques, Bois de l’Ile-Bizard, and Parc Jean-Drapeau.

If you’re one that would rather be guided through this activity on a fun and informative tour then reserve today at Fitz & Follwell! They’ll not only take you snowshoeing around Mont-Royal, but ice skating on Beaver Lake and up to the Mont-Royal lookout for a spectacular view of the city. The tours run 7 days a week and leave at 10 am from Fitz & Follwell.

They also have a “Winter in the Park” tour that tours you around the tiny streets of the Plateau and then ice skating in Parc La Fountaine. Don’t have the right winter gear? Don’t worry because Fitz has you covered. Rent everything from Parkas, Snowpants, boots, showshoes and even wooden sleds!

You should also consider making the trek to Parc Jean-Drapeau for Eco Récréo. You get a 90 minute tour of the park, heading to the Tour de Lévis in the heart of the island. Eco Récréo also offers the ultimate snow tour: Dog sled. Yes, you get to mush for 30 minutes. I have done this, and I can promise you’ll feel just like Balto zooming through the snow bringing medicine to the sick children.

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The Festival of our cheeses at Complexe Desjardins: The Festival of Quebec Cheeses is held every year during Montréal en lumière. This year was the 7th edition of the festival and it brought together several Quebec producers with a selection of over 60 cheeses! Being a big cheese lover, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to meet some of the best cheese artisans in the province and taste some of their award-winning products. It was also a great opportunity to make new discoveries and to stock up on quite a big heap of cheeses.

Dinner at La Fabrique: La Fabrique didn’t have a guest chef this year. Instead, resident chef Jean-Baptiste Marchand created a 4-course “gaucho” menu inspired by the Argentinian theme of Montréal en lumière and highlighting the local flavours of this year’s guest city of Buenos Aires. I enjoyed every dish that night but the traditional Andean potato and corn locro soup with chorizo and porc was one of the happiest discoveries I made and one I look forward to tasting again in the future.

Lunch at La Khaïma: “Khaïma” means tent in Arabic and entering this small North African restaurant feels like entering a Bedouin tent. This Fairmount street spot was one of the 6 restaurants taking part in the “Lunching around the world” portion of Montréal en lumière.  It was fun to let the spicy Mauritanian lentil soup and preserved lemon and chicken tajine transport me to the warmth of the Western Sahara desert on a slushy and cold Thursday in Montreal.

Convivial dinner at Marché Bonsecours: There’s no better way to discover a country’s culinary culture than through its popular cuisine. This event was the perfect opportunity to do just that with chef Dario Gualtieri and his 3-course menu of traditional dishes. The dinner was accompanied by a few dancing couples sashaying up and down the aisles of the huge room to the rhythm of tango music.

Hot chocolate at Montreal Museum of Fine Arts: How could I miss out on the opportunity to close the festival on such a deliciously artful note? Wandering the halls of a world-class museum in the middle of the night is absolutely wonderful. Even more wonderful is stopping by the Cacao Barry lounge to enjoy a rich cup of hot chocolate cooked up by Marius & Fanny and made with Single Plantation Chocolate Alto el Sol from Peru, in keeping with the Peruvian theme of the night. One of the most fun events for me this year was definitely taking part of this Nuit Blanche event at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and meeting some great culinary, pastry, visual arts and musical artists.

The post A MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE CULINARY RECAP appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Eatdrinkbcarrie posted this photo of people in a canoe on an icy Montreal morning. That looks… Uh… Fun?

Kris_debon went for an early morning snowshoe on Park Mont-Royal!

Jfsavaria took a trip to the Snow Village in Parc Jean-Drapeau and snapped this pic of a King Kong snow sculpture. Hashtag awesome.

Edmas11 snaps this pic during Montréal en Lumière and captions “La joie d’habiter à Montréal!” Agreed!

Habdelraouf take a pic of the snow from above. Grab your kids, grab your wife, and grab your husband because we’re going to go do some winter sports.

Atamone uploaded this eerie pic of Atwater in the early morning with a slightly premature #spring.

Ammaroriginals instagrams a 3AM poutine at La Banquise. Nothing melts snow like warm cheese curds.

Jiovannyr saves some memories of the cool light-up slide at Place des Arts during Montréal en Lumière.

Ipou takes a lovely pic that stretches all the way to the Jacques-Cartier Bridge above all the snowy rooftops.

Evablue (who takes lots of lovely pics for Tourisme Montreal) managed to catch the rare and elusive Hotel de Ville on camera. Amazing!

From the visit_montreal instagram account: Death-defying winter machine tricks in front of the Olympic Stadium during the festival hivernal de sport d’action!

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(play outdoors) No matter what the weather, the first weekend in March in Montreal is made for staying social outside: the 14th Montréal en Lumière is a festival of free outdoor activities for all ages – including an ice slide and ferris wheel! – food, music, theatre and dance shows, and other entertainment, including Nuit Blanche, a whole night of free activities around town on March 2. Since there’s still some snow and ice in March, it’s also perfect for  snowshoeing on Mont Royal, ice skating and ice fishing at the Old Port, slipping and sliding around the Olympic Park Winter Village, and digging in to the environment at Parc Jean-Drapeau where the Biosphere’s special spring break activities keep kids enthralled.

There’s also the option of sitting back and watching the on-ice action at the Bell Centre: Montreal Canadiens hockey season continues, the team’s history unfolds at the Montréal Canadiens Hall of Fame, and Disney’s Rockin’ Ever After takes centre ice on March 6-10 (in English March 7 and 10).

(art activities) Explore the country of Peru at Montreal Museum of Fine Arts with activities and guided tours for families – the museum’s newest in-depth special exhibition, Peru: Kingdoms of the Sun and Moon, delves into the landscape, culture, art and history of the colourful, fascinating country. Figure out the science behind the art of music at the Montreal Science Centre’s interactive Musik: From Sound to Emotion exhibition, on only until March 10 and coupled with even more music-oriented activities for spring break, like a school of rock n’ roll, music therapy, and over a hundred instruments there for the playing. And sit back, relax and follow the journey of the monarch butterfly in 3D IMAX film Flight of the Butterflies.

(sweetness & light) The natural world is in the spotlight at Montreal’s Space for Life, an activity-rich site encompassing the Botanical Gardens, Biodome and Insectarium. Quebec’s sugaring-off season is in fine form until March 31 at the Botanical Gardens: learn about maple trees and the harvest while getting a taste of real maple syrup and taffy. The light of summer comes in on wings at the Butterflies Go Free exhibition, featuring 2000 live butterflies and moths from around the world, until the end of April. And go behind the scenes at the Biodôme, March 2-10, discovering what makes five different ecosystems and the creatures that live in them healthy and sustainable – roam among 4,500 animals and 500 plant species with the experts right there to answer as many questions as kids can come up with.

(circus & theatre) Be awed and entertained at the 34th Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain, an eye-popping buffet of amazing circus acts in an internationally touring circus show featuring acrobats, trapeze artists, jugglers, clowns, contortionists and more from around the world, to March 3 at La Tohu. Keep young eyes and ears captivated by the on-stage drama and storytelling at Centaur Theatre’s children’s series: on March 16, see Panadream Theatre’s high-class puppet show Chris’ Crazy Cabaret, and on March 23, see spring in with Little Rabbit and His Friends.

And hear a symphony like no other at Pointe-à-Callière’s Port Symphonies, which challenges a composer to use a variety of ship horns, train whistles and percussion found in the harbour of the Old Port – March 3 and March 10 at 1:30 p.m. And stay to visit the Pointe-à-Callière history museum, March 2-10, for a variety of multi-media and hands-on spring break activities focused on the history and archaeology of Montreal. Also at La Tohu, see family-friendly circus show Mi Otro Yo, March 5-10 at 2 p.m., and learn a few circus tricks with free workshops and outdoor activities, March 2-8.

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City of Lights, City That Never Sleeps… what are you when you’re both? You’re Montreal during the annual Nuit Blanche and Art Souterrain, that’s what – the arty party night to end all party nights in the city that parties all the time…

Don’t expect to get any rest if you’re in Montreal on March 2, because the night will come alive as the city revels all the way to the next day. As the grand finale of the 10-day long Montreal En Lumière festival, Nuit Blanche Montreal lights the city on fire through the night with, among other things, more art than you can shake a stick at. In addition to the museums and galleries in the Quartier des Spectacles that stay open all night and generally put on a fiesta (drinks and snacks, performances and spontaneous dance parties are all regular occurrences), there are events happening all over town, from Old Montreal to the Plateau to Mile End and the Olympic Park.

How about you start your night out with a tour on the giant Ferris Wheel in the heart of the main site downtown? If you want to stay in that area, may we suggest the cooking class at the MMFA, followed by the philosophical dance party at the Grande Bibliothèque (‘cause we all know no one could cut a rug like Goethe) and a few more hours shaking your moneymaker at Karnival, a huge fiesta hosted by Poirier at Club Soda.

If you’re wandering down to Old Montreal, get your sing on at PHI Centre or your swim on at the Hilton Montreal Bonaventure before taking in a gumboot show at City Hall. Plateau/Mile End bound? Make sure you stop in at Nouveau Palais for a flick or two, Monastiraki for the famous collage party and Mainline Theatre to witness a theatrical extravaganza. If the Olympic Park calls to you, you’ll get a sneak peek at the brand new, as-yet-unopened Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium, plus you can skate on a superhero-themed ice rink.

Nuit Blanche also marks the launch of an art trail through the underground city: Art Souterrain, which runs from March 2 to 17. During one of the coldest months in the city, culture vultures can take refuge in the toasty underground network of malls and metro stations and be thoroughly entertained all the while, thanks to 7 kilometers of in situ exhibitions, installations and performances by over 120 artists. The word “smorgasbord” comes to mind! Here are five must-sees on the trail.

1) Start at the centre of it all, at the Place des Arts, in Zone 1, with the kid-friendly work of Montreal artist TAVA, who harkens back to an old school comic aesthetic to create an imaginary world with his installation La Voie Lactée (the Milky Way). Kids can use it as a maze!

2) Get brainy thanks to Le Pendule (the Pendulum), a performance/video/installation work by Barcelona artist Julia Mariscal, at Complexe Desjardins, in Zone 2. Barcelona is this year’s guest city, and there are many works by compadres throughout this zone. This one represents a whole environment, with sound accompanying a projection onto sleek metallic spheres that recall planets.

3) Get a taste of home with Mémoire en cours (Memories in the making), an installation by Yu-hang Huang composed of dozens and dozens of little white houses suspended at head-height. Dive neck deep into these symbols of memory-making at Palais des Congrès, in Zone 4.

4) Montreal artists Paul Litherland looks into the contrast of work and home with his photographic project Postes de travail familial (Family work stations), exhibited at the Tour de la Bourse, in Zone 6. Featuring portraits of particular homes, the project will continue to develop over the years to track our growing computerization.

5) Pazzazz, by renowned Montreal artist Dominique Pétrin who was in the last Quebec Art Triennial, is an eye-catching fresque whose style the artist describes as “Greco-Roman mixed with a 1970s dance hall vibe.” See what that means at the CDP Capital Centre, in Zone 7.

Prepare for your Art Souterrain tour by using the free iPhone app and downloading the audio guide here.

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Nuit Blanche, March 2, 2013

Art Souterrain, March 2 to 17, 2013

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(ice action) Check out the extreme activity at the all-new Barbegazi Winter Action Sports Festival, a weekend-long event at Montreal’s Olympic Park showcasing experts in snowboard, freeski, snowskate and freestyle sled (aerial tricks on a snowmobile!). A little less extreme, but still very wintery and oh-so-Canadian, is the Ice Fishing Village set up with all the rugged amenities down at the Old Port– get a taste of the country (yes, you can keep and eat the fish!) in the middle of the city. The Old Port’s skating rink beckons the active among us, while the Snow Village entices with a bit more luxury. And, of course, you could also catch the Habs in hockey action.

(winter city lights) Take the chill off winter with music, entertainment, traditional and gourmet food, and outdoor activities – including a ferris wheel, giant ice slide and live music in the heart of downtown – at the 14th Montréal en Lumière festival, starting Thursday, February 21. The fest opens with La Pista Tango, a tango-meets-circus show with live orchestra on stage at Place des Arts’  Theatre Maisonneuve. Also explore new cuisines at special lunch events, happy hours and dinner spreads, and see the art of famed singer Tonny Bennett, French music star -M-, theatre-dance show The Humanity Project, charming music duo Luc De Larochellière and Andrea Lindsay, and more.

 (world-wide circus) Montreal lives up to its reputation as a circus capital with the 34th Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain, a Paris-based competition and best-of tour featuring some of the top circus acts in the world. See acrobats, trapeze artists, jugglers, clowns, contortionists and more family-friendly entertainment February 19 to March 2 at Montreal’s professional and educational circus centre Tohu.

(theatre & dance) J.M. Coetzee’s Nobel Prize-winning book questioning how we measure civilized behaviour is writ large on stage in Waiting for the Barbarians, based on the, at the Segal Centre, to February 17. Centaur Theatre delves into the true story of murder in 1950s rural Ontario in Innocence Lost, to February 24. Huge, colourful, theatrical Indian dance show Bharati – The Wonder that is India wows to February 17 at Place des Arts. Learn a few moves yourself at the Bal Du Dimanche Samba Brésilienne on February 17, 2 p.m. at Place des Arts. As part of Montreal Black History Month, activist-writer Aphra Behn’s play Oroonoko is at the MAI to February 17 – and American Black civil rights activist Angela Davis takes the stage for a discussion at L’Astral on February 18.

(hot live music) Friday night is right with the electro-indie-pop of Passion Pit, with high-energy opening act Matt & Kim at Metropolis, or sit back and let the romantic vibes of Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band wash over you at Cabaret Mile End, or check out the very talented and charming Katie Moore and Aroara at Casa del Popolo. Also on February 15, the Imani Gospel Choir sings songs inspired by civil rights movements in the USA, part of Montreal Black History Month. On February 16, California-based producer-songwriter Toro Y Moi shares his unique musical style at Club Soda and legendary Detroit DJ Dez spins at the PHI Centre. Latin-Grammy-award nominated soulful singer Prince Royce rolls into Metropolis on February 17. California pop band Maroon5 bring their disturbingly catchy tunes to the Bell Centre on February 20. The Montreal New Music International Festival opens February 21 with the Ensemble de la SMCQ paying homage to Claude Vivier, and runs until March 3. And February 21 also brings the fine and dandy Indigo Girls to the Corona Theatre and hip and inventive Slim Twig and U.S Girls to Casa del Popolo.

The post THINGS TO DO IN MONTREAL: FEBRUARY 15-21 appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Molecular cuisine at Pullman: Chef Alejandro Digillo of La Vinería de Gualterio Bolívar in Buenos Aires has worked with the godfather of cutting-edge contemporary cuisine Ferran Adria. Chef Digillo has received several honours for his trendy yet unpretentious local and seasonal cuisine that focuses on applying new techniques in the kitchen. Expect some showmanship and a little bit of the theatrical when he takes over the Pullman kitchen during this year’s fest. February 26-27, 2013, Pullman, 3424 Parc, (514) 288-7779

Lunch around the world: What better way to spend your lunch hour then to travel around the world in search of exotic flavours? From February 25 to March 1, take your taste buds – and your coworkers – on a whirlwind culinary trip. All 6 of these restaurants will be offering 3-course lunch menus for $14.95. Any of these spots would be wonderful but my personal favourites are Byblos and Rumi. February 25 to March 1, 2013, Various locations

Festival of Quebec cheeses: This free activity is a must for all cheese lovers. It’s a great opportunity to discover more than 60 Quebec-made cheeses and meet some of the cheesemakers who will all be gathered at Complexe Desjardins for a 4-day cheese extravaganza. Quebec cheeses have come a long way in the past 20 years and they now rival some of the best imported cheeses. Go on the hunt for your new favourite cheese, learn how to distinguish regional qualities and discover everything you always wanted to know about the intricate process of cheese making from the masters themselves. February 20-23, 2013, Complexe Desjardins, 150 Sainte-Catherine West, (514) 281-1870

Sweet Sucre at Auberge Saint-Gabriel: Sucre is one of the hottest restaurants in Buenos Aires right now and we are lucky to have its chef Hugo Macchia at Montreal en lumière this year. Chef Macchia has worked in some of the world’s best kitchens, including 3-Michelin starred Mugaritz in Spain. He will be a guest chef at Auberge Saint Gabriel where he should be in his element thanks to the similarities between his native and adoptive restaurants, mainly the large cellar and roaster set in a welcoming, hip ambiance. February 21-22, 2013, Auberge Le Saint-Gabriel, 426 Saint-Gabriel, (514) 878-3561

Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean at the Jean-Talon Market: The Jean-Talon market mezzanine will play host to a makeshift bazaar that will welcome 12 producers and food processors from the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region. Discover these welcoming producers, exchange recipes and ideas and discuss their unique products, from dairy products and meats to spices, preserves, jams and regional specialties. February 23-24, 2013, Jean-Talon Market (Mezzanine level, 2^nd floor), 7070 Henri-Julien, (514) 277-1588

The post TOP 5 MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE FOODIE PICKS appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

It will come as no surprise that a festival named after a Swiss-mountain-dwelling gnome who uses his giant feet as skis and takes pride in his frozen beard would favour extreme sports done in extreme temperatures. Barbegazi takes over the esplanade at Montreal’s sprawling Olympic Park February 15-16, generally trying to outdo the mammoth architecture of the Olympic Stadium with dangerous – yet super entertaining – snowboard, freeski, snowskate, snowmobile (“freestyle sled”) and lumberjack competitions.

Watch the action unfold from the safe distance of the sidelines as experts and amateurs take to the Park’s snowy grounds starting at 5 p.m. on Friday, February 15, with snowboard, freeski and snowskate free practice sessions, along with death-defying aerial snowmobiling demos, all to the tune of DJ A-Rock. Saturday’s activities start at noon with more free practice, finals, best-trick sessions and lumberjack competitions, with music provided by DJs Cantin, Ros-B and Funkyfalz, culminating in awards ceremonies for all sports.

On hand to talk about why and how they do what they do are some of the sports’ top athletes, who will sign autographs, answer questions and maybe even give wannabe winter athletes tips on safety and awesomeness. At the end of each day, music and parties are there to chill everyone out: the festival’s kickoff party happens on February 14 at Mr. Smith (4061 Ontario E.), on February 15 at 9:30 p.m. France’s The Trickaz play a live set at the Olympic Park followed by an afterparty at Rose Phillips, (5800 De La Roche), and Saturday night’s Griffon After-Ski Party is sure to be the relaxing breather everyone needs after a weekend of extremes.

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Barbegazi Winter Action Sports Festival, February 15-16, 2012

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“Oh, definitely,” enthuses Natalie Émond, vice-president of marketing for Pêche Blanche Ice Fishing Village. “Weekends are quite busy, and we recommend that people make reservations in advance. On a busy weekend day we might have as many as 400 people here.”

It’s a simple matter of location, location, location. Which in this case is the Clock Tower Basin in the historic Old Port, a ten-minute walk from Old Montreal’s Champ de Mars metro station. The proximity is not lost on Pêche Blanche’s rapidly expanding patronage.

“We see real fishermen, the ones who come at 7:30 a.m. and stay all day, but they’re not the norm,” says Émond. “It’s mostly families and tourists, people who would normally take their car and drive an hour and a half in order to go ice fishing.”

“People are mostly fishing perch and walleye, and we had a pike come out last Saturday, which was the first of the season. And a lot of burbot as well.” Er, burbot? “It’s not a very nice looking fish, but apparently it’s very good.”

But can you eat ’em? The answer is yes. And no. While there are several species of fish that are only catch and release – sturgeon, muskellunge and catfish primarily – there are numerous others, including perch, walleye, pike and the aforementioned inglorious burbot, that are yours for the keeping. And to answer the bigger question, yes, they are safe to eat.

“The fish are definitely edible,” says Émond. “[Journalists from] La Presse came and caught a few fish and brought them back to the Université de Montréal to have them analyzed and the mercury in the fish was way, way under the government norms for edibility.”

The Ice Fishing Village is open every day until 8 pm, Sunday to Wednesday, and until 11 pm Thursday to Saturday. And for the nervous among us, have no fear. “The ice is 23-inches thick at the thinnest,” reassures Émond. So no need to worry about taking an impromptu winter swim in the boat basin? “Absolutely not!”

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Pêche Blanche Ice Fishing Village, Clock Tower Quay, (514) 284-3456

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Musically, Montréal en Lumière spans genres and the globe, from classic American rock band The Zombies (yes!) to crowd favourite Diana Krall to a whole series of shows inspired by this year’s guest city, Buenos Aires, Argentina, including tango grandmaster Daniel Piazzolla and his sextet Escalandrum and award-winning tango dancers and musicians at the La Pista Tango show at Place des Arts.

Acclaimed pianist Alain Lefèvre returns to Montreal to play his own compositions, soprano Marie-Josée Lord sings a selection of Spanish, Latin and Portuguese songs, blues, folk and gospel is in store with Eric Bibb and Habib Koité, and on February 22, it’s time to party with Montreal ska-funk band The Planet Smashers. Meanwhile, on the more eclectic rock-folk end of things, there’s Pierre Lapointe, -M-, Karim Ouellet, Colin Moore, Thus: Owls, and more, as well as classical, jazz and gospel shows lighting up evenings throughout the festival.

For drama, intrigue and wonder look to Montréal en Lumière’s theatre, dance and circus shows: Trad follows the story of an Irish centenarian and his father as they traverse the Irish countryside in search of their remaining family; The Humanity Project’s 50-person-strong Pigeons International poetically blends theatre and dance; multimedia performance-installation The Speaking Tent tells stories of urban life and traditional ways.

Agora de la Danse joins in with new contemporary dance performances from Harold Rhéaume and José Navas; the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain flies high with some of the best acrobats and circus artists in the world; Magnitude6, full_range blows electronic-music-loving minds with arrangements by Brandt Brauer Frick; and a series of old-school cabaret dinner-and-dancing shows unwinds at Le Balcon.

Along with all that music and on-stage spectacle is plenty of free entertainment. The festival’s family-friendly outdoor site at Quartiers des Spectacles around Place des Arts will feature a disco-inspired ice slide (totally worth the wait in line), interactive projections on the area’s buildings, music,  and much more. All this activity culminates in Nuit Blanche on March 2, a thousands-strong public event that spans the city’s galleries, theatres, underground corridors and outdoor stages – and goes on late, late into the night.

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Montréal en Lumière, February 21 to March 3, 2013

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