(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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(hot wheels) World champion cyclists wend their way to Montreal this weekend for the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal , like a (very) mini Tour de France at and around Mont Royal Park on Sunday, September 9. The Grand Prix Cycliste sees 18 UCI ProTeams of 168 riders from across Europe, Canada, the USA, the UK and Australia, come to Montreal to race over 200 kilometres – 17 times up, down and around the 12.1 kilometre course. It all begins at 11 a.m. at Parc Jeanne-Mance, where spectators can see the teams check in, peruse hot cycling merchandise (not entirely a euphemism!), and watch top athletes do what they do best: race!

(world-wide photos) News of the world has never looked so stunning, in all senses of the word, as it does at the annual World Press Photo exhibition, installed at Montreal’s Marché Bonsecours September 7-30. The World Press Photo show gathers juried work by 54 international photographers whose images tell recent news stories in emotional, captivating ways, from the devastation of the Japanese tsunami to protests in Cairo, war zones to wild animals, fashion in Senegal to feminism in Ukraine, and much more.

(port performance) Montreal’s Old Port teems with art and performance this week as the annual public festival Escales Improbables unveils new and exciting works from Montreal artists. During the day September 7-9, see performances of public dance piece Trajets de ville, marionette show la Famille Sombre, urban bee hives and honey tasting, music by The Unsettlers, and much more, including the relaxing afternoon Siestes Musicales. And over at the Quartier des Spectacles see parkour-inspired dance work Intersection and Forêt, an installation by Montreal artist Phil Allard and architect Justin Duchesneau.

(dance city) Dance festival Quartiers Danses, September 12-23, opening its 10th year on September 12 with performances by Dominique Porte, Manuel Roque, Tentacle Tribe and more, at the Monument National, followed the next night my an Emerging Artist showcase. During the day on September 13, see the six acrobatic dancers and two musicians of Atypique-Le Collectif perform free at the Promenade des Artistes du Quartier des Spectacles (just north of Place des Arts in downtown Montreal), at noon and at 5 p.m. And Agora de la Danse opens its season with Cas Public’s new creation, Duels, choreographed by  Hélène Blackburn and Pierre Lecours, September 12-14.

(farm fresh fun) This weekend sees farms across Quebec opening their gates to the public for the annual Portes Ouvertes sur les Fermes du Québec, now in its 10th year. But you don’t have to leave the city to partake in the agricultural bounty: just hop on the metro or drive or bike over to Parc Jean-Drapeau, where a family-friendly rural-themed party goes on Sunday, September 9, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Farmers and other producers will set up an active agricultural village, complete with animals, a corn roast, farm machinery, fruit and vegetable stands, regional products, a photo exhibition, and plenty of activities for kids.

(early ski season) Ski and snowboard season starts a little early with iF3, the International Free Ski Film Festival, September 12-16 at the Monument National on St-Laurent Boulevard in downtown Montreal. See all manner of ski and outdoor-sport films , meet pro athletes, dance the night away at parties, and check out the iF3 Outdoor Village at at la Place de la Paix, next to the SAT, with a free outdoor film screening September 13, an après ski bar, ski gear and more. Later at the SAT, get down and dancey at the iF3 Alpine Initiative Fundraiser and Launch Party party with A-Rock, DJ Blaster, DJ Johnlee. Also this weekend at the SAT, see surround-sound film Six mil Antennas at the immersive Satosphere dome, to September 14.

(finding fashion) This fall’s Montreal Fashion Week comes to a close on September 7, at Griffontown’s Galerie Arsenal, where Quebec-based and internationally known designers show their high-style, cutting-edge wares, with Hinda A, Rachel Sin and Anomal Couture on Friday. What’s old is new again at Pop Montreal’s Vintage Pop, a pop-up shopping event happening until September 9 at 19 Prince-Arthur W., with a constantly overturning variety of vintage clothes and accessories for men and women, as selected by local vintage hunters – doors open at noon and cash and credit are accepted.

(art of music) The music week starts off on an arty tone with Jazz Amnesty Sound System and Mark Morgenstern exploring the vivid audio-visual world of jazz in a live show at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, September 7, 7 p.m. Also that night, see Sub Pop indie-rock stars Jaill, with Fergus & Geronimo and Reversing Falls, at Il Motore (179 Jean Talon W.), and sound artist/composer Kyle Bobby Dunn and guests at Casa del Popolo. Montreal fave Julie Doiron & The Wrong Guys bring sweet yet rockin’ tunes to Il Motore (179 Jean Talon W.) on September 8, while summer-long outdoor dance party Piknic Electronik celebrates its 10th year with a night show from DJs Sébastien Léger, Riva Starr and Forrest at Parc Jean-Drapeau, while on Sunday, the party goes on with Mosa, Eloi Brunelle and more.

Later on September 9, great musicians Matthew Shipp and Darius Jones play as a duo at La Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent). Amazing Nigeria guitarist and singer-songwriter Bombino, who has been called the Jimi Hendrix of Niger, plays Club Ballatou (4372 St-Laurent) on September 10. On September 11, the Sao Paulo Underground comes to Casa del Popolo and on September 12, Mount Eerie is at Sala Rossa, while popular millennial punk band Rise Against rolls into town with openers The Gaslight Anthem, at the Bell Centre. On September 13, Jacques Lacombe conducts the Montreal Symphony Orchestra with Berstein and Debussy tunes, while over at Le Belmont (4483 St-Laurent), British sensation Lianne La Havas sings her heart and soul out.

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Now in its 55th year, the annual World Press Photo show, put together by the World Press Photo organization, brings the best of the past year’s press photos together in one place, profiling the focused work of 54 photographers selected by an expert jury – this year the jury chose from among a whopping 5,247 photographers from 124 countries.

Education and artistry are on equal footing in the exhibition, each photo accompanied by written details about the story it tells, which often has a political angle. Winners are divided into 10 categories that reflect the diversity of stories in the media today. In the General News Singles category, Mubarak Steps Down by Alex Majoli took first prize with shots of Tharir Square in Cairo in February, while Rémi Ochlik’s Battle for Libya took first prize in General News Stories, and the Spot News first prize went to The Fury of the Tsunami by Koichiro Tezuka, whose photos show the devastation that hit the town of the town of Natori in Japan. On an even more personal level, Samuel Aranda’s photo of a man suffering from tear-gas exposure won the People in the News Singles award, and Yasuyoshi Chiba’s photos of Japan tsunami survivors gained him the People in the News Stories award. Other categories in this year’s exhibition span Daily Life, Sports, Portraits, Arts and Entertainment, Contemporary News and Nature, where photos span topics as various as Ukrainian feminist groups, Indigenous communities in Bolivia, Dakar Fashion Week, living with Alzheimer’s, the Ironman Championships, the purportedly largest cave on Earth, and more.

It’s also interesting to note that the World Press Photo Multimedia Contest is back for the second year in a row, with three juried winning productions and a special mention, showing an expansion of the definition of press photography. First prize went to Afrikaner Blood, by Ilvy Njiokiktjien (photography) and Elles van Gelder (videography and audio), a documentary that looks critically at a militant South African group that refuses to support a multicultural nation, while the other projects include Half-Lives: The Chernobyl Workers Now, America’s Dead Sea, and Punched Out: The Life and Death of a Hockey Enforcer.

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THE DETAILS

World Press Photo, September 7-30, 2012

Marché Bonsecours, 325 De La Commune East

Photo Credits: Tuna Fish in the Tonnara – Francesco Zizola, Earthquake in Japan – Lars Lindqvist, Battle for Libya – Rémi Ochlik, Dakar fashion week – Vincent Boisot

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