Montréal feels lively and carefree this week as the sun shines on family-friendly outdoor sports event Jackalope, the Fashion & Design Festival, the St-Laurent street fair, pretty parks and open-air bars, all with music and food to keep us going.
Soak up summer
Skateboarding, motocross, fixed gear biking, bouldering and a massive watergun fight await at JACKALOPE at Olympic Park, Aug. 19-21– but the family-friendly festival (kids 10 years and under get in free! And there’s a babysitting service!) isn’t only about extreme sports: chill out in a hammock, do some yoga, listen to live music from High Klassified, The Posterz and more artists, and eat great food from food trucks – later on, go to official after parties in Mile End.
#bucketlist #7yearaniSlow down by swinging to the sound of musical art installation 21 Swings outside Place des Arts, or cruising along the Saint-Lawrence River on a laid-back brunch, afternoon or gourmet dinner cruise with Croisières AML. Or float above the city and countryside: hot air balloon and music festival International des Montgolfières Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu runs to Aug. 21 in nearby Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
Play time
Watch the final three days of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with fellow fans at Montréal’s best sports bars, from multi-screen, multi-floor pubs to quaint neighbourhood favourites. Shop, eat and play all kinds of games in the street during the St-Laurent Boulevard street sale event Aug. 20-21. Brazilian and tropical tunes, activities for kids and an evening screening of 1959 Palme d’Or winner Black Orpheus (re-popularized by Arcade Fire’s Reflektor album) make POP Montréal’s “A Day in Rio” Bike-In a Saturday afternoon party at Parc Jean-Brilliant.
The SOS Labyrinthe and sailing-ship-themed ropes course Voiles en Voiles keep everyone on their toes in the Old Port of Montréal. Test your chess skills on the giant chessboards on Ste-Catherine St. in the Quartier des Spectacles. For more family activities, check our guide to fun with kids this summer in Montréal, from playtime and storytelling at the Botanical Garden and Biodôme to Disney’s Ice Age on Ice at the Bell Centre starting Aug. 23.
Food and drink
The next best thing to being in Brazil for the Olympic Games? Feasting as if you were: indulge in Brazilian food and drink from “churrasco” grilled meats to refreshing cocktails and sweet treats right here in Montréal. Explore Montréal’s culinary diversity with refreshing dishes on Montréal’s favourite terrasses, locally made smoked meat sandwiches along with more flavours of the world from Tex-Mex burritos, Portuguese chicken and great Greek meals to spicy specialties from African and Caribbean restaurants – eat on site or get take-out for a picnic in the park (note: it’s legal to drink boozy beverages outdoors with that full meal!). Mini-restaurants pop up all around the city during Restaurant Day on Sunday, Aug. 21. And entertainment, food and drink abound at pop-up outdoor markets Jardins Gamelin, Village au Pied-du-Courant, Marché des Éclusiers in the Old Port and Les Jardineries at Olympic Park.
Fashion, art and film
Spectacular outdoor fashion shows, DJs, films, shopping and icy beverages make the Fashion & Design Festival a must, to Aug. 20. In the galleries, see mind-expanding art by Liz Magor, Lizzie Fitch and Ryan Trecartin at the Musée d’art contemporain; the amazing Pompeii exhibition at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, ELEGANZA – Italian Fashion from 1945 to Today at the McCord Museum, and multi-media artist Joan Jonas at DHC-ART.
Feast your eyes on film too: International animation festival Animaze continues to Aug. 21 with films and activities for kids and adults alike, including free outdoor screenings; the Cinémathèque québécoise hosts 1960s-inspired experimental exhibition Le corps exquis alongside the History of Erotica film fest; and the Phi Centre screens virtual reality films in Embodied Narrative: Sensory Stories of the Digital Age. And the Montréal World Film Festival begins Aug. 25 with an array of new features and shorts.
Live music
Friday night welcomes the eclectic electro of Xeno & Oaklander to La Sala Rossa, while alt-electro band Doomsquad along with Co/ntry and Petra Glynt get good n’ weird at Casa Del Popolo, and NYC multi-instrumentalist and house producer Gryffin rules the dance floor at New City Gas. Or tap your toes to country tunes and learn to line dance at the Montréal Country Festival at the Old Port’s Clock Tower, Aug. 19-21. On Saturday it’s the stadium-ready punk-pop of Blink-182 at the Bell Centre, Massachusetts punks California X with Laika’s Orbit and Nobro at Bar le Ritz P.D.B., Chicago house producer DJ Heather at Newspeak, and EDM producer SNBRN at New City Gas.
On Sunday afternoon, the infamous Piknic Electronik outdoor party at Parc Jean-Drapeau hosts Dutch label Rush Hour founder Antal and more DJs – and dance again on Thursday evening at Piknic Électronik at Jardins Gamelin, free with DJs Gold Diggerz and Body Meta. Aug. 23 heralds in the Prophets of Rage – members of Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy and Cypress Hill – at the Bell Centre. And on Thursday night, feel the heat at Virgin Radio’s Summer Jam with Classified, Karl Wolf and more at Théâtre Corona, or get heavy with Constellation artists Avec le soleil sortant de sa bouche at La Sala Rossa.
Up next: Le Montréal de… MissMe, Zek One et Dodo ose, artistes de rue
The post Things to do in Montréal August 19 to 25 appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.