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Forget rain showers. April is the start of festival showers! Lots of festival arrive in the city starting the last few days of March and rolling well into summer.

Montreal Digital Spring

March 21 – June 21

Celebrating all of Montreal’s electro-talents, the Digital Spring unites different artistic venues and organizations and gives them recognition for their digital exhibits. Places to keep an eye on include the DHC/ART, the SAT, and the MAC. More info HERE.

McGill Drama Festival

March 30 – April 2, April 6 – April 9

Each night, three shows will be performed out of  a select six productions. The shows are written, produced, and directed by (McGill) students and have such enticing titles: The Death of Lana Del Ray (that’s not intended for a certain age group, ono), Give the Best, Stranger, Playdoh’s Symposium, The Stars, and Gunboat. Tickets are a merciful $6 for a night of shows, and $10 for a festival pass. Contact them for tickets at [email protected] or via the facebook group.

Director’s Projects

March 30 – April 9

Continuing to keep the McGill Theatre scene alive, 12 one-act plays will be performed at Moyse Hall Theatre. For more info, click HERE.

Salon Aventure et Plein Air / The Outdoor Adventure Show

April 2-3, Palais des Congres

With warmer weather, everyone is jonesing to get out of the city and into the great Canadian outdoors. Whether canoeing, birdwatching, rafting, hiking, camping, or taking on both larger and smaller adventures, you can meet your tribe at this show. Website HERE. $10.

SOLOS festival

April 6-9, Mainline Theatre

It’s better alone. The solos festival celebrates the solo performance with seven one-man performances. Some local performers will take the stage: Marc Rowland, James McGee, and Vance Gillis to name a few who you may have heard of. There are a few more. All information can be found on the website HERE.

Parents and Kids Fair

April 7 – 10, Place Bonaventure

Got kids? Well, this is fair has exhibitors and goods for sale intended for parents-to-be and those with little ones under the age of six. Exhibitors relate to daycare, education, recreation, and more. Details HERE.

International World Wide Web Conference

April 11-15

Did you know that the www. has a steering committee? This international annual conference tries to steer the future of the world wide web. Peter Norvig of Google, Mary Ellen Zurko of Cisco, Baroness Martha-Lane Fox of the Open University, and… best of all… Tim Berners Lee, the guy who invented the world wide web, will be in town. Wow. Info HERE.

Blue Metropolis

April 11- April 17

Montreal is a literate-loving city in more than two languages. With so many talented writers calling this place home and so many others with personal ties to the city, the annual Blue Metropolis festival is always a literary love-in. It’s super low-key while still drawing big names. Who will be here? Anne Carson, Thomas King, Ghayas Hachem, Kim Thuy, Joseph Boyden, Valeria Luiselli, Daniel Tammet, and so many more. Hotel 10. See bluemetropolis.org for more info.

HUMP! Festival Tour

April 15 and 16

At the Cinema du Parc, check out Dan Savage’s film festival of homemade dirty movies. It grew originally out of his It Gets Better project, to assure the young (and those who are in unhappy situations), that life goes on after whatever you’re facing now and it really does get better. The 22 films of this homegrown porn creative mess are making a pit stop here, representing everything under the sun. More info HERE.

420 Day

April 20 

City smokers gather en masse by the monument on Mt. Royal Parc for a massive hit of high. If you’re not smoking, watch out for the cloud because the haze is purple. Some of the many things you’ll see: slacklines, hula hoops, bongs, reggae, tams, djs, activists, hippies, dreadlocks, dmc embroidery floss bracelets, all the pot kitsch you could ever want. With Justin Trudeau and the Liberals in Ottawa, we’re that much closer to legal — but not yet. Until then, there’s safety in numbers.

Papier 16

April 22-24

The annual festival to promote artworks done on paper is always a great gathering for collectors, professionals, and creators. There are plenty of paper goods to collect on some of the nicest paper you will ever touch. Check this art festival and enjoy how a simple medium can be the basis of a myriad of works. Info HERE.

National Women’s Show

April 29-May 1, Palais des Congres

Hey Ladies! They give away free things. OK, but there are other reasons to go and they can range from solidarity to shopping or both. This show at Palais des Congres celebrates all things related to women, a term that has taken on more complicated meaning in a world waking up to the trans community. Given the subject headings, though, cosmetics, fashion, food, wellness, style, careers, and adventure are the focus. Check it out HERE.