What to Do in Montreal in January 2017: Festivals and Events

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Village Mammouth

December 9 – March 12 2017
Olympic Park (4141 Avenue Pierre-de Coubertin)
free access to site; some activities are extra

While it’s been too warm to function as a proper winter site so far, Montreal’s Olympic Stadium again opens up its winter village from Thursday to Sundays. There is an 18 meter long slide, a hockey/ice-skating rink, and a variety of other activities. DJs are on hand to keep the beat alive and there is also a cocktail bar open after 4 p.m. See HERE for more info.

Le Happening Gourmand

January 5 – February 5
If trying new and old restaurants is on your bucket list, you might want to take advantage of Le Happening Gourmand, a mini-restaurant week happening in Old Montreal. Eight of the city’s best restaurants are offering lunch and dinner menus at costs of $22, $25, and $29. After eating, you can get a discount ticket to Igloofest and dance off the extra dessert. A few of the participating restaurants are Verses, Méchant Boeuf, and Kyo Bar Japonais. For more information and to book a space, click HERE.

Wildside Festival

January 5-15
Centaur Theatre (325 St. Francois Xavier)
Tickets: $16/13
The Wildside takes the best of the Fringe Festival and adds a few extra shows for good measure, promising some of the hottest theatre all year. Some of the things to check out are A Perfect Picture, Backdoor Queens, and the much lauded Self Exile. Get tickets are HERE.

Barbegazi

January 6-8, January 13-15

L’îlot Clark (Quartier des Spectacles)

Barbegazi is a strange festival. To begin with, barbegazi means frozen beard. What this means is to get your beard out into the cold weather and try out some weird winter sports. If you don’t have a beard, you can participate too. Try the obstacle course, snow skating, wood cutting, Christmas tree toss, or arm wrestling. Okay, you can just watch others do these things. Either way, it gets you out of the house and into the snow! Info HERE. 

Marions Nous/Salon National Marriage

January 7 and 8
Palais de Congres de Montreal, 201 Viger W.
$14
Another event I almost didn’t include, but if you hit the seduction salon and then went and spent some time hunting together, now you might as well find out how best to tie the knot too. See gowns for brides, bridesmaids, mothers of brides, and exes. Get ideas for how to turn the big day into something only a bridezilla would love. Meet wedding planners, sample cakes, and enjoy the spectacle. More info HERE.

Igloofest

January 12 to 14, 19 to 21, 26 to 28, and February 2 to 4
Old Port Quai Jacques Cartier
Tickets: $20/night
Igloofest brings in the world’s coolest DJs and mixes them with those from the local scene. Know any of these: Apparat, Chris Liebing, Jennifer Cardini, Eats Everything, Catz N Dogz, or Dave Clarke? (If you don’t, check out Igloofest and find out how they can make you move). The festival usually has all kinds of other cool things in the space to distract you when you need to relax in front of a firepit. Tickets are here and all information is HERE.

 

Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival

January 14-30
Phi Centre (407 ST. Pierre)

At Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival, the country’s best films, including a number of shorts, are being screened at the Phi Centre. The juried selection comes from the Toronto International Film Festival. Among those appearing are Juste la fin du monde, Werewolf, and Angry Inuk. More info can be found HERE. 

Bouge d’ici

January 14-21
Mainline Theatre (3997 St Laurent)
Tickets: pwyc-$15

If you’re ready to find out just how awesome Montreal’s indie dance scene is, you better bouge!bouge!bouge! to Bouge d’ici. This annual dance festival pairs up and coming choreographers with established mentors to produce both short and long works. In addition to a few special events, like the Cabaret Bouge d’ici, there are workshops on different types of dance and the biz. The ambiance is welcoming and open minded. Keep an eye on the Mainline Theatre website HERE for information about the festival.

Festival Nomade

January 14-21
La Khaima Atighs Restaurant and Café (142 Fairmount W)

Nightly entertainment at the restaurant around the theme of nomads. Among other things, music and Uncle Fofi’s Couscous Comedy Show are part of the festival. Information HERE.

Tet Festival 2017

January 15 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. 
Centre Pierre Charbonneau (3000 rue Viau)
$10/5

It’s the year of the Rooster and the Vietnamese Community wants to welcome everyone for live entertainment, martial arts, circus, a flower market, and information about the Tet. Information HERE.

Salon de l’amour et de la seduction

January 20-22
Place Bonaventure (800 Gauchetière W)
$17.50/$22.50
If you want some inspiration for getting frisky or just enjoy expanding your knowledge about all things seductive, this annual salon is for you. Fashion shows, erotic circuses, seminars on topics like oral sex and anal sex, as well as workshops are all part of the event. Major names in the erotic scene are coming as well, like Jessy Storm, Vid Vicious, MiMi Cherry, and Mam Steel. For those who prefer burlesque, check out The Lady Josephine, Coeur de Lyon, and Aria DelaNoche. For more info on tickets and schedule, click HERE.

Fête des Neiges

January 14 – February 5, Saturdays 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Sundays 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Parc Jean Drapeau
free admission to site
Shows, events, music, Parc Jean Drapeau gives you a reason to get outside every weekend. To stay warm, try yoga in the snow or snow aerobics. Most people want to give the dog sled rides a go ($10/16), take a turn down the giant 10 lane tube slide, or ride all 200 meters of the zip line. There are 25 outdoor activities overall with things like curling, cross-country skiing, and an ice slide. Information and scheduling can be found HERE.

Montreal International Auto Show

January 20 – 29
Palais de Congres de Montreal, 201 Viger W.
Wall to wall cars of all kinds. Every major manufacturer will showcase their latest cars. But, if you’ve ever just wanted to sit in a Maserati, Tesla, Porsche, or Kia, now is your chance! You can also test drive the 13 preferred models as well as electric vehicles. You can also check out modified cars at the Scion performance zone. For info click HERE.

Banff Mountain Film Festival Tour

January 24-28 (in French), February 10th (in English)
UQAM, Salle Marie Gerin Lajoie (405 St Catherine E) in French; University of Concordia in English
$24.50
The Banff Mountain Film Festival tours the world, presenting the same line-up of films wherever it goes. The films are screened in their original languages with subtitles. The tour features the best films from its 2016 collection, each focusing on some aspect of man’s relationship to the mountains. Some of the films that will be screened include Metronic, Ace and the Desert Dog, and Poumaka. For more info, click HERE.

 

Frost Fest — Cheerleading

January 21
Complexe Sportif Claude-Robillard (1000, avenue Émile-Journault
$18/12

There’s not much info about it yet, but Montreal is hosting a one-day acrobatics and cheerleading competition. Watch teams compete from all around the province (and further beyond) The website is HERE.

If you have an event that should make our monthly list, give us a shout at [email protected]