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It’s cold. It’s dark. It’s snowy. There are plows. There is windchill. Why ever leave the house in January? Well it might be colder than a witch’s bits, but there are plenty of temptations to put on the undersilks, the fleece, the double socks, and the big parka and hit Montreal in style. Festivals from food to theatre to film give those willing to endure the journey a worthy place to spend some time.

The Stanley Cup at the Pointe à Callière

350 Place Royale
January 3, 2018
Thanks to the HOckey Hall of Fame, come and see the Stanley Cup up close. It will be installed for one day at the museum.

Winter Village

December 15 2017 – March 25 2018
Thursday and Friday, 4 p.m. – 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
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 along with a cocktail bar open after 4 p.m. See HERE for more info.

Wildside Festival

January 4-13, 2018
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 Tragic Queens, Idiot, and the Morning After the Life Before. Get tickets are HERE.

Marions Nous/Salon National Marriage

January 6 and 7, 2018
Place Bonaventure (800 de La Gauchetière)

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.

Le Happening Gourmand

January 11 – February 4, 2018

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 $23, $27, and $31. 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. There are also brunch meals available. For more information and to book a space, click HERE.

 

Barbegazi Festival

January 13-14, 2018, January 20-21, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Esplanade of Olympic Park (4141 Avenue Pierre-de Coubertin)
free access to site; some activities are extra

Barbegazi means frozen beard. This festival is meant to get your warm ass outside so you can freeze your beard while doing 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 if weird sports aren’t your thing. Either way, it’s an excuse to stop binge watching Stranger Things 2. Info HERE.

Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival

January 12-20, 2018
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 Never Steady Never Still, Ava, and Luk’Luk’l. More info can be found HERE. 

Bouge d’ici

January 12-20, 2018
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.

 

Igloofest

January 18-February 3, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, 
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: NGHTMRE, The W4RRIORS, Bonobo, Esco? 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 fire pit. Tickets are here and all information is HERE.

Salon de l’amour et de la seduction

January 19-21, 2018
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 Alexis Texas, Brent Ray Fraser, and Sex with Dr. Jess are among the guests. For more info on tickets and schedule, click HERE.

Montreal International Auto Show

January 19-28, 2018
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. Many cars are unveiled at the show like the Jaguary E Pace and R8 Spyder v10. For info click HERE.

Fête des Neiges

January 20-February 11, 2018, 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.

 

Banff Mountain Film Festival Tour

January 23-28, 2018 (in French), February 9 2018 (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 2017 collection, each focusing on some aspect of man’s relationship to the mountains. Some of the films that will be screened include Surf the Line, My Irnik, and The Frozen Road. For more info, click HERE.

Upcoming Events

Tet Festival 2018

February 4, 2018
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.

Festival Nomade

February 7 – 11, 2018
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.

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

Ongoing at the Museums

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

1380 Sherbrooke Ouest

One Upon A Time… The Western

From October 14 to February 4, 2018
The Western film genre has long been connected to art. Paintings, sculpture, and photography all have inspired and responded to this media, both creating and transmitting a myth of what the west is and what it is not.

Commemorating Dr. Sean B. Murphy (1924-2017)

December 12 to April 1, 2018
Five centuries of prints and drawings are on display to the public following the passing of a much loved museum luminary. Dr. Murphy not only served the museum as a Trustee and President and donated works, but he also was an avid artist himself. See his works on display at the museum now.

Nadia Myre. Scattered Remains

November 15-May 27, 2018
Algonquin First Nation of Kitigan Zibi Anishnabeg artist, Nadia Myre revisits the history of Indigenous peoples in her symbolic works.

Kushapetshekan/Kosapitchikan. A Glimpse into the Other World

October 3 – February 4, 2018
this immersive installation is by Atikamekw artists Eruoma Awashih and Meky Ottawa, and Innu artist Jani Bellefleur-Kaltush. THe trio present an installation that alludes to the sacred without revealing its secrets.

Mnemosyne. When Contemporary ARt and the Art of the Past Meet

until May 20, 2018
Works by 14 contemporary Quebec and Canadian artists are on display at the Michal and Renata HOrnsteil Pavillion for Peace.

Wool War One

November 11, 2017 – January 7, 2018
Inaugurated on Remberance Day, this collection of knit soldiers curated by Délit Mailie and 500 volunteers pays tribute to the victims of the Great War, and especially takes note of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

MAC/Musée d’Art Contemporain

185 St Catherine Ouest

The Gaze Listens

December 15 2017 to March 25, 2018
The exhibition is about how auditory works and visual works cross boundaries. “Most of the works gathered… are invisible to the ear, but audible to the eye,” it promises. The exhibition includes works by Yves Gaucher, Pascal Grandmaison, Barbara Steinman, and Takis.

That’s How the Light Gets In

December 12, 2018 – August 19, 2018
Quebec and Canadian artists explore the theme of how light comes into their work, inspired by Leonard Cohen’s phrase “There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”

Leonard Cohen

November 9, 2017 to April 9, 2018
Inspired by the work of the late Leonard Cohen, 40 different artists present 20 works.

Montreal Science Centre

2 rue de la Commune Ouest

Main Temporary Exhibition: Indigenous Ingenuity

until March 25, 2018

The First Peoples from North America demonstrate tremendous resilience not just against colonization, but also the forces of nature. Their ingenuity has been a survival tool that helped them and those who came to their lands survive. Designed for children, but easily appreciated by adults, a bear and a trickster guide visitors through a virtual canoe race, show them how to build an igloo, test a kayak’s centre of gravity, and discover interactive frescoes. Indigenous knowledge continues to shape society today.An exhibition of photos of powwow regalia by Roland Lorente and Aline Saffore shows men, women, and children from 14 different nations and tells their stories.

Disheveling!

Explore the hair of many different living creatures both through your senses. Humans, plants, and animals all have hair of different types and visitors can touch and see the many types that exist.

Pointe à Callière

350 Place Royale

Passion: Hockey

November 25, 2017 to March 11, 2018
Montreal has long loved hockey. This exhibition celebrates the NHL’s centennial and the 125th anniversary of the Stanley Cup.

CCA / Canadian Centre for Architecture

1920 Rue Baile

Greystone: Tools for Understanding the City

until March 4, 2018
Greystone buildings are ubiquitous in cities everywhere. This exhibition looks at the ones of Montreal and their history from the late 17th century to the early 20th century.

The University is Now on Air: Broadcasting Modern Architecture

until April 1
The Open University, an experiment in distance and adult education that grew out of political forces in the UK has allowed many individuals to enjoy university education without the costs and difficulty of access. Courses were disseminated by television and radio. In particular, this exhibition looks at one of those courses, A305, History of Architecture and Design, 1890-1939.

Mirrors

until January 14, 2018
This hall case display touches on the ideas of reflection, refraction, and false mirrors and how they serve in architecture as metaphors and tools.