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Dale Chihuly is a magician and he’s taken over the museum. The American glass-worker makes shapes and objects of a complexity and scale hitherto unknown in blown glass. But his talent isn’t just technical – a stroll through the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts will make it clear that he creates entire worlds… There are various environments on display at the MMFA until October 20, courtesy of Chihuly, starting with the giant spikey sunburst that greets viewers on the museum steps. The exhibition, Chihuly: Utterly Breathtaking – his first solo in Canada – is located in the museum’s historical wing on the north side of Sherbrooke Street, which is a beautiful context for his work, because as contemporary as the shapes and installations he creates may be, the material of glass is imbued with layers of history that contrasts beautifully with aged marble. Look up as you walk up the museum stairs, and you’ll see the beautiful floral formations of Persian Colonnade, one of the artist’s most famous works, from 2008. Let it be known that Chihuly is one of the only glass artists worldwide to have solo exhibition in major institutions. In this exhibition you’ll find gigantic boats floating on... / Read More →

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When putting together a list of LGBT stars to be apart of the performance series Do Your Thing in MTL, we needed to find someone who was A) Lesbian B) Hilarious and C) Adorable. DeAnne Smith came riding in on a litter of kittens and wrote us the little ditty “Mile End Love Song”… Go ahead and sing along! When DeAnne Smith does her thing in Montreal, she’s just strolling the streets of the Mile End, strumming on her ukelele, and singing songs that make people laugh. DeAnne Smith is a working comedian who personally tickles every person who frequents her shows. Blessed with the voice of a lesbian Justin Bieber, DeAnne likes to sing songs about life and love. We asked her about the things she loves in Montreal, her favourite festivals, and how she connects the community through laughter: Just look at how cute she is! Are you in love? We are…*Strokes computer screen* DeAnne came to Montreal many years ago, having longed as a baby lesbian to move to the big francophone city from her original home in upstate New York. Since then she has made big waves on the comedy circuit, has done Just For Laughs... / Read More →

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Things are getting balmy for this edition of Festival International Nuits d’Afrique de Montréal! For its 27th edition, from July 9 to 21, the music festival is celebrating the Montreal sun with an homage to the Sahara, from Mauritania to the Sudan passing by Morocco and Chad. Our fair city will be welcoming over 500 artists from over 30 countries for 90 shows and events… The Festival International Nuits d’Afrique de Montréal helps you get in the mood as of June 25 with its special app that will let you manipulate a poster or T-shirt into a 3-D African dance. It’s a trippy start to a fest that will launch with Algeria’s desert rocker Hasna el Becharia, kicking things off on July 9 with her gravely voice and androgynous ways that recalls John Lee Hooker. She’ll pave the way for the likes of zouk legends Kassav’ (July 13); the Caravane pour la paix, on July 17 – an award-winning project of cultural resistance from Mali; ska originators The Skatalites, from Jamaica, on July 18; and African legend – and multiple Grammy-winner – Angélique Kidjo, who’s the patron saint, as it were, of this year’s edition (July 19). It’s star packed!... / Read More →

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When Quebec signer and piano man Gregory Charles grew up, his Trinidadian dad and Québécoise mum filled his imagination with stories of cozy music clubs lit by candlelight and the warmth of some international megastar’s dulcet tones. Well, he’s built himself such a club, and in it he serves the world’s greatest hits – all in a single show… Right there on the edge of the St. Lawrence in the Old Port, lies the Vintage theatre – a custom-made temporary music club where patrons sit at little round tables stage-side and enjoy the a tumbler of whiskey while watching a dazzling light show and listening to live music that spans gravelly Joe Cocker to mellifluous Adele. Charles conceived of this show to match his particular talents, which are incredible: name a song, any song, and chances are he – and his gifted band – can play it to perfection. Not only that, they’ll mash it up with another song, or two – or three, and potentially play with the lyrics to address something that’s going on in the crowd. There was never a more interactive show than this one – from the moment you buy you’re tickets, you’re invited to... / Read More →

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As the first official day of summer approaches, Montreal’s outdoor spaces call loud and clear, from the tree-lined paths of the Botanical Gardens to all sorts of entertainment on the outdoor stages of Les Francofolies music festival, the Folk Fest on the Lachine Canal, the Fringe Festival Park and more… (nature in the city) With all the urban activity and entertainment that Montreal offers in the summer, a walk through Montreal’s Mount Royal Park on a sunny afternoon (or morning, if you’re so inclined) can be a refreshing break. In fact, it’s fairly easy in Montreal to find yourself surrounded by trees, chirping birds and other urban wildlife, whether at a park like Mont Royal or Lafontaine or at the Botanical Garden, where a new arboretum interpretation trail opens this weekend. Dedicated to ecology and education, the 40-hectare arboretum is to 7000 trees, so be sure to breathe in all the fresh air they’re making as you wander through. Return to explore the urban outdoors right downtown at Place Émilie-Gamelin (at the corner of Berri and Ste-Catherine), home all summer to food trucks, DJs, performances, art installations, a fruit market and giant chessboards, every day until 6 p.m. (art in... / Read More →

The post Things to Do in Montreal: June 14-20 appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

MUTEK, Montreal’s incredible electronic music and digital arts festival, continues to evolve and amaze. For 14 years now, Mutek has been moving minds and bodies with the latest and greatest sounds to come out of the vast genre of electronic music and, as the video above proves, this year was truly next level. See you all in 2014!

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Famed American composer and pianist Dave Brubeck, whose 1959 album Time Out was the first jazz record to sell over a million copies, did what was the unthinkable for a good many jazz musicians of his era: he lived a long, very long, life. Brubeck, who played the Montreal International Jazz Festival no less than 14 times, went to the great jazz club in the sky last December just shy of his 92nd birthday, and only six months after his final Jazz Fest appearance. This 34th edition of the Jazz Fest is dedicated to his memory… An homage to Brubeck by The Brubeck Brothers Quartet (anchored by sons Chris and Dan, manning trombone and bass respectively) on July 7 is among the tributes planned, and one of the many top-tier performances slated for this year’s instalment of the Jazz Fest. In fact, this year’s roster is a veritable who’s who of jazz greats, a kind of all-you-can-hear buffet for ravenous jazz-heads, including Wayne Shorter, Joshua Redman, George Benson, Bill Frisell, Wynton Marsalis, John Abercrombie, Ravi Coltrane, Chucho Valdés, Montreal’s own Oliver Jones and many, many more. (One notable name who will not perform as planned is Queen of Soul Aretha... / Read More →

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July is a loose, silly time in Montreal, not only because it’s the height of summer holidays, but because long-running comedy festival Just for Laughs, July 10-28, lets some of the biggest names in comedy reign the city’s downtown core… The comedy festival’s biggest events, and often the most varied in comedic stylings, are the Just For Laughs Galas – this year hosted by Dane Cook, Sarah Silverman, Seth Meyers, Joan Rivers, Eddie Izzard and Montreal’s own Jay Baruchel. The fast-paced showcases, held in the opulent Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts, give comedians, famous and up-and-coming alike, about 10 minutes to share the best material in their arsenal – plus the galas are recorded for TV, so there’s the added bonus of possibly seeing your laughing face on the small screen soon. Laughs gain further focus at the fest’s solo shows, where comedians let their newest material loose and reprise classic stuff. This year, spend quality time with: Amy Schumer and her dirty thoughts; former Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Anchor Colin Quinn and his political humour; Hannibal Buress in a new show and as host of Hip Hop Karaoke; Bo Burnham and his musical, MTV-friendly ways; Scottish comedian... / Read More →

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For decades now, Montreal, the birthplace of Cirque du Soleil, has been luring talented circus performers into its internationally acclaimed troupes, yet it’s only been in the last four years that Circus festival MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CIRQUE has packed much of that talent, along with that of troupes from around the world, into two weeks of awe-inspiring shows… In its fourth year, MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CIRQUE is bigger than ever, with 14 featured circus shows on through July 3-14, almost all of them family friendly and impressive in both their artistry and the performers’ physical stamina. UK troupe Gandini Juggling’s humorous show Smashed makes its North American premier, with nine jugglers throwing and catching 80 apples  in a sometimes absurdist, sometimes pop-culture-infused series of breathtaking choreography. New troupe Flip Fabrique comes in from Ottawa to hold the grand premiere of Attrape-Moi, a six-acrobat show that plays like a party, complete with trampowall (yes, a wall that is a trampoline – every kid will want one now). In another North American premier, France’s favourite jester, Ludor Citrik, challenges a black-and-white world of authority with his daring in Qui Sommes-Je? Spain’s Escarlata Circus premiers Pugilatus, an eccentric show from an outlandish, character-changing duo. Fittingly Canadian, Nord... / Read More →

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Worlds of different, intriguing entertainment are ready to be stepped into this week in Montreal: the high-speed ways of the Canadian Grand Prix; pairings of fashion and music; incredible circus acts; avant-garde and independent theatre and dance; and nights packed with live music…   (revved up) Fast cars, race fans and parties populate Grand Prix weekend, June 7-9, though the main event, the Canadian Grand Prix Formula 1 races on the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit at Parc Jean-Drapeau are the focal point. Right downtown, however, it’s all about the party: the Crescent Street Grand Prix Festival sees the street closed to traffic all day until 11 pm, featuring driver autograph sessions, a Pit Stop Challenge, live music, DJs and more; the nearby Peel Paddock is open and rocking (check out the #F1MTL hashtag for all the info) while a little further east, main drag Saint-Laurent Boulevard is closed to traffic as well, with restaurants setting up patios on the pavement, stores having street sales and a stage set up for live music. The party’s also on at New City Gas in Griffintown on June 7, with DJs Bob Sinclar, Sebastian Ingrosso and more. Or replace fossil fuel with raw, human energy and you... / Read More →

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