Things to do in August in Montreal

It can’t be… is that really Labour Day on the horizon?! Now’s your chance to do all the things you had on your summer bucket list before the nubile lifeguards go back to school. So get started – drink up the last drops of the sweetest season of all at these events…

The month starts off right with the buckets o’ fun that is Osheaga, from August 1 to 3, at Parc Jean-Drapeau. The 2014 edition of the open-air music fest has got Outkast, Jack White, Lorde, Skrillez, Foster the People, homeboys Chromeo, Tiga and Half Moon Run… plus sun and beer!

Speaking of which: the outdoor summer celebrations of Piknic Électronique continue all month, featuring sounds to boogie down to every Sunday. Among the August DJs: The Rawsoul, Moody Jones, Skinny Bones, Thomas White and Montreal’s mastermind Misstress Barbara.

August 2 is your last chance to see L’international des Feux Loto-Québec, and it’s a goody: a tribute to Pink Floyd closes this season’s festival.

Celebrate diversity until August 3 at Divers/Cité, an LGBT event that brings the party to the Old Port of Montreal. The unmissable crescendo of the four-day dance fest is the Grande Danse, starting at 4:30 pm on August 3 on the Quai Jacques-Cartier, starring DJ Vibe, Joubin, Prok Fitch and Stephan Grodin Celeda.

Montreal’s First People’s Festival continues at various venues around the city core until August 5, with a vast selection of film screenings, music shows and food offerings that celebrate the changing face of the continent’s most deeply rooted cultures. Don’t miss the Electro-choc concert August 1.

Murder, mayhem and much more away you as the Fantasia international Film Festival continues until August 7, featuring the best in Asian and genre film.

The summer’s tennis frenzy continues in our hometown, when the world’s best female players battle it out in Jarry Park during the Rogers Cup, from August 1 to 10. All hail homegirls Eugénie Bouchard, Aleksandra Wozniak and Stéphanie Dubois!

From August 7 to 10, Parc Ahuntsic and neighbouring bars gets the blues during Festiblues International de Montréal, featuring the likes of Mister Valaire, Daniel Bélanger and Cory Seznec on the outdoor stage.

August 8 to 10, the city will RAWK thanks to Heavy Montreal, which starts in the city on August 8 before heading to the wooded bliss of Parc Jean Drapeau, where it can make even more noise! The year’s lineup is nuts: Metallica, The Offspring, Slayer, Voivod, Nashville Pussy, Hatebreed, Grimskunk… your ears will bleed.

Paint the town red – and yellow, and blue and green at the Under Pressure Graffiti Festival, August 9 and 10, which brings together the best breakdancing, skating and bombing in one event. The breakdance battle starts at 2 pm on Saturday and features local kids 18 and under from all over town.

Get proud, get loud! Montréal Pride takes Montreal by storm August 11 to 17, with drag shows, bear parties, readings, kid activities and a Zumbamathon, culminating in the city’s gay pride parade, sponsored by Viagra (ha ha!), and taking place on August 17 starting at 1 pm.

Soak up the heat of Caribbean rhythms at the Montreal International Reggae Festival from August 15 to 17, with world-class acts like Sean Paul, Demarco, Maxi Priest, Percy Sledge and Etana all warming our nights.

A Cool Classical Journey is what the Montreal Symphony Orchestra will take you on, on August 16 and 17, when you can choose from among 30 45-minute concerts being staged at the Maison symphonique de Montréal, at two halls in Place des Arts and at the Musée d’art contemporain.

August 20 to 23, make way for the wave of style that will wash over the Quartier des Spectacles during the Festival Mode et Design. This year presents the special curator Garance Doré, known worldwide for her eponymous fashion blog.

Ready your appetites: the third edition of the Omnivore festival comes to Montreal August 21 to 25 at the Société des Arts Technologiques. Six dinners by explosive chef duos, 18 demos, an outdoor feast and parties galore await.

Starting August 22, the Montreal World Film Festival brings the world of film to Montreal with amazing film premieres PLUS a cool series of repertory films shown for free under the stars, starting at 8:30 on the esplanade of the Place des Arts. Among them: Blade Runner, The Godfather, Blue Velvet and Le dîner des cons.

Photo credits : Susan Moss, Eva Blue

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