THINGS TO DO IN MONTREAL: AUGUST 3-9

THINGS TO DO IN MONTREAL: AUGUST 3-9

Posted by Robyn Fadden

Much of this week’s entertainment happens in the great, urban outdoors of Montreal: Osheaga at Parc Jean-Drapeau, Divers/Cité at the Old Port, MEG’s electronic music on a boat, A Tribe Called Red at Place des Spectacles, film screenings outdoors (and indoors at Fantasia), and Ken Nagano and the OSM and food trucks at Olympic Park!

(rock out outside) Modern music lovers converge on Parc Jean-Drapeau August 3-5 for Osheaga, featuring headliners Justice, Snoop Dog (er, Lion), Florence the Machine, Sigur Ros, Franz Ferdinand, The Weeknd, Feist, Garbage, The Black Keys, The Shins, Santigold, Metric and many many more bands on five different stages, including plenty of Montreal bands and the constant dance party that is the Piknic Electronik stage. The Montreal Electronic Groove (MEG) fest also takes the music outdoors on August 4 on the legendary MEG Boat, with DJs  Breakbot, Jesse Rose, Vilify and Christine, drinks and dancing while drifting down the St-Laurent River.

(olympic eats orchestral beats) It’s not a competition, but put your game face on anyway this Friday, August 3 as Montreal’s Best food trucks unite at First Fridays at Olympic Park – it might just be an Olympic feat to try a bit of everything. The so-called “street food” approaches gourmet levels – and there’s even wine to pair it with. On August 9, don’t miss a massive free outdoor concert by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kent Nagano, at 7:30 p.m. Also at Olympic Park this weekend, kids go mini-tennis-pro at the Mini Rogers Cup tournament, August 3-5, and Space for Life continues its natural-world family-friendly programming.

(party rainbow) Get down and possibly dirty at something-for-everyone, LGBT, queer celebration Divers/cité at Jacques-Cartier Pier in the Old Port and club venues around town to August 5. It’s not the end of the world but we might as well party like it is at Apocalipstik on August 3, starting at 6 p.m., featuring performances by Arcade Fire’s Sarah Neufeld, Fanny Bloom, B’Ugo, Glam Gam Productions and Royal Phoenix DJs. The next night, don’t miss Mascara, touted as the world’s largest drag show! And on August 5, close the festival with La Grand Danse and Le Grand Bal, two big, high-energy parties.

(fantasy film life) Huge underground film festival Fantasia keeps on bringing the weird and wonderful to Montreal screens to August 9. The films come from all over the world and range from horror to romance to romance-horror, with many rarely seen (at least in North America) and frankly non-categorizable features and shorts. A film of a different sort screens at the SAT starting August 7: 360-degree surround-sound film Six mil Antennas returns to the immersive Satosphere dome in a newly edited version.

(performance nights) The evening entertainment continues outside at Theatre de la Verdure in Parc La Fontaine with L’Orchestre Métropolitain joined by accomplished young players, August 4, the Maânouche Swing Quintet on August 5, followed by short videos by Le Groupe Intervention Vidéo, while on August 6 see Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia. And award-winning musical Wicked tells the story of the witches of Oz, at Montreal’s Place des Arts, August 1-26. Meanwhile, in the sky above Parc Jean-Drapeau, the Montreal International Fireworks Competition wraps up with a grand finale on August 3, featuring an homage to Freddy Mercury and Queen.

(home lands) The diversity of native culture steps into the spotlight at The 22nd First Peoples’ festival, bringing arts and culture voices together from Canada, the U.S. and overseas, celebrating self-expression, creativity and community. On August 3, the Festival teams up with the MEG festival for a free concert from Foulane, DJ Mood and A Tribe Called Red, at Place des Festivals. On August 4 at Place des Festivals, watch the Friendship Parade, followed by dance performances at noon and on August 5, join the Mayan ceremony for Life and Peace. And until August 8, catch film screenings at the NFB cinema and outdoors in the evening at Place des Festivals, awards, poetry readings, public talks, food and more.

(art music) Music and art get along this week, as they often do, and this week, music festival Pop Montreal combines the two art forms at its Art for Music for Art – Poster Sale and Music Showcase, happening August 4, 12-7 p.m. at  Espace POP. See work from hot local poster artists and performances by Folly The Hunter, Child Actor, Caitlin Loney and more Montreal bands! Plus beer! Meanwhile, on the more minimalist electronic art-music side of things, head down to Old Montreal’s DHC/Art to see Ryoji Ikeda’s brilliant, audio-visual explorations of data, creativity and emotion.

(music grooves) Osheaga may have the massive-outdoor-rock-show market cornered this weekend, but there’s still plenty of live music around town (of course, there’s an Osheaga afterparty with Arkells at Theatre Corona on August 4). On August 3, head to Do My Ladies Run This?, a woman-fronted variety show featuring Sarah MK, Geneviève Racette, Ari Swan and more, at Cafe Shaika. Electronic music festival MEG, part of the city’s Festimania package, keeps going strong: go to Basskarade for five big-sound DJs on August 3 at Club Soda, and closing show August 5 at Club Soda, with Brodinski, Gesaffelstein and Surkin and Claire. On August 6, psych-pop-rock out with Eternal Summers with Majical Cloudz at Casa del Popolo, and on August 7, Canadian blues wave-maker Cold Specks plays Divan Orange.

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