Things To Do in Montréal: August 7 to 13

From gay pride to heavy metal, to blues to high fashion – Montréal really does offer everything. In a single week! Forget about choosing, just walk around and soak it all up at once. Call it a cultural experiment.

Fresh-air music

Music fans, ready your ears: it’s Heavy Montréal! Get your hard rocks off in Parc Jean-Drapeau from August 7 to 9, as headliners including Slipknot, Faith No More, Korn, Iggy Pop and NOFX bring their death metal, hair metal, black metal, hard rock and hardcore to Montréal. All that aggression leaving you blue? Wallow in style at Festiblues International de Montréal, the all-blues festival that runs from August 6 to 9 in bucolic Parc Ahuntsic. Catch world-class blues from over 50 international artists. If pop is more your style, head to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, just 45 minutes from central Montreal, where from August 8 to 16 hot air balloons and even hotter music cohabitate at International des Montgolfières Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. With top acts like Meghan Trainor, Our Lady Peace, Radio Radio and Moist sharing the lineup with luminaries from closer to home like Éric Lapointe, Misteur Vallaire and Jonas and the Massive Attraction, it’s a high colour date not to be missed – and that’s before you even peek at the beautiful hot-air balloons.

Fashion and shopping

Only in Montreal can you combine the best of fashion with a day spent lounging in the sun. Between August 9 and 22, head to the Festival Mode et Design 2015 at Quartier des Spectacles for open-air fashion shows, amazing international conferences, fashion movies at Cinéma du Parc and TONS of onsite shopping, from pop-up sops to fashion trucks. There’ll also be food trucks every day, so the models won’t go hungry! Find your survival guide here [LINK]. Still in the mood to shop? Catch the last of the Marché des Possibles until August 9 in Mile End, bringing together creations by both local artisans and cooks. Food trucks are on site at noon every Friday, plus there’s a barbecue every Saturday evening. Want even more? Check out these other outdoor markets.

Pride!

Join the thousands of revellers at Montréal Pride between August 10 and 16 and celebrate openness and acceptance for all. Over 80 events will be held during the festival, including Montréal Pride’s three flagship happenings: Community Day on August 15, along Sainte-Catherine Street East in the Village; the Pride Parade on August 16 at 1 pm; and the no-holds-barred Mega T-Dance at Place Émilie-Gamelin on August 16, starting at noon. This week though, on August 13, start with cabaret singer Marleen Menard’s Et Si L’Amour revue, starring Quebec singers Johanne Blouin and Gardy Fury, drag star Billy L’Amour and 1980s Canadian pop icon Luba, among others. Catch it starting at 8 p.m. at Place Émilie-Gamelin.

Fan fare and flicks

Cosplayers unite! Welcome toOtakuthon at Palais des Congrès de Montréal, from August 7 to 9, a celebration of classic and brand-new Japanese anime, manga, games and all the wondrous costumes that go with them. Otakuthon’s 10th edition features an exhibition space with merch and artwork, a roster of talent for meet-and-greets, and a series of panels and workshops by artists and other experts. Catch the best costumes all in one place on stage at the Masquerade soirée, August 8. Fans of outdoor film screenings, check out all the outdoor movies you can catch in Montréal right here. Indoor cultural attractions comes courtesy of the city’s museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts, where Rodin continues to draw the crowds, and, a few blocks away the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, which features the amazing works of Montréal artists David Altmejd and Jon Rafman (a lover of cosplay himself). Read about more art to see here.

More live music

J. Cole, Big Sean and Jeremiah descend upon the Bell Centre on August 7, while NOFX plays Métropolis not too far away. Ladgwagon plays Métropolis the next night, August 8. On August 9, catch Jesse Zotti at Stereo. Monday night brings local bands OxenFree and Fin-Folsom at Barfly, while on Tuesday, August 11, tsibele plays Café Résonance (don’t forget to try the amazing vegan food) and OPO plays Casa del Popolo. On August 12, catch Zachari Smith at Divan Orange and Vundabar at Newspeak. On Thursday, August 13, Mac DeMarco and Jerry Paper take over Métropolis while Prevenge, Antillectual and Fortune Cookie Club play L’Escogriffe on St-Denis.