Things to do in Montréal: January 29 to February 4

Igloofest continues to warm up the city with its hot beats for the third weekend in a row, and it isn’t the only musical experience worth leaving your warm hotel room for. There’s indie rock, deep house and tons of local discoveries to make – not to mention musical comedy, opera and brand new theatre.

Cool party

Proving you don’t need electric heating for a hot, hot time in wintertime Montréal, the outdoor dance festival Igloofest ranks as the top to-do this weekend again with an impressive roster of talent. International acts include John Digweed from the U.K. and Joey Anderson from the U.S., while the sexy and sultry tracks mixed by Canadian duo Blond:ish. Local sounds will be provided by tech-house monster Paskal Daze and Buck Smith. Watch out for spectacular geometric effects and light projections by Montréal VJ Ma” and more jaw dropping visuals by locals Yanneek, VJ Binocle and Johnny Ranger, purveyor of amazing and poetic animated collages.

Winter adventures

Take the family over to Parc-Jean Drapeau for the Fête des neiges de Montréal where the kids can skate, zip-line, slide, dog-sled and munch on goodies from food trucks. Even more wintry fun awaits at the Olympic Park’s Winter Village , where you and the kids can go skating, catch a sleigh ride, see children’s theatre or hear some live music, all for free.

Stage shows

Opéra de Montréal’s big show Samson and Delilah continues until January 31 at Place des Arts’ Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier. See the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal’s presentation of Pelléas et Mélisande in the beautiful Maison Symphonique. Conductor Julian Kuerti’s second concert of the season comprises three different versions of this important work exploring forbidden love, jealousy and secrecy, performed by talented actors Sophie Desmarais and Benoît McGinnis. Catch the darkly funny Terminus at the Centaur Theatre, until February 15; it’s a story of loneliness, violence and urban adventure set in Dublin’s gritty underworld. Over at MainLine Theatre, until February 1,The Bad Guys is a comedy that addresses what is means to be a man in this world, as five childhood buddies reunite for a backyard barbecue. And starting on February 1, you won’t want to miss Forever Plaid, at the Segal Centre; the charmingly old-school musical tells the story of a barbershop quartet that takes a detour to heaven when their car crashes on the way to their first big gig.

Live music

Head to Casa del Popolo on Thursday, January 29, to see local acts Ohara and DirtyOrgans. Riff Raff and Breathe Carolina get the party going at New City Gas on Friday, but if you’re thinking more local and indie, check out Viet Cong at Bar Le Ritz PDB. On the last day of January, Saturday, Ben Howard takes over the Bell Centre while Dennis Ferrer and Driss Skali pump up Stereo, and Cosmic Gate and Mr Belt raise the roof at New City Gas. Fast Romantic and Repartee strum their sound at O Patro Vys on Saturday too. On Sunday, February 1, ring in the new week in the small hours to the beat of Uppercut and Hugo Turenne at Circus Afterhours. None other than Billy Idol makes an appearance at Métropolis on February 2, while Machine Head play a few blocks away at Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre and Swashbuckle rocks out Club Soda. The New Pornographers play Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre on Wednesday, February 4.

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TRIP TO MONTRÉAL WITH THIS EXCLUSIVE SWEET DEAL COUPON BOOKLET WITH SPECIAL OFFERS VALUED AT $455!