Things to do in Montréal: November 18 to 24

As Montréal waits for its first snowfall, Santa Claus arrives in a parade, Mozart’s Don Giovanni and wild circus shows thrill, new art and film transform perceptions, and live music from electro to Bach rocks our world.

Santa comes to town early for Montréal’s annual Santa Claus Parade on Nov. 19 along Sainte-Catherine Street starting at 11 am at Fort Street and ending at Place des Festivals – see floats, marching bands, Santa and his elves, and more! Walk through the city streets and among the skyscrapers on tours by Art Public Montréal. See another side of Montréal in quaint neighbourhoods and big parks, and step into the past in Old Montréal on multimedia tour Cité Mémoire. Indoors, see Nintendo characters in lifelike wax at the Grevin Museum’s Super Mario and Friends exhibition, and go on tropical and outer space adventures at the Space for Life’s Botanical Garden, Insectarium, Biodôme and Planetarium. In sports: the Montréal Canadiens play the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 19, the Senators on Nov. 2, and the Hurricanes on Nov. 24 at the Bell Centre and Montréal’s Minor League Soccer team the Impact play Toronto FC on Nov. 22 at Olympic Stadium. Go shopping for all kinds of cute kids’ stuff at Marché Néné in Mile End this weekend, or get away from it all by relaxing at the spa.

Drama delights in Opéra de Montréal’s lush production of Mozart’s masterpiece Don Giovanni, at Place des Arts to Nov. 19. Street dance mixes with contemporary dance in Tentacle Tribe’s Fractals of You, presented by Danse Danse at Place des Arts to Nov. 19. And darkly funny Logique du pire explores the notion of “the worst” through theatre and choreography at La Chapelle to Nov. 19. World-renowned circus company Les 7 doigts de la main performs Reversible, a spectacular and emotional acrobatic creation for all ages, Nov. 16 to Dec. 30 at La Tohu circus centre. Another circus is in town too, all the way from Australia: see the acrobats and drummer of Gravity Other Myths in A Simple Space at Centaur Theater, Nov. 18 to 27. In theatre: love and equality reigns in the true story of Prom Queen: The Musical at the Segal Centre and eco-odyssey The Watershed unfolds at Centaur Theatre. And coming soon: the fantastical delights of Cirque du Soleil’s OVO at the Bell Centre Nov. 29 to Dec. 4 – tickets, including family packs, are on sale now.

Learn more about the real world – from politics to personal lives – at international documentary festival RIDM, screening over 100 new films, along with talks, performances and parties, to Nov. 20. International animation festival Sommets du cinéma d’animation presents heritage films to new media Nov. 23-27. Also on screen, the SAT teams up with MUTEK to present experimental video work from Undervolt Co., while immersive and colourful multimedia project tim plays in the SAT’s 360-degree dome. Film Yarn explores the activitst art of knitting, co-presented by the Phi Centre at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts on Nov. 24. Don’t miss the BNLMTL 2016, Le Grand Balcon biennale at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Galerie de l’UQAM, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and more venues. Enter musician Björk’s wild version of Virtual Reality at DHC/ART’s Björk Digital – and there’s more VR at the Phi Centre starting Nov. 23. Or see more of Santa at the Stewart Museum’s free exhibition of Santa figurines – with hot chocolate too! And don’t miss the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ exhibition Focus: Perfection – Robert Mapplethorpe and the McCord Museum’s Notman, A Visionary Photographer.

Hit up M for Montréal for new indie-rock, pop, electro, hip hop and experimental music on Friday and Saturday, including shows by Bif Naked, Hot Chip (DJ set), Lakes of Canada, RYMZ + WordUP! Battles, Darcys and The Damn Truth. World music fest Mundial Montréal ends with a bang on Nov. 18 with a free afternoon showcase at St-John the Evangelist church and at night: multimedia experience The Fourth Light Project by Niyaz, Argentine singer-songwriter La Yegros and the East-LA Afro-Mexican rhythms of Las Cafeteras at Le National, and electronic producer Poirier Migration System with hip-hop artist Boogat and Sonido Pesao at Club Soda – plus bonus party Sonora Mundial on Nov. 19 at Groove Nation. The Montréal Bach Festival opens Nov. 18 with pianist Vladimir Ryabov playing The Goldberg Variations at Bourgie Hall, on Nov. 19 there’s afternoon children’s concert Bach Under Cover and the evening’s Night of Choirs, and on Nov. 22 the Montréal Symphony Orchestra presents From Bach to Bolero: 5 Organs for 5 Organists.

On Friday night, pianist Denis Matsuev performs Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto no. 2 and more with the Montréal Symphony Orchestra at Place des Arts, the The Beatles Story Band performs Orchestra! with 16 musicians playing hit after hit at Place des Arts, NY pop-rockers Against The Current play L’Astral, Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg artist Leanne Betasamosake Simpson and her band launch album f(l)ight at Bar le Ritz P.D.B.  On Saturday night, Niykee Heaton brings smooth RB-hip-hop sounds to L’Astral, electro dance producer Gareth Emery brings the party to New City Gas, and instrumental rock band Caspian comes to Bar le Ritz P.D.B.  On Monday, Nov. 21, Irish indie-rockers Two Door Cinema Club shake up Metropolis. On Nov. 22, see Swedish metal band In Flames and supergroup Hellyeah at Metropolis, and electroacoustic artist Loscil at La Vitrola. The Montréal Symphony Orchestra plays concert America According To Glass, Barber Gershwin at Place des Arts on Nov. 23-24. Australian folk-rock quintet The Paper Kites groove at Théâtre Corona on Nov. 23. Wake up early on Nov. 24 for the Daybreaker Yoga and 90s Dance Party at the Phi Centre and stay up late for the death metal of Finland’s Children Of Bodom at Metropolis, synth-pop artist Savoir Adore at Divan Orange, Twist (Laura Hermiston of the BB Guns and Brian Borcherdt of Holy F*ck) at La Vitrola, and dance to the indie-pop-rock of STRFKR, electro producer Gigamesh and darkly avant-pop artist Psychic Twin at Théâtre Fairmount.

Up next:A traditional holiday shopping guide to Montréal