Things to do in Montréal: October 9 to 15

The sun still shines and the leaves turn bright orange and red in Montréal this week as the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, a Great Pumpkin Ball, hockey season, live music and much more keeps us warm indoors and out.

New worlds in new films

The 44th Festival du Nouveau Cinéma screens hundreds of fabulous Québécois, Canadian and international films October 7 to 18 – join the jovial crowds of film lovers to see much-awaited new work by Guy Maddin, Atom Egoyan, Jaco Van Dormael, Paolo Sorrentino, Wim Wenders, Hsiao-Hsien Hou, Jia Zhangke, Laurie Anderson, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and more, including Les P’tits Loups, a whole program of films and activities just for kids, interactive sound and food experience Food Sessions, and several late-night parties and performances – consult our FNC film picks and see the official Festival du Nouveau Cinéma site for more details. See the Common Space? project’s innovative multimedia art and film outdoors in the Quartier des Spectacles every night October 1 to 18. And see mind-blowing 360° image and sound immersive experience Versus by French/Japanese duo Nonotak, at the SAT dome to October 30.

Fun for all ages

Enjoy the natural beauty of autumn while kids enjoy hours of entertainment at the Montréal Space for Life: the Great Pumpkin Ball event happens daily from 9 am to 9 pm at the Montréal Botanical Garden, Insectarium and Biodôme to November 1, featuring 800 pumpkins and pumpkin decorating for kids, tours by Esmeralda the witch, and plenty of outdoor games and other natural-world discoveries. Along with that, the luminous Gardens of Light event continues every evening at the Botanical Garden’s Chinese and Japanese gardens. The Montréal Science Centre unveils two new exhibitions: Human, a hands-on multimedia discovery of the universe of the human body, and Dinosaurs Unearthed 2, 14 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs in a setting that takes us back 65 million years. If Disney characters delight, see Disney on Ice: Treasure Trove at the Bell Centre to October 12. And stimulate the musical minds of kids 4 to 7 years old at instrumental theatre production Créatures, a captivating new show at Maison Théâtre, October 7 to 17.

Fall sports season

Hockey season is officially on in Montréal as the Canadiens meet the Rangers on home ice at the Bell Centre on October 15. And the end of the CFL football season approaches – catch the Alouettes on home turf against the Toronto Argonauts on October 12 at 1 pm at McGill’s Percival-Molson Stadium. And if you can’t make it to the game, settle in for a hearty meal, perfect pints and big screen action at the city’s best sports bars.

Art and culture comes alive

The autumn cultural calendar is packed and theatre excellence predominates this week with Governor General’s Award-winning The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God at Centaur Theatre to October 18; Teesri Duniya Theatre’s State of Denial, about the Rwandan and Armenian genocides, to October 25 at the Segal Centre; and more Affordable Shows on Montréal Stages. Les Grands Ballets Canadiens creates the legendary world of choreographer Jirí Kylián’s Kaguyahime, at Place des Arts October 15-30. Community groups ATSA and La Nuit des Sans-abri de Montréal mix art and activism in Le Temps d’une Soupe, with free exhibits, live music, film, comedy, circus, street soccer and, of course, hot soup and more great food at Place Émilie-Gamelin, October 15-18. Performance art festival VIVA! Art Action continues until October 10 at Ateliers Jean-Brillant in the bustling neighbourhood of St-Henri. And catch the clever choreography and fancy footwork of professional male dancers in high heels in the rule-breaking Gogo’s Sharp Heels on October 10 at Le National.

Live music

Friday night is nothing but a party with the electro-dance-pop of NYC duo Ms Mr with opening act Jack Garratt at the Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre, followed at the same venue the next night by the soulful tones of singer-songwriter and pianist Tobias Jesso Jr. Rock out in pop-punk style on Friday night to Bring Me the Horizon at Metropolis. The Canadian International Organ Competition 2015 Festival continues until October 25, including a free Festival des couleurs de l’orgue français concert by Sylvain Barrette on Sunday, October 11 at 3 pm at the Grand Séminaire de Montréal. Monday, October 12 brings popular American singer-songwriter Tyler Ward to La Sala Rossa and folk-rock powerhouse Lissie shows us what’s what at Fairmount Theatre. October 13 sees the amazing soul, RB, jazz and blues singer Andra Day inspire on stage at La Sala Rossa and hip hop artist Oddisee lets loose at Belmont sur le Boulevard. On October 14, Ricky Martin sings and dances into fans’ hearts at the Bell Centre while Titus Andronicus keeps their rock real on tour with a new album at Bar Le Ritz PDB. Kandle and the Krooks sees the Canadian singer backed by her talented band on Thursday, October 15 at Fairmount Theatre, while metal band Soulfly shakes the Corona Theatre, and the Montréal Symphony Orchestra accompanies a screening of Charlie Chaplin’s 1936 film Modern Times at Place des Arts on October 15.