Things to do in Montreal this October

As ghouls and golems rev up for the end of the month, entertainment is around every corner, in the form of art openings, dance shows, Oktoberfest and more. Get out there and enjoy it all…

Bring your appetite and take a bite out of the month at Montreal’s Pizza Week, the tastiest kind of festival in Little Italy from October 3 to 11. Try the pie at as many restaurants as you can before keeling over – and them come back the next day for more!

The Black and Blue Festival brings dance to the Palais des Congrès from October 3 to 6. Join the all-night, all-day party featuring the world’s top DJs.

We all know about Montreal’s international Jazz Festival, but the OFF Jazz Festival from October 3 to 12 keeps us all jazzed up with more intimate shows in smaller locations that keep the fall nights warm.

Montreal’s most prestigious film festival, the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, illuminates the silver screen from October 10 to 21 with a special focus on Quebec and Canadian films this year. Take in the lastest of Maxime Giroux, Rodrigue Jean and Rafaël Ouellet, among others.

The fall art season kicks off this month. There’s Krzysztof Wodiczko’s outdoor work titled Homeless Projection: Place des Arts at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, from October 8 to November 22. And over at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the blockbuster From Van Gogh to Kandinsky runs from October 11 to January 25 and brings together over 100 paintings by masters, illustrating the progression towards the movement known as Expressionism.

On the theatre front, Centaur Theatre presents the Quebec English-language premiere of Venus in Fur from October 14 to November 9 – a sexy, witty take on the famous Venus in Furs. Meanwhile, the Segal Centre presents Les Belles Soeurs – The Musical, based on the classic by Quebec author and playwright Michel Tremblay.

Les Grands Ballet Canadiens presents its most recent production, Paquita, from October 16 to 19. The production is signed Pierre Lacotte, of the Paris Opera Ballet, and promises to amaze with its opulence.

From October 17 to 23 it’s the Phenomena Festival, a fun, experimental and entertaining mix of music, dance, theatre, puppetry and performance art not to be missed.

Get ready to buy your weight in gorgeous locally designed looks at the Braderie de la Mode Québécoise, from October 23 to 26, celebrating no less than its 20^th anniversary this year. Amazing! The event takes place at the beautiful Marché Bonsecours.

Also on the weekend of October 23 to 26, the Akousma Festival of electroacoustic music presents international stars in the genre at various locations around the city. On the bill: Ben Vida, from the U.S., France’s Brunhild Ferrari and the U.K.’s Adrian Moore, among others.

Make the scariest night of the year memorable with some of these activities. Go on an evening visit of the Montreal Botanical Garden, where the beautiful Gardens of Lights lantern exhibition gets a Halloween twist. Dress up and head over to Parc Jean-Drapeau on October 25 for Halloween: The Apocalypse Run, a ghoulish race around the park for the whole family. Or make it a classic, by going to the Rocky Horror Picture Show Ball at the Imperial Cinema October 31 or November 1, complete with performances, costume competition and lotsa loud singalongs.

Photo credits: Susan Moss, FNC, Eva Blue, Guillaume Pelletier

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