10 ways to celebrate Canada 150 in Montreal

by Jacques Bérubé

As Montreal celebrates its 375th anniversary, Canada is also celebrating its 150th! It's a double whammy, and double the occasion to celebrate. Here are some of the festivities taking place around the city.

Canada 150 brings together a whole host of events, taking place not just in Montreal but across Canada, and Passport 2017 is an excellent way to discover them. Simply download the application.

On July 1st at 9:30 pm, the Montreal International Jazz Festival in collaboration with Canada 150, will be transforming the Place des Festivals into a massive open-air disco where young people of all ages bust their moves to the beat of Canadian dance music.  Appearing onstage are DJ Champion, Men Without Hats, Radio Radio, Carly Rae Jepsen, 24 musicians and 35 dancers. The party will end with fireworks lighting up the Montreal sky to the rhythm of Wow, a massive hit... in 1976.

Also in Montreal's Old Port, a giant table soccer pitch will allow players to literally climb into the game to play each other at foosball. While the “big kids” are having fun, the littl’uns can get involved in bracelet-making workshops before being transformed into pirates, clowns or cats at the make-up stall and sliding and bouncing around in the inflatable games village.

The area around Montréal is scattered with historical sites that have played a part in the city’s and country’s development. On July 1st, several events will be taking place at the historic sites of the Chambly Canal, the Bataille-de-la- Châteaugay, the Commerce-de-la-fourrure in Lachine, at Fort Lennox in St-Paul-de-l’île-aux-Noix, and the Canal de Saint-Ours, among others.

On July 1st at 8 pm, those who prefer the Montreal Symphony Orchestra to disco, who’d take Kent Nagano and Alain Lefèvre over DJ Champion and Men Without Hats, and would rather be in the countryside than the city should really attend the opening night of the Lanaudière Music Festival at the Fernand-Lindsay amphitheatre in Joliette.

_________________________________________________________________

OTHER GREAT SUGGESTIONS:

• Trendy dining in the Quartier des spectacles
• Explore Montreal’s most amazing local landmarks
• Montreal’s top summer music festivals

_________________________________________________________________

As tradition demands, the show will be taking place in Montreal's Old Port on July 1st at 8:30 pm. This year will feature the Bronze, Karim Ouellet, Alexandre Désilets, Renée Wilkin, QW4RTZ and King Melrose.

Located on Sherbrooke Street, between the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the McCord Museum, La Balade pour la Paix is an open-air art gallery that celebrates the Canadian values ​​of peace and tolerance. There are 72 works on display, including 30 or so monumental sculptures and the works of 13 photographers.

From August 10 to 20, Canada Pride Montréal 2017 will be celebrating the contribution of the LGBTQ community to Canada's development. 150 events are planned to mark the occasion, including a two-day sports tournament, a major national conference on the rights of LGBTQ people, several major shows featuring international artists, a food festival on Sainte-Catherine Street and of course the famous Pride Parade.

Why not celebrate Canada by savouring the food of Montreal's culturally diverse communities, such as the Maghreb cuisine of Rose des Sables in Rosemont, the Tibetan momos of Chez Gatsé in the Quartier Latin, the Afghan cuisine of Khyber Pass on Duluth, African at the Nil Bleu on St-Denis or Haitian at Casserole Kréole in Montreal North. Enjoy!

July 1st is also moving day in Montreal! Take advantage of this event that's unique in Canada and the world over to celebrate in your own way. When you've finished wrestling with the stove, the fridge and the boxes of books and the time for pizza has finally arrived, why not toast the good health of your friends and Canada with a special edition Labatt 150?

Happy Canada Day!