Dance me to the wedding, dance me on and on...

Montreal by Night
Montreal is a city of students and youthful folly, artists, and a few businessmen and people who actually earn a living sprinkled in for good measure. The rents and cost of living have been extremely low due to political unrest (although that is all starting to change now). A lot of multinationals moved their head offices to Toronto in the 70's and this has left Montreal, once a flourishing business centre, to be the poor cousin to other Canadian cities. Due to all this there is a thriving artistic life in this city, which is part of what makes it a wonderful place to be.

In the past decade there has been a renaissance in indie music that does not seem to be letting up any time soon. Bands like Arcade Fire, The Dears, and Godspeed You Black Emperor have set the tone for revolutionizing music in this town and the list keeps growing. Venues like La Sala Rossa and Casa del Popolo have become a staple of the alternative music scene.

As well, poets and fiction writers in both of our official languages have been blossoming; Heather O'Neill, Anita Rau Badami, Catherine Kidd, to name a few.

Montreal is also a city of Festivals. A very shortlist of some of the giants would include: Montreal Jazz Festival, Juste Pour Rire, Montreal World Film Festival, Montreal Fringe, Festival Transameriques, and the Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival.

All this to say, you will not be at a loss for what to do of an evening in Montreal. Here are some suggestions to keep you occupied. Oh, and if you are wondering why there seem to be so many people sitting out on terrases eating dinner or drinking beer or why so many folks are strolling the streets into the wee hours, keep in mind, the winter here is so long that when summer rolls around Montrealers just want to be outside all the time.

As well, pick up copies of Hour and Mirror, our free weekly English papers that are filled with ideas for what to do in Montreal.

SAQ
First of all, let me warn you about the very strange liquor laws here. The selling of alcohol is regulated by a government body called the "SAQ" the Société des alcools du Québec. This means that the government selects the wine that comes into Quebec, regulates pricing and runs their own shops. The SAQ outlets are the only place you can buy decent wine and they are sprinkled across the city (see the link for more information). Keep in mind, you are better off going to an SAQ near you than to a Depanneur (Quebecois for "Convenience store") for some god awful wine (beer is okay to buy from a depanneur). Okay, now that you have your bottle of wine in hand, you can head to a restaurant that is BYOB....

The Best Bars in Montreal
Here are some of my favorites...not that I am encouraging you to all just come here and drink! If you do want to try some micro brewery beer that Qubec is famous for, these places are a good start.

Boa, 5301 St Laurent, 514-270-3262 (Mile End)—Aside from the fact that one of my close friends owns this bar with his brother and another partner, this is a fantastic "taverne moderne". Very hip, retro decor and a relaxed yet urbane atmosphere makes this place a great hang-out.

Bily Kun, 354 Mont-Royal E, (514) 845-5392 (Plateau)—Okay, there may be ostrich heads on the walls that are a little off putting, but this hip predominantly French hangout has a great beer list. It tends to get pretty packed, but if you go early it is less so, and there is often jazz in the early evening.

Blizzarts, 3956A St Laurent, (514)-843-4680 (Plateau)—a young, funky bar with semi-circular booths all down the interior that make this a condusive place for conversation as well as having a tipple. The small dance floor in the back gets going later on in the evening, when an assortment of Montreal DJ's do their thing.

BU, 5245 St. Laurent, 276-0249 (Mile End)—Swish and stylish wine bar with an amazing list of wines many of which they import themselves, so you will not be able to get them at the good old SAQ. They also serve tapas and italian antipasto. Not cheap, but very classy. $$-$$$

Cheval Blanc, 809 Ontario E., (514) 522-0211 (Quartier Latin/Village)—One of Montreal's very best microbrewries.

Reservoir, 9 Duluth E., 514-849-7779 (Plateau)—A microbrewery and restaurant on Duluth just east of St. Laurent that also has one of the best brunch menus in town. Lovely architecture and design make this a great place to be day or night. $

MUSIC VENUES
There are plenty of great places to catch local bands around town. Here are a few to choose from. The best thing to do is check the newspaper listings closer to the time.
Casa del Popolo, 4873 St Laurent, 514-284-3804 — Cozy little music venue with shows on nightly.
La Sala Rossa, 4848 St Laurent, 514-284-0122— Funky, fabulous alternative concert hall.
La Tulipe, 4530 Ave Papineau—Beautiful heritage theatre.
Le Divan Orange, 4234 St Laurent, 514-840-9090— Charming small venue for local bands.
Spectrum, 318 Ste Catherine O, 514-861-5851—One of Montreal's main music venues, cabaret style setting.

CLASSICAL MUSIC/OPERA
Place des Arts - Home to the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and L'Opera de Montreal. This large concert hall plays host to dance, theatre and music from Montreal and around the world.

THEATRE
Theatres tend to close down for the summer months and the summer stock theatres take over, see "day trippers" (post being developed, will be published soon) for more information on day trips from Montreal.

Theatre de Verdure An outdoor amphitheatre in Parc Lafontaine in the Plateau hosts fabulous free concerts, theatre and ballet all summer long.

FESTIVALS
Montreal World Film Festival, August 23rd-September 3rd—I have a feeling that the groom may be spending 24/7 in a dark cinema studying the works of the world's film makers while we try and plan last minute details for the celebration! This is a great film fest, not our best one, which happens in October, but our biggest. Come check out the films and experience the buzz and hum of the crowds around the theatres as people from all over the world gather to celebrate the cinema.

St Laurent Street Festival—St Laurent, also known as "The Main" is such a richly historical street in Montreal that it was named a national historic site by Heritage Canada. St Laurent was a street full of Jewish tailors, bakers and delicatessans, as well as Italian and Greek businesses. It was a true melting pot with little hole-in-the-wall shops full of character and old world charm. Today the immigrant businesses have been slowly dying out and St Laurent has become a far hipper, trendier, more gentrified street. It is also the dividing line between east and west in the city, so the addresses change with St Laurent as the marking point. Right now the city is tearing up the street and redoing the sewage system, so expect lots of dust and noise. Usually there is a fabulous street festival at the end of June and again in August with vibrant nightlife and loads of stalls by day as well. Not sure if it is happening this year due to the construction. I will check back in on this and update you when I know.