A lively weekend for Labour Day

Summer is not over and Montreal’s city center comes alive with a festive offer to mark the start of the new school year

Communiqué | Montreal, August 26, 2020

Summer is not over and the city core comes alive with a festive offer to mark the start of the new school year. A wide range of walking activities, spontaneous shows and family activities will be offered in the expanded downtown area. The long Labour Day weekend will be set to the rhythm of electronic music with many guest artists who will visit the pedestrian walkways as well as the terraces and public squares.

The long Labour Day weekend will be set to the rhythm of electronic music with many guest artists who will visit the pedestrian walkways as well as the terraces and public squares.

Sandy Duperval and Qualité Motel on board Cabaret ambulant

On Friday, September 4, Sandy Duperval will be aboard the Cabaret ambulant, in the evening, and will criss-cross the streets of downtown to energize passers-by. Mike Clay, from the group Clay and Friends, will be on the turntables of the XP_MTL Music Platform with his trumpet and will be strolling from west to east on Sainte-Catherine Street. Joumana will bring the Quartier des spectacles to life in the evening, while Michel Michel and FunkyFalz will liven up the downtown area on Sainte-Catherine Street.

On Saturday, September 5, in late afternoon, it will be the turn of the group Qualité Motel to take its place in the summer Cabaret vitré. The musical platform of XP_MTL will host the duo TŌKI, composed of Kilojules and Tō from the group Valaire, on Sainte-Catherine Street. In addition to these roving performances, the Shā Tān public square, the TULIP Prenez Place, the Place des Festivals and the Gamelin Gardens will be enlivened by the lively music of various artists including Shaydakiss, Nicola Cancino, aka Okin, and A-Rock.

Performing Arts in Downtown Public Spaces

Also on Saturday, September 5 in the Quartier des spectacles, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal will present PROXIMITÉ, an exclusive performance and creation, in the streets of downtown, and the Roulotte lyrique will present an operatic repertoire in a form that will convince even the most skeptical of the genre.

‘A wide range of walking activities, spontaneous shows and family activities will be offered in the expanded downtown area.’

On September 4 and 5 in the late afternoon, passers-by will also be able to see Les secours arrivent bientôt by Olivier Choinière, an interactive play that will be presented in the Place des Festivals area. It is a creation of L’ACTIVITÉ, presented in collaboration with the Quartier des spectacles Partnership.

A musical Sunday with the family

On Sunday afternoon, September 6, the 2m 6ft. Fanfare will brighten up the streets of downtown while Donald Lauture will liven up the Peel Street area with his music at brunch time. Families visiting Old Montreal will be able to learn about the Petit Piknic workshops at the Playground public square, located on Place d’Youville, a Multicolore concept. Participative workshops and an electro-playful atmosphere will be there to delight young and old alike.

Exhibitions, sound trails and relaxation areas

In addition to all these spontaneous and ambulatory performances, there is also a series of outdoor activities and exhibitions, such as:

Urban Tours, available on the McCord Museum application, which offer a fun way to learn more about the history of some of Montreal’s places.
A collection of archival images by the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) illustrating the area around Place Émilie-Gamelin can be discovered along Sainte-Catherine Street in front of the Gamelin Gardens.
The Parcours du Quartier Latin / 30 murals, by Portrait sonore, soon available in english, will allow pedestrians to rediscover the neighbourhood through its many contemporary murals in a 2-hour audio tour.

The City of Montreal is partnering with Radio-Canada and its OHdio, mobile platform to offer a series of free podcasts available at all times. Montrealers can thus travel the safe active transportation system (TAL) and discover their city from new angles.

Passers-by visiting downtown can also go in search of the various public squares, TULIP and Placott’Arts that have appeared this summer in different areas of downtown Montreal. Remember that visitors can consume food and alcohol in the public squares and TULIP.

‘Evolutive and progressive, the downtown area is animated by various pedestrianization projects, the development of public spaces, as well as spontaneous performances and an enhanced cultural offer.’

In addition to this exceptional program for the Labour Day weekend, the urban planning and the offer of spontaneous performances will continue in downtown Montreal until the beginning of October.

View map of the expanded downtown area

How to get there

Montrealers are invited to use the XP_MTL bicycle and Rally Stations, the Bixi, the Pousse-Pousse Sainte-Catherine, the various STM metro and bus lines, the reduced rate parking lots (40% to 50%) at Complexe Desjardins, the Palais des congrès, the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ), UQAM and the parking lot of the Théâtre St-Denis.

About Downtown Renewal

A number of players from the city of Montreal are joining forces to participate in the revitalization of downtown Montreal. Mandated by the Mayor of Montréal, the Quartier des spectacles Partnership is overseeing the project, in collaboration with the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montréal, Tourisme Montréal, and supported by the Government of Québec, the City of Montréal and Desjardins.

The economic and cultural revival supports merchants and artists and brings life back to downtown in a perimeter established between Atwater and Papineau Streets and between Sherbrooke Street and the St. Lawrence River. Evolutive and progressive, the downtown area is animated by various pedestrianization projects, the development of public spaces, as well as spontaneous performances and an enhanced cultural offer. These initiatives are an invitation to the public to take part in Montreal’s revival, while living a safe experience according to public health standards.

Images : Courtesy of Quartier des spectaclesRead also about other events