At the Feux Loto Quebec fireworks, the Philippines compete with a fan-inspired show called Of Games and Thrones. The firm Dragon Fireworks will be borrowing music from Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Super Mario, Angry Birds and... Prince of Egypt? Saturday night at 10pm.
Just for Laughs! The Nasty Show (hosted by Maz Jobrani) and The Ethnic Show (hosted by Robert Kelly) are sure bets in my book. And there is a lot of great local comedy acts getting the spotlight at OFF JFL and Zoofest… wife-and-wife duo Jess Salomon and Eman El-Husseini talk marriage and moving to America when they co-headline at MainLine. There is creative storytelling with Colour Outside the Lines and the whiskey-soaked Life Lessons. And magical sketch group Employees of the Year, also at MainLine.
And on Sunday, I will be taking part in an OFF-JFL show myself: The Blender, an improv series that matches up seasoned pros (like James McGee and Dan Jeannotte) with people 'from other performance areas' (like myself and a WWE pro wrestler). Eep! Wish me luck, please send your positive vibes. Sunday at 7pm, Montreal Improv.
Nuit d’Afrique continues this weekend… there are plenty of free outdoor shows you can see at the Quartier des spectacles: Abdel Kadiri at 6:30pm, and reggae-with-a-twist band Wailing Trees at 8pm. And Saturday at 6:30pm, Colombian-Canadian artist Ramon Chicharron.
How about participating in a silent disco outdoors at the same time as people all around the world? Listening to the same music, of course. It's World Dance Day and organizers have collected a one-hour dance music mix. You need to send an email and pay $5 in advance to receive the mix and the route. Bring your music device, headphones, water, colourful clothing - bubbles are encouraged! Find out more here about the Montreal event and visit this site to get your mix and ticket. Saturday from 3 to 5pm.
There are two circus shows: Sisters, which is a fairy tale tribute to the world of the late Montreal singer Lhasa de Sela at Theatre Outremont, and raucous throwback show, Scotch & Soda at Theatre St Denis.
Slut Island is an eclectic, newbie festival that celebrates artists who work in the margins. Week 1 has several dance nights at Bar Le Ritz lined up. But there is an all ages daytime party at Loyola Chapel in NDG that caught my eye: the lineup includes artists like Bá Ra who uses 'voice, wine glasses and synthesizers' in her sound, and readings from McGill PhD scholar Lindsay Nixon. Sunday, 2 to 6pm.
Fantasia Film Festival started this week! The best in cinematic horror, fantasy and sci-fi compete to screen at this event. On Friday, catch the world premiere of The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot. Set in 1987, it follows a WWII vet (Sam Elliott, from The Ranch and the cowboy in The Big Lebowski!) who secretly killed Hitler but gets recruited by the FBI and RCMP to do in Bigfoot. Or see Kasane, a Japanese movie starring a girl with a hideous facial scar and the magical lipstick that lets her swap faces with whomever she kisses.
And for burlesque fans: channel your inner Bettie Page with Friday's Fetish and Fantasy Burlesque , starring Audrey Ivory along with Célesta O’Lee and Rosie Bourgeoisie. And on Saturday, channel your inner flower child with Woodstock Burlesque, with Moonshine Sunshine and Lou Lou la Duchess de Rière.