Fireworks! The Loto-Quebec fireworks competition begins Saturday with a tribute to Swedish pop quartet ABBA, at 10pm, rain or shine. Catch it at La Ronde, or see it for free from your favourite vantage point.
The Jazz Fest wraps up with their free blowout show Saturday night with Grammy-winning Philly sextet The War on Drugs hit the TD stage, 9:30pm. And don’t worry be happy… Bobby McFerrin is another hot ticket, Saturday at Maison Symphonique. Got the kids? Come out and see the Petite école du jazz at the Complexe Desjardins during the day (with AC!) You can also catch Urban Science Brass Band… they do a daily outdoor parade at 5pm.
Montreal is the world capital of circus! With that, the Completement Cirque Festival has just gotten underway. Check out Phénix, a new, free nightly show on a 360 degree stage at Jardins Gamelin at 7:15pm and 10:15pm. And you can catch acrobats dangling high above St Denis and Ontario twice a night. One of my favourite troupes, Australian outfit Gravity & Other Myths, presents Backbone indoors at La Tohu.
Repercussion Theatre presents its annual Shakespeare-in-the-Park travelling show with a twist! Romeo & Juliet: Love is Love features two women in the lead roles of the star-crossed lovers. This is not unexpected: a few years ago, director Amanda Kellock staged an all-women Julius Caesar. Tonight, the show is at Mont-Royal then the cast ventures to Cornwall all weekend. You can see the show July 10 in Westmount. Romeo & Juliet then travels in and around the city, hitting up green spots in areas like Kirkland, Parc Lafontaine, Westmount, Morin Heights and RDP. It wraps at the Olympic Stadium on August 8.
Montreal Comic Con takes over Palais des Congres… with illustrious names like Jason Momoa, Pamela Anderson and David Duchovny (for a special X-Files panel) coming in to snap a photo with you! Some fun highlights: the 50 musicians of The Film Music Wind Orchestra perform the soundtracks of their favourite TV shows and films, Saturday at noon. And cosplayers show off their handiwork Saturday evening at the Masquerade ball.
Celebrate Indian culture with several local communities at a big block party at Jeanne Mance Park. There will be music, dance, yoga workshops… and a parade at noon on Saturday, complete with a huge 40-foot chariot named India Ratha Yatra. It’s free and there will be free vegetarian food! Saturday, noon to 9pm, and Sunday, 1 to 7pm.
A surprise birthday for… a food truck? The folks at the Grumman 78 resto are planning a birthday party for their iconic yellow taco food truck, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. This food party is at 630 de Courcelle, near Notre Dame in St Henri, at their actual restaurant, Sunday from 1 to 10pm.
Speaking of food trucks, you can stuff your face and empty your wallet when 50 trucks descend upon the Sun Life Esplanade at the Big O. Starting at 4pm, First Friday also features outdoor music and other activities.
On Montreal’s nerdiest weekend of the year, The Wiggle Room takes a trip to Gotham to pull back the cape on Batman and his crew. Holy Boobies Batman is Saturday 9pm at the Wiggle Room. Performers include Baron von Styck, Honey Dynamite and Lily Monroe.