Montreal Weekender: July 18 through 21, 2013

THURSDAY
Why not start Thursday on a culinary note and check out the 40 Montreal food trucks that are currently occupying Place Des Festivals for the Just For Laughs Festival? Some of the familiar names on site include Grumman 78, Gaufrabec, Diablos, Lucille’s, Pied De Cochon, Le Cheese Truck and whatever else your foodie heart may desire. You can head down at lunch with your colleagues since the trucks open at noon and go all the way until 11pm daily. Eat up, kids!

Here’s something from out of this world… literally. Olympia Theater will be hosting the Voca People, a new inter-galactic phenomenal like no other show.  Expect amazing vocal sounds, acapella singing, beat boxing and an incredible range of sounds and instruments. Expect an evening of excitement, music, comedy and audience participation where you will be able to help musically energize their unique spaceship… weird, but we’re intrigued! 

FRIDAY
Station 16, a spot for some of the city’s coolest artists, and MASSIVart are hosting a BBQ party in the backyard of the Galerie Station 16 now that it’s completely settled in and ready. What will you see? The most recent series of Antoine Tavaglione’s artwork, presented for the first time in Montreal, not forgetting a selection of works by artists from the awesome MURAL festival. The notable part? All the art is for sale in case you need a spruce up at home or the office. Music will be a major presence with electro and hip-hop by DJs Malky and Munno, both introduced by Saint Woods. Of course food will be a focal point as well, with recipes for vegetarians and meat eaters and fresh drinks including beer, wine and more on premise. Entrance is free, so you have no excuse!

Another hot party in the city tonight is being hosted by MTL Blog with their next edition of DRINK! Glow Party Yo! The night will feature paint girls and black lights everywhere, so a white t-shirt is highly suggested; free glowing accessories will be given out and more! Tickets are at the door and be ready for surprises, dancing, a cool crowd and just plain old fun.

SATURDAY
Strike a pose, baby! Ever wanted learn how to vogue like a disco pro? Well here comes the Disco Vogue Workshop, ?a two-hour beginner’s dance class for anyone who wants to strike a pose and vogue. Be ready for runway, face, poses, arm control, dips and more.?Heels and dress-up are encouraged, but make sure you pack your kicks for the warm-up! 

With the sweltering Montreal heat wave, don’t we all sometimes wish the city could be a more tropical looking place? Well the good folks at Unik Productions, l’Assommoir and Juripop are turning Parc Jean-Drapeau into a Jamaican Pavilion. Tropic 180 is a tropical summer party that will be transformed into an enchanting place, surrounded by a river, tall trees and parks and hopefully make you forget the heat of the city. At noon, the site will open its doors for a day with many activities including Frisbee, volleyball, a paddleboard contest and more! From the opening at noon, and into the wee hours of the morning, several DJs will make you dance away until you’re hungry and need to visit one of the food trucks on premise providing some yummy treats. Don’t forget your SPF!

SUNDAY
Quentin Tarantino calls it “the most important and prestigious genre film festival on this continent”… we’re of course referring to Fantasia. Since its inception in 1996, the Fantasia International Film Festival is now recognized as the largest and most influential event of its kind in North America, a leader on the genre film scene and one of the country’s most popular film festivals. With an emphasis on the imaginative cinema of Asia, Europe and the Americas, Fantasia will be showcasing a range from unique personal visions to international commercial crowd-pleasers very rarely seen in North America. A must0see? Everyone’s favorite serial killing doll Chucky is back in “Chucky’s Revenge” for the world premiere screening! Nightmares, here we come.

To make this Sunday even more interesting, why not check the “The Candyass Cabaret” as part of the Just For Laughs festivities? The cabaret brings a revival of the vaudeville, circus and neo burlesque from Montreal’s historic entertainment district of the Main. This is for the more daring young professionals out there that like the out-of-the-box events because the show will be a mix of drag, burlesque and a lot of colour to provoke the heart and mind.

 

Cover Image: Station16