Summer is slowly winding down for those of us who are heading back to school this September. Luckily the start of school brings a ton of parties to ease that tricky transition between summer playtime and fall studies. One of the biggest parties includes Oumf's Back to School Block Party that takes over St. Denis Street in the Quartier des Spectacles. This three-day event is a festival of musical performances, dance, and art. It's tailormade for students who have spent their last dollars on books and tuition because all of the performances are totally free. In its ninth year already, Oumf is nearly a student ritual to start the year off on the right foot. Of course, you don't have to be a student to attend, the festival encourages everyone to take part in the culture. From Thursday, September 5 to Saturday, September 7 the days will be packed with things to do, you can compete in gaming circuits, listen to music from Montreal and internationally known artists, or catch some truly unique street art. Each night culminates with the Block Party, starting between 6 and 7 PM. If you've always been a fan of 8 Mile, on opening night you can even watch a live rap battle. Check out some of the headliners in the program below. They include Brown Family featuring Snail Kid, Jam and their father Robin Kerr, Montreal rapper Kap.Dog, and rising stars Kevin Na$h and MTLord. View this post on Instagram La prog est lancée 🚀 - #oumf2019 - Du 5 au 7 septembre ⚡️ A post shared by Festival OUMF (@oumfmtl) on Jul 30, 2019 at 11:03am PDT There are some absolutely strange and (for me at least) unmissable art installations like Hunger Paint which is a mixture of wrestling, performance and live painting. I have no idea what that is but they bill themselves as "the first and only wrestling league on canvas in Quebec." Yeah, no kidding. READ ALSO: Apparently Pokémon GO Is Still A Thing & The First "Pokémon Safari" In North America Is Coming To Montreal If you're feeling competitive there are gaming circuits every day like the “ÉQUILIBRE” challenge, which is basically a large version of Jenga. View this post on Instagram C’est la rentrée, c’est le temps de venir faire le party à OUMF! Joins-toi à nous la semaine prochaine, du 6 au 9, pour notre 7e édition présentée par @desjardins360d en collaboration avec @3brasseursca! / It’s that time of the year: back to school and back to OUMF! Join us next week, Sept. 6-9, for our 7th edition presented by @desjardins360d in collaboration with @3brasseursca! 🍻#tbt #oumf2015 #oumf A post shared by Festival OUMF (@oumfmtl) on Aug 31, 2017 at 2:17pm PDT But what would games be without the added handicap of a few drinks? Enjoy a dance-off at one of the local street bars or square-off against your friends in popular pub games. View this post on Instagram Dernière chance de laisser ta trace sur la rue Saint-Denis! Merci à @deserres pour la peinture 👊🏼 / 🎨 par @sandryne88 / #OUMF #oumftarue #streetart #montreal #mtlmoments A post shared by Festival OUMF (@oumfmtl) on Sep 9, 2017 at 2:33pm PDT This party almost makes it seem better to know we're heading back to class soon. Oumf Back To School Block Party WHEN: September 5 – 7 WHERE: Rue St-Denis (keep an eye out for updates on their interactive map)COST: FREE Website
