Montreal Put Up Giant Nutcrackers Downtown & They Look Completely Traumatized By 2020

Hello darkness, my old friend.
Senior Editor

Apparently, not even inanimate objects can escape the effects of 2020. As the city and its boroughs set up a number of winter installations to give residents some semblance of holiday cheer, two structures stand out: the towering, traumatized nutcrackers in downtown Montreal.

With mouths agape and eyes wide and glassy, the statues, like the rest of us, appear to be under the dismal spell of the last year, staring aimlessly down rue Ste-Catherine, preoccupied with the unspeakable horrors replaying endlessly in their minds.

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To remind you of good memories and to fill you with wonder, two giant nutcrackers will welcome you.

XP_MTL

The street before them might as well not even exist. All they see is the personal hellscape of their own memories.

The nutcrackers are just one installation by XP_MTL downtown this year. 

Visitors will also find a giant, festive tree, a "luminous" multi-coloured ceiling, and pink trees adorned with messages from residents.

Other attractions await in Ville-Marie, too, like the return of luminothérapie at Place des Festivals, which this year takes the form of human-powered music boxes.

Also in the Quartier des Spectacles are the "Winter Gardens" opening on December 5 and described in a statement shared with MTL Blog as "a very special path that will lead [...] to the foot of a majestic Christmas tree, facing an incredible Alsatian decor as well as small chalets offering a
wonderful scenery."

Standing above it all will be the giant distressed nutcrackers, whose faces will definitely be recognizable to 2020-weary Montrealers.

  • Thomas MacDonald
  • Senior Editor

    Thomas MacDonald was the Senior Editor of MTL Blog. He received a B.A. with honours from McGill University in 2018 and worked as a Writer and Associate Editor before entering his current role. He is proud to lead the MTL Blog team and to provide its readers with the information they need to make the most of their city.

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