Montreal's Lachine Canal Is Getting A Massive, 3,000-Person Pop-Up Terrasse This Summer

Montreal summer is back in a big way. La Guinguette du Sud-Ouest, a pop-up bar and event space that drew throngs of Montrealers to the banks of the Lachine Canal in the summer of 2021, is coming back this year with an area three times larger than its previous edition.

Organizers tell MTL Blog that with the additional capacity, the site, in the Parc de l'Ancienne-cour-de-triage between the canal and rue Saint-Patrick, will be able to accommodate more than 3,000 people.

But unlike the weeks-long 2021 edition, this year's Guinguette du Sud-Ouest will take place across just four days, June 23 to 26, including Quebec's national holiday, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, for which organizers are collaborating with the borough for a special celebration.

The complete program is forthcoming, but the hope is that this more concentrated version will enable organizers to put on an even more dazzling jamboree. The 2021 edition included a menu with cocktails by the pitcher and vegan tapas, burgers and hot dogs. No word yet on what hungry revellers can expect this year.

Other boroughs might once again see their own Guingettes, too. In 2021, Parc Jean-Drapeau and Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles's Parc Saint-Joseph each hosted their own pop-up terrasse.

Also on the horizon from organizers of Les Guingettes: a Noël des campeurs ("Camper's Christmas") event in Old Montreal that could include on-site camping in collaboration with Parks Canada.

Here's what we know so far: