The Pointe-à-Callière Museum's 18th-century public market is coming back to Old Montreal between August 27 and 28. The event revives the gathering space that once stood in what's now the Place Royale and Place D'Youville.
Re-enactors will pose as early settlers representing a cross-section of colonial society; Pointe-à-Callière says there will be noblemen, peasants, sailors, villagers and soldiers marching through the grounds and conducting firing drills.
The idealized presentation of (in reality often-brutal) settler colonialism will also feature merchant stalls with traditional wares, musical performances and demonstrations in wool spinning, calligraphy, pottery and basketwork, among other skills.
A second section of the market will feature contemporary artisans. There, Abenaki, Anishinaabe, Kanyen'kehà:ka, Mi’kmaq and Naskapi artists will lead workshops in "leather tanning, cooking, and basketwork, as well as the making of moccasins, cradleboards, and dreamcatchers," according to a press release.
The juxtaposition of the historical and modern is meant to demonstrate the continuation of "ancestral practices" to the present day.
The museum says there will be 70 stands in total between the historical and contemporary parts of the market.
The site will open at 10 a.m. on August 27 and close for the season at 6 p.m. on August 28.
Get a summary of the details below.
Pointe-à-Callière Museum 18th-Century Market In Old Montreal
Merchants in colonial garb pose in a stall at the Pointe-à-Callière 18th-century market.
Jean-Michael Seminaro | Courtesy of Pointe-à-Callière
Price: Free to attend
Where: Outside the Pointe-à-Callière Museum, Place Royale and Place D'Youville in Old Montreal
When:
- Saturday, August 27, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Sunday, August 28, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
