Someone dollops hot sauce onto tacos. Right: A person falls from a climbing wall over a pool.
Ah, September in Montreal — when the city's mood swings between "I need one more ice cream" and "Is it too early for pumpkin spice." You’ll need somewhere to go once you’ve got that latté in hand, and there is a lot packed into back-to-school season.
From hip-hop, country, and deep trance festivals to tattoo shows, scavenger hunts and kite-flying classes, this list will help you find the last few events this year where you can comfortably wear shorts.
Psicobloc Climbing
When: September 1 to 3
Where: Park Jean Drapeau Aquatic Complex, 130, chem. du Tour de l'isle
Cost: $30 for a weekend pass
Reason To Go: You can watch free climbers perform extreme stunts at this pool-side event. Entry grants you access to food trucks and bars, a treasure hunt, and a water gun battle with live music in celebration of the climbing competition.
Sunflower Festival
When: September 1 to 4
Where: La Belle de Coteau-du-Lac, 75, route 201, Coteau-du-Lac, QC
Cost: $19.95 per adult or $29 for entry plus a bouquet
Reason To Go: You can walk through fields of towering sunflowers in a blissful setting a short drive from Montreal, with the chance to pick your own bouquet to bring home. Enjoy a day of whimsy, snap some great photos in the scenic gardens, and bring home flowers or fresh berries picked on-site.
Festival MEG Montreal
When: September 7 to 10
Where: Multiple venues
Cost: Free to enter, some shows charge $27+
Reason To Go: Featuring big names like Nora en Pure, Vacra and Chloé Caillet, the MEG Festival lineup of electronic music artists spans genres from Deep House to R&B, trap and hip-hop. The venues this year are along the shores of the Saint-Lawrence River, at Village au Pied-du-courant and Parc Jean-Drapeau.
Distrix Festival
When: September 1 to 3
Where: Quartier des Spectacles
Cost: Free, or $20+ for VIP tickets
Reason To Go: You can celebrate 50 years of hip hop culture with basketball, live hip hop and rap battles, graffiti, break dancing, and VR games around Place Des Arts.
Spend A Weekend Apple Picking
When: Mid-August until mid-October
Where: Various locations
Cost: Not much, for example, $7 for a three-litre bag
Reason To Go: With many orchards located a quick trip outside of Montreal, the region is home to loads of apple trees with Melba, Jersey Mac, Sunrise, and Red Free apples available as early as August. As the weeks pass, Lobo, Jaune d'Oka and Macintosh apples will be ready to pick well into October. Many orchards offer other features in addition to apple picking, so you can also enjoy luxury outdoor picnics, corn mazes, cider tastings, restaurants and cafés, farm tours and more, depending on where you go.
Gardens Of Light
When: September 1 to October 31, 7 to 10 p.m.
Where: Montreal Botanical Garden, 4101, rue Sherbrooke Est
Cost: $17+
Reason To Go: You can take in breathtaking light displays at the Botanical Garden as the leaves begin to change colour in Montreal. The lanterns in the Chinese Garden will tell a butterfly love story this year, while the Japanese Garden remains a spot for relaxation and the First Nations Garden intrigues with sound and light shows.
Fly A Kite
When: September 2
Where: Frédéric-Back Park, 2235, rue Michel-Jurdant
Cost: Free
Reason To Go: Learn how to fly a kite in an uplifting experience at TOHU's last kite flying workshop of the summer. You can bring your own kite, or borrow one to learn tricks that get your colourful fabric off the ground and up into the sky.
FAR Festival des Arts de Ruelle
When: August 28 to September 10
Where: Various boroughs across Montreal
Cost: Free
Reason To Go: Celebrating its 7th edition, the FAR Festival is back and ready to take over the streets of Montreal. Enchanting musical spectacles await the audience aboard the dynamic Mixbus, featuring renowned artists like Meghan Oak, Lanuit, Bermuda, Miro Chino, and William Papillon. A plethora of skilled performers from diverse disciplines will animate the delightful backstage ambiance of Montreal. This is a place where circus arts, theatre, dance, puppetry, street art, and a myriad of other forms will converge in a symphony of creativity.
Rouville Country Festival
When: August 31 to September 3
Where: 1925, rue Rouville, Saint-Jean-Baptiste, QC
Cost: $46 to $66
Reason To Go: Following on the cowboy boot heels of the attendance record-breaking LASSO Festival in Montreal, you can get more country music at the second edition of this festival 40 minutes east of the city. Festival facilities include a golf (country) club, aquapark, arcade, flea market, grocery store, dairy bar, restaurant and canteen. The event showcases a blend of cultures I like to call TexBec. Up in the north, the boots stomp just as hard, and the dances are carré af.
Art Tattoo Show Montreal
When: September 8 to 10
Where: Grand Quai du Port de Montréal
Cost: $25 per day or $60 for a 3 day pass
Reason To Go: At the foot of the new Port of Montreal Observation Tower is a brand new event space hosting world-renowned artists who'll be showing off their talents and leaving a lasting mark on the living flesh of our city. You might even leave with a design that speaks to your soul.
Tempéo Dance and Music Festival
When: September 14 to 16 and 21 to 23
Where: Esplanade Place des Arts
Cost: Free
Reason To Go: Professional dancers will guide you through global dance styles, like Bollywood, Haitian, disco, and Latin, all set to the backdrop of DJs and live bands. Each genre gets its own night, with one-hour classes starting at 7 p.m. and the music playing until 10 p.m.
Burlesque Lovelies of Wrestling
When: September 22, 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Where: Café Cleopatra, 1230, boulevard Saint-Laurent
Cost: $23
Reason To Go: This burlesque and drag wrestling parody will be serving up heaps of fun (and performers). You can tag in your sidekick, but the laughs are sure to make you tap out.
Montreal International Black Film Festival
When: September 27 to October 1
Where: Multiple venues
Cost: $12+
Reason To Go: You can see some of the best films on Black culture at this bilingual festival that showcases compelling narratives that challenge, inspire, and celebrate diverse voices. You'll have the chance to engage with groundbreaking filmmakers and vibrant stories from around the world.
Questo Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
When: All of September
Where: 200, rue De La Gauchetière Ouest
Cost: $9+ for one person, or $33+ for a group of six
Reason To Go: You can discover Montreal's history across a 3.5-kilometre real-world adventure game that gets you visiting outdoor places with the Questo app. You follow hints and solve puzzles to find the next clue to uncover the story of prohibition-era Montreal. It's kind of llike Pokemon Go meets an escape room.
Cannabis Expo Montreal
When: September 13 to 14
Where: Palais de Congrès Montreal
Cost: $60
Reason To Go: Cutting-edge technology with innovations in automation and production secrets used in high-end mass production will be on display from Montreal’s buzzing cannabis industry. Tickets are available for a rooftop networking cocktail party, as well as workshops covering marketing, cultivation, medical research, and the Quebec experience of cannabis use.
Expo World Press Photo Montreal
When: August 30 to September 15, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Where: Marché Bonsecours 325, rue de la commune Est
Cost: $15
Reason To Go: This international exhibition offers a chance to see some of the best photographs in the world on display. The winners from this year's annual World Press Photo Expo are sure to include some of the most captivating shots from around the globe.
Montreal Ukrainian Festival
When: September 9th, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Where: Parc Maisonneuve, 4601 Sherbrooke St E
Cost: Free
Reason To Go: This celebration of Ukrainian culture features performances, traditional arts and crafts vendors, food and dance. Whether you’ve had borscht before or not, this is the place to show support for Ukraine and experience Ukrainian culture firsthand.
Drag Show
Courtesy of Maison du Parc.
When: September 28
Where: Cabaret Mado, 1115, rue Sainte-Catherine Est
Cost: $50
Reason To Go: It shouldn’t be hard to drag yourself to this benefit show in support of Maison du Parc, a care facility for people living with HIV/AIDS. Hosted by Plastik Patrick, the performance features the talent of Manny, Ruby Doll, Rawxy, CC Chanel and Walter Ego.
Taco Fest MTL
When: September 2 to 4, 11AM
Where: 1, Clock Tower Quay
Cost: $12.95 for time slots or 18.95+ for all-day access
Reason To Go: This food festival will feature 25 vendors offering soft and hard shell favourites, along with a full range of spices at their hot sauce bar. The event is 18+ given the margarita and sangria bar and the prevalence of tequila. You'll be serenaded by a live mariachi band as you sample salsa and chomp churros. The only thing missing is luchadors fighting over tacos (taco bout entertainment).