Arts & Culture

176
The unlikely third spaces emerging from Montreal’s bouldering culture
AnnaClare Sung

The unlikely third spaces emerging from Montreal’s bouldering culture

How climbing gyms like Café Bloc have become neighborhood hangouts—complete with coffee, bars, and saunas—that offer a compelling alternative to traditional gym culture.

Nirvana's bringing new school energy to Chinatown with an old school tattoo shop
Elle Magni

Nirvana's bringing new school energy to Chinatown with an old school tattoo shop

Traditional styles and apprenticeships keep the faith to the craft, while monthly block parties bring hundreds to the neighbourhood.

Inside CKUT, Montreal's 38-year experiment in community radio
Madeline Lines

Inside CKUT, Montreal's 38-year experiment in community radio

90.3 FM has been the mic for the mic-less for nearly four decades, kept alive by 300 volunteers and the belief that a homemade sound can be a beautiful thing.

We started a petition to make Montreal's ugly Christmas tree an annual tradition
J.P. Karwacki

We started a petition to make Montreal's ugly Christmas tree an annual tradition

Last year, we wrote about how the city should make the Ugly Tree official. This year, we're actually trying to make it happen.

Everyone dunks on Griffintown. Here's what they're missing.
Christopher DeWolf

Everyone dunks on Griffintown. Here's what they're missing.

Griffintown's become Montreal's favourite punching bag for anti-development sentiment, but its messy, diverse rebirth is actually turning into something good.

Things to do in Montreal this November
The Main

Things to do in Montreal this November

The best things to do in Montreal during November bring enough festivals, holiday markets, and cultural programming to make you forget the cold.

When rubbing shoulders with death is your full-time gig
Salomé Maari @ URBANIA

When rubbing shoulders with death is your full-time gig

"In my first months working in funeral services, I immediately realized it was going to profoundly change my perception of life."

How Mile-Ex launched (and lost) Montreal's warehouse pop explosion
Max Honigmann

How Mile-Ex launched (and lost) Montreal's warehouse pop explosion

From 2006 to 2016, Mile-Ex's DIY spaces launched Grimes, Mac DeMarco, TOPS, and one of Montreal's most productive music scenes. Then it was all killed off.

Radical proximity is the antidote to digital exhaustion
Prachi Khandekar

Radical proximity is the antidote to digital exhaustion

A new wave of gatherings in Montreal—dinners with strangers, life drawing, and apartment galleries—is bringing back the risk and reward of unscripted human contact.

If you want to understand Montreal's dance scene, start with Ferias
J.P. Karwacki

If you want to understand Montreal's dance scene, start with Ferias

Guthrie Drake and Alina Byrne built their dance community on borrowed time, clandestine spaces, and the belief that range matters more than genre.

Old Montreal's losing its soul and we've got to get it back
Kevin Demers

Old Montreal's losing its soul and we've got to get it back

"Nine years running bars in the neighbourhood has taught me one thing: we're fumbling what should be our greatest asset."

Illustrator Raymond Biesinger's self-defence guide against getting ripped off
J.P. Karwacki

Illustrator Raymond Biesinger's self-defence guide against getting ripped off

After two decades of wage theft and rip-offs, a Montreal illustrator pens a tactical guide to defending creative work.

Montreal's got a nightlife policy, so why are venues still at risk?
Max Honigmann

Montreal's got a nightlife policy, so why are venues still at risk?

A year into the city's first-ever nightlife framework, the future of Montreal's independent venues still hangs in the balance.

Who Killed the Montreal Expos?
J.P. Karwacki

Who Killed the Montreal Expos?

Less sports history and more like grief counseling, the Netflix documentary explains why a city still wears the logo of a defunct baseball team 20 years after they disappeared— feels session.

Club DD's revives a Plateau dance floor with lines around the block
Elle Magni

Club DD's revives a Plateau dance floor with lines around the block

From disco balls to daytime kikis, a legendary Saint-Laurent address is reborn as a queer-owned playground for music, drag, and late-night euphoria.

Where to dance, scream, and celebrate with Halloween parties in Montreal
The Main

Where to dance, scream, and celebrate with Halloween parties in Montreal

Ah, Halloween in Montreal: A month-long excuse to wear leather, fake blood, and increasingly elaborate wigs. Here's what's up in 2025.