The Bulletin: Going all-in for the holidays [Issue #156]

Also: There's still time to support The Main with a paid membership and get an invite to our a VIP night on Nov 21!

Activities, parties, points of interest, art exhibitions, you name it: These are the weekend events you don't want to miss.

Thursday

🎭 Premiering at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts is our place, a powerful comedy, by Canadian playwright Kanika Ambroise.

🎬 Montreal’s Image+nation Festival returns with over 125 films from 38 countries, showcasing a sweeping mix of queer comedies, gripping dramas, intimate family stories, and bold new voices in LGBTQ+ cinema. 

🍾 Dive into a night of Korean literature and culture at Librairie Saint-Henri Books, where author Jinwoo Park (Oxford Soju Club) leads a cozy session of soju tastings, book pairings, and snacks—complete with a take-home tasting glass.

🎤 Be a part of the Laugh for A Cause fundraiser at Hurleys, an uplifting night dedicated to supporting the Montreal Centre for Learning Disabilities bringing together some of Montreal's sharpest comedians.

📚 The Montreal Book Fair returns to the Palais des congrès, transforming the venue into a lively literary hub packed with local and international publishers, workshops, and author talks.

📸 Explore the Plateau’s past and present through the photography of Alain Chagnon at a free discussion with local historians at the House of Culture.

Friday

❄️ The Main’s first annual Holiday Market kicks off this weekend– RSVP for a chance to win a 250$ gift card to spend at the market!

🎥 Montreal’s RIDM festival returns for another year showcasing over 100 films from over 40 countries in various venues throughout the city.

🎸 More than 500 local and international music industry professionals gather to discover emerging artists through showcases, conferences, and networking at M for Montreal.

🗣 The Night Summit unites researchers, artists, industry leaders, and the public for panels and discussions at the SAT to confront the rising challenges facing Montréal’s nightlife. 

🎨 Pause and reflect on the subtle moments that make up everyday life through texture and colours at Philip Viens' solo exhibition, Bouchée de Vie.

Saturday

🎅 Montreal's gathering on René-Lévesque Boulevard to experience Quebec's most popular Christmas event, the Santa Claus Parade downtown.

🏺 No Clue Collective hosts a festive artisanal pop-up with more than 30 local Montreal vendors selling unique ceramics, prints, candles, home goods, baked goods, jewelry, and more.

🖌️ Participate in a ceramic painting workshop and create a personalized matcha bowl and chasen holder, or tumbler and small plate for either yourself or a loved one.  

👘 Find unique presents and celebrate Japanese culture at the returning Japanese Holiday Market, featuring artisanal goods, handcrafted gifts, and seasonal treats.

🧶 Milo and Dexter host a weekend pop-up with pieces on display and an exhibition featuring wool based works.

Sunday 

📚 It's the last day to peruse literature from Quebec and around the world at the Salon du livre de Montréal, the largest collection of French-language books in North America.

🏃‍♀️ Finish a 7km race starting in Villeray and then reward yourself with a bean-to-bar chocolate tasting, courtesy of Avaana Chocolat. 

🛍️ Milk N Bone returns with a special in-store sale—score personal collections and stage pieces at unbeatable prices.

Listen, watch, and dance to incredible documentaries. 🎥

One of North America's leading documentary festivals, RIDM, returns this weekend with 136 films from 47 countries, but it's more than film this year: VR installations and live music pairings make the whole affair more than watching.

Until November 30. Read more about this year's edition on The Main.

WHAT TO EAT & DRINK IN AND AROUND MONTREAL

Scope the latest restaurant openings, recommendations on where to eat, plus new menus, old classics, and everything in between.

Three french wineries will be at Sans Taverne on Nov 20 to give Montrealers a taste of their first 2025 harvests.

Sutton’s La Réserve Naturelle invites you to try three of their new Quebecois wines on Nov 20.

Cafe Gentile brings its authentic Sicilian-inspired menu to the West Island with the opening of their third location on Nov 20.

Negroni Sbagliato are two for one at Bar Cicchetti from Thursdays to Saturdays starting Nov 20. 

Happy Hour lasts all night at Nevski’s on Nov 20 with a pop-up cocktail lineup, the launch of their Thursday Spritz Bar, and a live DJ. 

Rad Rescue hosts Barks & Bubbly, a fundraising event to raise proceeds that will go directly to helping dogs have a healthier and longer life on Nov 20. 

Pop up ramen storms La Sala Rossa on Nov 20 with a compact menu featuring vegan options. 

Brasserie Dieu du Ciel invites you to an indulgent brunch featuring a three course meal accompanied with three tastings of their imperial café stout on Nov 22. 

Enjoy a boozy brunch at 180g Café-Disquaire on Nov 22 complete with live DJ sets and a cozy meal.

Get a beer and then a tattoo, and then another beer at Isle de Garde’s Flash Day on Nov 23, with three artists to choose from.

Bistro La Franquette turns five on Nov 23, make your reservations and join the celebration.

Marci's hosting chef Jose Delgado, a renowned figure in Buenos Aires culinary scene, for a unique 5-course gastronomic evening on Nov 24.

Buboy hosts a pop-up on Nov 24, with a special lunch and dinner menu created by chef Mark Singson– make your reservations ahead to get a taste of this unique collab.

Barocco turns 17 and is celebrating with an autumn-inspired, mushroom-forward menu created by the restaurant’s present and past chefs on Nov 26.

Here, you'll find a weekly round-up of our stories from the past week, plus the latest local news.

The REM's Deux-Montagnes line just added 14 stations and cut a two-hour North Shore commute to 30 minutes—complete with the second-deepest station in North America carved into Mount Royal's rock. Read more.

Montreal landed two spots in Air Canada's final Top 10 Best New Restaurants, with seven more local openings recognized nationally. Read more.

This weekend marks the beginning of an absolute holiday market bonanza (yours truly's own event included), and we wrote a master list for all the folks who love guzzling that kind of Koolaid. Read more.

Montreal's new bar scene now include a 3,500-square-foot Bavarian beer hall, a hidden speakeasy behind a fridge door in Old Montreal, an izakaya-style hotel bar, and a Mile-Ex tavern. Read more.

His barbershop is our sports fall of fame: Dominique "Ménick" Perrazino's been cutting hair on Masson for 66 years—serving everyone from Hulk Hogan to Guy Lafleur to three generations of neighbourhood regulars. Read more.

Montreal indie publisher La Peuplade spent 20 years quietly building bridges between Quebec and the world—translating Scandinavian hits, championing unknowns, and turning an asbestos-town memoir into a 40,000-copy phenomenon. Read more.

New cafés in Montreal now range from Tres Leches specialists in Saint-Henri to Korean dessert counters on the Plateau, Italian espresso windows, and a metaphysical shop serving lattes alongside spell jars. Read more.

Nirvana's Chinatown tattoo shop trains apprentices the traditional way—years, not months—while monthly block parties bring hundreds to a neighbourhood everyone says is dying but refuses to let go. Read more.

Montreal's climbing gyms ditched mirrors and treadmill anxiety for colour-coded routes and rooftop saunas—turning into third spaces where everyone's solving puzzles instead of comparing biceps. Read more.

What started with a Bulgarian immigrant opening a billiard hall in 1912 is now the steamie joint that's survived everything and is now thinking it can franchise like the next St-Hubert. It's Montreal Pool Room, kids! Read more.

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And that wraps yet another weekly bulletin. We’ll be back with more curiosities, local stories, and events to discover next week.

If ever you catch something we should know, don't hesitate to reach out to us on Instagram.

👋 Masthead: Philip Tabah, Founder & Head of Creative / Daniel Bromberg, Co-Founder & Head of Operations / Jean-Philippe Lauzon, Co-Founder & Head of Tech / JP Karwacki, Managing Editor / Amber Spector, Social Media Manager / Samuel Vadnais, Head of Partnerships / Anahi Pellathy, Editorial & Production Coordinator / Phylida Tuff-West, Editorial Intern / Kaitlyn DiBartolo, Editorial Intern / Jeremy Cox, Editorial Intern / AnnaClare Sung, Editorial Intern