The Bulletin: Disco Queens, Nordic Festivities, and the Great Underground Race [Issue #167]

Come on in and see what we mean.

JP Karwacki, Managing Editor

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

Thursday

✊ Black History Month marks its 35th Quebec edition with programming spanning classical music, film, visual art, and outdoor activities.

🖼️ The Art Gallery Problem opens at Dazibao on February 5, with six artists interrogating how museums surveil, display, and control objects and bodies.

Friday

🎬 Festival Fade to Black celebrates 15 years of Black creativity with film screenings, panels, and the AfroArts Expo showcasing Afro-descendant artisans, fashion, and food in Saint-Henri.

🎛️ The Glitch Mob brings their 360º live show to Club Soda, returning to underground rave roots with a decade of electronic anthems.

🔥 A Heated Rivalry Rave takes over Le Belmont with queer anthems, club hits, and all the chaos—pick a side and dance it out.

Saturday

❄️ Igloofest wraps its 18th edition February 7 with one final weekend of outdoor electronic music at Jacques-Cartier Pier.

🌲 Montréal Boréal (Le Jam du Nord) transforms Parc Sir-George-Étienne-Cartier into a Nordic playground with a giant igloo chalet, live ice sculpting, maple taffy, and a Saturday night dance party.

🎹 Innovations en concert presents pianist Isak Goldschneider performing works by John Cage and his circle, exploring the composer's deep connection between music and nature.

🪩 Voulez-Vous returns to Bar Le Ritz for a 16th edition of disco and '80s hits—Donna Summer, ABBA, Blondie, and all the guilty pleasures.

🖤 Maleficarum Market hosts its Aphrodisia edition February 7–8 in Saint-Henri, with over 25 artists showcasing gothic, queer, and occult wares.

Sunday 

🐴 Festival du Tết celebrates the Lunar New Year and 50 years of Montreal's Vietnamese community at Grand Quai with lion dances, live music, and food vendors.

🏳️‍🌈 DAD BOD Tea Dance brings early-evening queer dance vibes to the SAT on February 8, with classic house, Italo-disco, and community warmth from 5 to 10 p.m.

💝 Montreal Makers Market brings its Valentine's Day edition to Rosemont February 7–8, with over 85 local artisans and free admission.

🏃 Registration's over but you go can go watch BougeBouge 5K take runners through Montreal's underground city—the only race to traverse the entire network.

❄️ Marathon des Neiges returns to Parc Frédéric-Back on February 8, with 10K, half-marathon, and full marathon distances through the winter landscape.

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.

Gratiné returns to the SAT terrace on Feb 5–6 with melting raclette, flambéed Bombe Alaska, cocktails, and DJ sets.

Notre-Dame des Quilles hosts Sunday ramen pop-ups with Sun Ramen every week in February—bowls until sold out, plus karaoke and bowling.

Réserve Naturelle teams up with Ferme Sugaree for tacos, bourbon lemonades, and natural wine on Feb 7—no reservations, just show up.

Chez Victoire offers a $40 chef's choice menu for two Monday through Thursday in February—two starters, two mains, and a shared dessert.

Turbo Haus celebrates 13 years on Feb 7 with a night of dancing, kissing, and clowning around starting at 8 p.m.

Poutine Week wraps up February 7, with over 20 Montreal restaurants competing in creative takes on the classic. Vote for your favourites before it's too late.

Saturday Cafe teams up with Eliza Faulkner for a Valentine's Day pop-up on Feb 7—order a coffee and get 15% off your purchase.

Double's Latenight and Sugo team up for a $75 Super Bowl buffet on Feb 8—Hawaiian lasagna, jerk wings, spicy rosé chicken parm sandos, and more.

Messorem hosts the Super Bowl on Feb 8 with $6 pints, $1 wings, and a sound system built for halftime.

Bon Délire hosts the Super Bowl on Feb 8 with projectors, live sound, contests, and hot dogs.

Elena celebrates eight years with a Pasta Pooks pop-up on Feb 9—expect collab pizzas, never-before-seen pasta specials, and wine pairings.

Star Bar hosts a Mending Night on Feb 10—bring your clothes, learn to fix them for free, and grab a slice while you're at it.

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

Montreal's public spaces are good, but coasting on reputation is a risk. A new piece explores five placemaking trends the city should be borrowing before complacency sets in. Read more.

Everything worth knowing: February in Montreal is packed with outdoor festivals, milestone anniversaries, underground 5Ks, and an all-night arts marathon. Read more.

The chefs behind Dobe & Andy and Buboy opened Doboy in Chinatown's Place du Quartier—a no-frills casse-croûte serving steamies, Michigans, and poutine with duck-bone gravy. Read more.

Montreal's 1880s ice palaces were built from 500-pound blocks pulled from the St. Lawrence—they also doubled as symbols of British imperial power and excluded French Canadian clubs from their grandest events. Read more.

A sexologist explains why she'll never discuss her own sex life in session—and why that distance isn't coldness, but a framework designed to keep the focus where it belongs: on you. Read more.

Eating alone is a flex, if the room knows how to hold you. We mapped out 29 Montréal spots where solo dining feels normal (even ideal). Read more.

Not every date needs a loud room or a perfect playlist, so we made a guide that pulls together spots made for conversation—low light, thoughtful drinks, and rooms where two people can actually hear each other. Read more.

Montreal’s blue-collar workers began a 24-hour strike that halted garbage pickup and closed some arenas, while essential winter services continue as wage negotiations stall. Read more.

A downtown Montreal protest is planned Sunday outside the U.S. consulate, as organizers rally against ICE and U.S. immigration enforcement in solidarity with demonstrations unfolding in Minneapolis. Read more.

Montréal en Lumière will soon return with over 80 restaurants, a wintry theme park, and a gastronomic theme tracing 65 years of the city's dining evolution. Here's everything you need to know. Read more.

Speaking of which, Nuit Blanche returns February 28 with over 100 free events, extended metro hours, dance floors open until 6 a.m. and a post-dawn brunch. Read more.

Want to sponsor this newsletter, or know someone who would?

Reach thousands of Montrealers and support our content at the same time: Contact us for more info.

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 & Editor-in-Chief / 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