The Bulletin: The 201st St. Patrick's Day Parade, Doom-Scrolling Performance Art, and Live Jazz in a Skyscraper [Issue #173]

Morning, Montreal.

You've got a hell of weekend ahead of you as the fork in the road leads to one of two choices: You either enter the throngs of massive moments like the St. Patrick's Day Parade, huge conventions, or Cabane Panache, or you bank away from it all and chill out with art and music in calmer settings. We did our best to keep it all balanced between those options this time around. Godspeed.

I also want to take this time to let you know that a lot of interesting stories are in the pipeline at The Main (I can't spoil the surprise, but this is one example that gives you a taste). Read and watch these tales of our city's communities, histories, and creatives, and I'm positive you will be the most interesting person at the dinner table.

This leads me to two quick notes:

The first is that I hope you'll consider becoming a paid subscriber to help support the work that we do. The more support we have, the better our work gets as we invest in more storytellers, more formats, and more subject matter—all with more quality.

Second? I'd like to give one final nudge about our reader survey. Every answer we receive gives us a clearer idea of not only who our readers are, but what they want to see from The Main. If you haven't answered it yet, please do!

Thanks, and happy reading.

— JP Karwacki, Managing Editor

One Story to Read This Week

Casa del popolo — Photograph: Alexa Kavoukis / @alexa.kavoukis

When we take stock of our live music scene, it'll often feel like a mess of concerns surrounding gentrification, representation, arts funding, and more in a city of fading venues.

That's why you'll want to hear from the longstanding patron, venue owner-operator, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor bassist Mauro Pezzente: His takes on supporting weirdo music and keeping the lights on are both clear-eyed and thought-provoking:

“Unless there's a massive global failure of the capitalist system, things that are great at the beginning eventually don't happen anymore. And it's kind of slowly happening to Casa. I see the difficulty that I have in just paying my basic bills.”

The Bulletin: The 201st St. Patrick's Day Parade, Doom-Scrolling Performance Art, and Live Jazz in a Skyscraper [Issue #173]

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

Thursday

🍁 Cabane Panache returns to Verdun for its 14th edition, a four-day free outdoor sugar shack festival with live music and all kinds of syrupy activities.

🎨 L'Annuel de design de l'UQAM unveils its 2026 visual identity at L'Idéal with a mid-semester party, merch drop, and photo booth—proceeds support the graduating class showcase.

🍁 The sugar shacks in and around town are running, a perfectly good excuse to get out of the city this weekend.

Friday

🎨 Explore the Art Matters Festival's student-driven exhibitions, performances, and events across the city under this year's theme, Unstable Grounds.

🍫 The Salon du Chocolat comes to Montreal for a four-day celebration with tastings, pastry workshops, chocolate fashion shows, and activities for kids.

🛹 The Urban Games bring three days of sports demos, competitions, and urban culture to Downtown, mixing high-level athletes, amateurs, and artists across disciplines.

🔊 Montréal Audiofest puts high-fidelity speakers, turntables, and sound systems on display for devoted audiophiles and the curious alike; what does a five-figure stereo sound like, anyway?

📱 Eastern Bloc hosts BedRot, a 24-hour endurance performance in which artist Aphex Redditor spends a full day in bed scrolling Instagram Reels while the live feed projects behind them — watching the algorithm gradually take shape in real time.

Saturday

🎸 Catch a free punk double bill at Maison de la culture Maisonneuve: Sherbrooke veterans General Fools and Montreal surrealist supergroup PYPY.

🎭 Donna the Show brings its Berlin-acclaimed contemporary cabaret blend of dance, fashion, cinematic projections, and live music to Théâtre Plaza.

🎉 Bâtiment 7's annual fundraiser Équinoxe at their Pointe-Saint-Charles community hub promises four dancefloors, circus cabaret, a silent auction, tarot, massages, and burritos.

🎿 Croissound takes their morning DJ set to Sommet Saint-Sauveur from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — free entry, and there's a bus from Montreal.

🛍️ The Spring Fling market takes over a church in Rosemont with 60+ vendors selling vintage clothing, jewellery, art, candles, sweets, and more.

Sunday

🍀 Montreal's St. Patrick's Day Parade, the oldest and one of the largest in North America, winds through Downtown for three hours. Arrive early.

🎶 Le Système marks its reopening with La Rama behind the booth—Kris Guilty, Terrell, and Emiliano C from 5 p.m. until just before the last train home.

🍺 NDG's Wheel Club keeps the St. Patrick's Day going with The Miltown Scramblers playing traditional Irish music, an open invite for musicians to join in, and Guinness stew in the pot.

✏️ Urban Sketchers Montréal heads to the 32nd floor of the downtown Telus building to sketch the city from one of its better vantage points. Arrive at 10 a.m. sharp, because elevator access is escorted.

🎬 It's the last in-person days of FIFA (Festival International du Film sur l'Art), with documentaries and features exploring art, architecture, dance, and the visionary creators behind them.

Welcome to the Dome of SAT Fest 2026

The 2026 edition of SAT Fest returns from March 24 to 28 at the Satosphere: 52 short films from 14 countries projected across a 360-degree ceiling. The program spans all kinds of styles, narrative works, abstract pieces, and full sensory overloads.

From the opening night's cocktails, opening films, and Fulldome Meetup to the closing night's awards ceremony and Off-Dômesicle party lasting until 3 a.m. with a 100% local lineup, there's a lot to discover (and a lot of never-before-seen features).

Baga smashburger boeuf supp bacon — Bāgā opened last month on Duluth Est with a three-option burger menu—beef, chicken, or vegetarian, all the same price—built on egg buns, local sourcing from bun to ketchup, and a minimalist room from a P'tit Dep alum. | Photograph: Supplied

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.

La Cave du Parapluie launches a Thursday night residency at Cathcart starting March 19. Reservations are open.

Espace Old Mill marks its fourth spring with an apéro fermier on March 19: small plates, wine, and a DJ set. Open to all, no tasting menu, just a good 5 à 7.

The ITHQ's in-house restaurant hosts an evening with urban vineyard Lieux Communs on March 20 for a five-course tasting menu and five-wine flight with the winemakers.

Les Givrés opens all three locations (Hochelaga, Vieux-Rosemont, Villeray) for the 2026 season this week, with a maple butter ice cream available by cone or 500ml tub.

Nevski goes retro lounge on three Fridays (March 20, 27, and April 3) with funk DJ sets, happy hour espresso martinis, and the kitchen open until 11 p.m.

CUP Pub Thaïlandais turns two on March 21 with signature cocktails, Thai food, live music, and surprises. Party from 5 p.m. until late.

FYI: Sora 45 now runs live jazz and cocktails every Tuesday from 8 to 11 p.m. on the 45th floor of 1 Place Ville Marie.

Restaurant Limbo turns one on March 22: Yakitori Hibahihi in the kitchen, DJs all day, party wines from Bistroclau, sake from Maldoro, slush from Good Bon Good, and cake. No reservations, from 1 p.m. until it's done.

L'Espace Public broue-pub is running a St. Patrick's week special through March 22: a pint of stout and a shot of Jameson for $12.

Flavorful Friends and Le Rodman team up for a Caribbean-themed 5 à 7 on March 24 with a special food and drinks menu, shooter and oyster promos, and DJ YKTV on the decks. Free, RSVP required, capped at 140.

Barroco's chefs Jérémie Falissard and Clément Girodengo cross the bridge to Saint-Lambert on March 24 for a five-course classic French dinner at Limousine with chef Laurent Dagenais.

Limousine and Barroco join forces for a second collab dinner on March 25.

Le Majestique throws a Girl Dinner on March 26 with a $40 mini tasting menu from sous-chef Mariane, pornstar martinis, espresso martinis, and diet Cokes flowing freely.

Symbiose Vins hosts a free Butinage tasting on March 26 with bottles from Loxarel, Adi Badenhorst, André Stentz, JC Wickens, Schmelzer's, and Famille de Boel, plus Quebec ciders and beers.

Restaurant Nozy teams up with chef Frédéric Dumont on March 28 for a seasonal omakase menu welcoming spring. Seats are filling fast.

Wolf & Workman turns its terrasse into a cabane à sucre on March 28 and 29 with brunch, maple cocktails with Sortilège and Fireball, and live music.

Tables Volantes and Le Super Qualité team up for a Malaysian popup on March 29 with a set menu tracing hawker stalls and night markets through Malay, Chinese, and Indian traditions.

Filipinos of Montreal kicks off a series at Fluffys on March 28, a community hang over coffee and pastries, with space to speak or learn Tagalog without pressure.

Maude Épicerie hosts Collectif Les Fleurs on March 30 for a single-seating dinner where nine Nordic wines inspire nine dishes.

On May 28, 40 Westt hosts a four-course fundraiser dinner with chefs Stefano Hinoporos, David McMillan, and Derek Dammann in the kitchen, and Hidden Bench Estate Winery's Harald Thiel pouring. Seats are limited.

One Movie to Watch This Week

"I smell a cult film in the making: In case the end of the world didn’t already feel close, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die makes it feel inevitable. Director Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean, Rango) returns after a nine-year absence with a film that is overstuffed, overlong, and chaotic, and yet still strangely compelling. It’s not a crowd-pleasing blockbuster, but something messier, riskier, and far more interesting." — Read the full review here.

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

The shamrock has been on Montreal's coat of arms since 1833, and the Irish pub culture that followed has been reshaping the city ever since. A history of the rooms that built it. Read more.

Ciele built a global running brand and sold a million hats by focusing on everything except performance—community, culture, and the people who almost quit. Read more.

Il Bolero, the Plaza Saint-Hubert fetish wear institution that dressed Montreal's underground scene for 35 years, is closing. Its owner opened it scared and broke in 1991—now he's closing it on his own terms. Read more.

One Battle After Another for Best Picture, Paul Thomas Anderson for Best Director, and Michael B. Jordan for Best Actor... how did those calls hold up at the 98th Oscars? Read more.

Montreal's metro turns 60 this year with 46% of its assets in poor condition, a $7 billion infrastructure deficit, and a transit body now eyeing real estate development along the Blue Line to keep the lights on. Read more.

Quebec hasn't produced an NHL star in a generation, and nobody was on Canada's Olympic roster to prove otherwise. The reasons for a system that's fallen behind run deeper than hockey, though. Read more.

A new café just opened on Plaza St-Hubert with espresso, comfortable couches, and walls covered in sovereignty posters. Club Pays wants to be what the independence movement looks like when Gen Z runs it. Read more.

The province has $22.5 billion worth of road repairs outstanding and a long habit of building new things instead of fixing old ones. Read more.

The New York Times came to Montreal to write about rotisserie chicken and found a culinary tradition as deeply rooted in the city's identity as smoked meat or bagels, from Chalet Bar-B-Q to La Lune. Read more.

Montreal is building an AI hub downtown to help manage construction site chaos through digital twin modelling, but some experts think the city is reaching for a fix in the wrong direction. Read more.

With Quebec heading into an election year and the PQ leading the polls on a third referendum platform, one writer asks whether recycling the battles of the 1970s is really the best the province can offer. Read more.

AtkinsRéalis is teaming up with Nvidia to develop nuclear-powered AI factories, as global demand for AI infrastructure continues to outpace available power supply. 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 & Editor-in-Chief / Jean-Philippe Lauzon, Co-Founder & Head of Tech / JP Karwacki, Managing Editor / Whitney Domingo, Community Manager / Samuel Vadnais, Head of Partnerships / Anahi Pellathy, Editorial & Production Coordinator

The Bulletin: The 201st St. Patrick's Day Parade, Doom-Scrolling Performance Art, and Live Jazz in a Skyscraper [Issue #173]