The Bulletin: Summer ain't over yet [Issue #38]

The Bulletin is a collection of what's happened, what’s happening, and what’s to come in and around Montreal.

The Main

August 17, 2023- Read time: 10 min

Photo credit: Quentin Asbert / @qasb___

Don't know exactly why, but it kinda feels like the city's going through a bit of a hangover from last weekend.

Maybe it was the huge turnout for Under Pressure? A heady weekend over at Pride and an amazing parade? Those massive Metallica shows? Went ham on the Negroni vending machine at Bar Bello? Or maybe the news about Journal Métro shuttering just hit us too hard (more on that later).

Whatever it was, things feel a *little* more laid-back this weekend now that we're drifting in the wake of our biggest summer yet since the pandemic, and everyone's got their own way of getting some hair of the dog: A past-3am bar bonanza on the Main, not one but two new restaurants to eat at, plus loads of pop-ups and a country music festival.

All said, there's a lot to do and sink your teeth into. Time to dust yourself off and get ready to jump back into the good times.

Thursday

A night market will captivate Chinatown crowds all weekend long, with a solid list of food vendors and cultural programming thanks to T&T Supermarket.
A dozen artists from the 2SLGBTQI+ community and their allies have been given carte blanche to perform at the Pride Circus Cabaret.
The dance and music-friendly space Aire Commune will feature the best DJs of the Afro scene, and they're promising it to be a hot one.
Another weekend of music and flights of the International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu kicks off.
It's the last day to check out artists from Indigenous communities from all over the Americas gathering to celebrate their rich cultures and histories at the 33rd Montreal First Peoples' Festival.

Friday

Yeehaw 🤠: After its successful inaugural year in 2022, the country music festival LASSO Montréal is back to prove itself as one of the most exciting of its kind in North America.
It's the last weekend of the 30-year-old ItalfestMTL, honouring the beauty and richness of Italy in the streets of Montreal with free activities and events.
Cinéma Public × Casa d'Italia will be screening an absolute classic: But I'm a Cheerleader, the story of an All-American girl who realizes she's a lesbian.
Parc La Fontaine's Théâtre de Verdure will play host to the free show Connective Tissue, a show by the Architek Percussion group.
The clock is ticking to see the Indian artist Nalini Malani's show at the MBAM, Crossing Boundaries, featuring some of her most important large-scale works of the past several years.
The pedestrianized portion of Duluth Avenue still has two weekends left of cultural activities; check out what's going on this week.

Saturday

The 2nd edition of LA MAIN NON-STOP! goes down, where 16 bars and restaurants between Sherbrooke Street and Laurier Avenue will be allowed to open and serve after 3 a.m.
Hochelaga's coming alive with their second Rascal race of the summer, la Course des Glorieux Triporteurs, at Place Simon-Valois.
Cinéma du Parc is hosting CATVIDEOFEST, a compilation of the latest and greatest cat videos selected from hours of unique submissions and sourced from animation, music videos and Internet classics.
Marché Maisonneuve invites one and all to discover its summer market's new businesses, plus craftspeople and local wines, beers and ciders.
Le Blind Pig is going all out with a tribute paty to Coyote Ugly. You can't get on the bar, but you'll definitely see other people up there.
The first edition of the JCCCM Natsu Fest is being held at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Center of Montreal, with food, refreshments, and performances throughout the day.

Sunday

The 2023 Quartier Community Block Party hosted by rapper @everyonesaweirdo is taking place in Lasalle with tons of sports, music, food, and more.
The Plateau-based arts destination Livart is hosting a textile printing workshop: Learn the basics of printing techniques, and bring your ideas to life.
Notre Dame des Arts is hosting a NDG Block Party with live music, a pop-up art market, tarot readings, and more.

Mariscos is Old Montreal's latest joint for tacos. Photograph: @mariscosmtl / Instagram

WHAT TO EAT IN AND AROUND MONTREAL

This section dishes out the scoop on restaurant openings, new menus, old classics—you name it.

The team behind Montreal's Midway bar have taken over the spot that once held Agrikol and started up Moqueur, a mix between Quebec and New Orleans.
Outremont's own Boxermans will host local producer Cidres Fleuri this Thursday for a cider-filled evening featuring 6 of their newest bevvies.
Fancy Mexican eats to the front: Old Montreal's got yet another spot for tequila and tacos (plus flair) with the opening of Mariscos.
Dial B for Burgers, a burger pop-up of Loic's located at Bistro La Franquette, is happening on Sunday, August 20th.
Neighbourhood microbrewery Mellön Brasserie will host 14 other microbreweries from Quebec and Ontario, with 21 beers on offer.
Pastel Rita will be hosting a pop-up of good wine and creamy espresso martinis to serve with bao buns made by Denise on Sunday, August 20th at 6pm, and there will be on-site tattoos by @hochelagay.
Laurent Dagenais is doing a Montreal smoked meat snails pop-up at Foiegwa on the 17th, and it's one-night-only.
The Indian ice cream shop Meetha's come out with new flavours this summer worth checking out; try the Kesar Pista, a mix of saffron and pistachio.
Chefs Amine Laabi and Camilo Lapointe-Nascimento are heading to Boxermans on August 20 from 2pm 'til sold out for a smash burger pop-up with curly fries and lemonade, plus cocktails and wine from the host.
Hochelaga's Le Flamant just launched a lunch menu, featuring dishes like this baller of a merguez sandwich with gouda.
Your mission, if you choose to accept it: Go eat at Hwang Kum in NDG just once if you want to say you ate some of the best Korean in town.

ICYMI: The greatest of the latest

New Montreal restaurants have hit their stride: With all the energy of a back-on-track summer season, there have been a *lot* of new addresses opening that range from fine dining to buvettes and dive bars doing amazing comfort food. Here's where you need to be eating if you want trying out the city's latest arrivals on the scene. (The Main)

This section features a weekly round-up of the latest local news, from entertainment to current affairs and more.

Employees in shock and a rudderless readership

First Meta blocking news, and now this: Métro Média, which includes the Journal Métro and 16 local weeklies, announced the immediate suspension of its activities. The closure was in part due to the phasing out of Publisac, but there's more to it than that. (La Presse)

Not the cool dance move you think it is

That's right, we're suggesting podcast episodes now—especially when they revive the conversation around what's been called the "Montreal shuffle", carving up traditional rental units and turning them into short-term rentals. (The Big Story)

Speak up, we can't hear you

If we look back on the past year's major protests—normally part of Montreal's everyday landscape—them seem to be increasingly rare, writes Emilie Nicolas. Have we become too reclusive? Has public expression faltered? (Le Devoir)

Does size matter?

The hole in the wall. The hidden gem. Mom-and-pops, quaint bistros, cosy diners — no matter how you slice it, there’s something unique about a small restaurant. But what is it exactly? Some of the city's smallest speak up. (Montreal Gazette)

A different underground scene 🌱

In the basement below Café Monk in Côte-Saint-Paul, the space has been transformed into a refurbished bunker named Ferme Fortuna, a place to grow everything from micro greens to mushrooms that feature in their menu. (CTV News)

🌈 Loud and proud

With 15,500 people having participated in its annual parade, Montreal Pride announced that it had experienced "a record year" on Sunday afternoon. A total of 192 participating organizations and luminaries made the trip of nearly three kilometres on René-Lévesque Boulevard. (La Presse)

Tell Taylor Swift we've got just the thing

Metallica played two massive shows at the Olympic Stadium this weekend, and while some were saying that the sound quality wasn't ideal, the Big O's ability to host up to 56,000 people has people wondering why it isn't being used more often for shows. (Global News)

Urban (fish?) farming

A warehouse basement in an industrial area of Montreal, near the intersection of two highways, feels about as far from a fish habitat as it gets, but that's where Opercule has decided to set up shop to produce between 25 and 30 tonnes of Arctic char per year. (CTV News)

Nowhere to go but up

Opening up to the city with public, social and creative space and experiences, the concept of two Montreal vertical communities is breaking from tradition and redefining urban fabric by creating new ways for people to reconnect. (La Presse)

When Montreal was the bee's knees

Back in the 1920s, Montreal was known as Sin City thanks to offering booze while the States turned off the tap, and our jazz scene all started in Little Burgundy—also known as the Harlem of the North. Here's the story of how it became that way. (CBC Montreal)