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

Thursday

• All weekend long, Avenue Laurier Ouest is hosting a winter village with heated terrasses, hot drinks, DJs, an appearance by Santa for the kids—all the trimmings.
• Collectif Créatif Montréal is helming the first edition of its Holiday Market at Time Out Market Montreal.

Friday

• At URSA, the CALACS de l'Ouest is hosting its first feminist evening of music and poetry, (P)reparing the solstice, marking the end of the 12 days of action against gender-based violence.
• Dave Arnold (Mr. Sign) is holding an open studio / pop-up shop / one man merch-machine bonanza on Friday and Saturday; details here.
• Dress in your finest ugly XMAS sweaters and celebrate the holidays and the life of Ziggy Stardust with the BOWIEMAS event at Bar Le Ritz PDB.
• The Wheel Club in NDG will be playing all the songs you know and love from the early era of Rock 'n Roll during its Vintage Wine event.

Saturday

• It'll be the last Afrotonik event of the year: A victory lap celebrating yet another unforgettable year of enjoyment and dance floor magic.
• A concert inspired by the Northern Lights with classical & contemporary pieces in Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, English, Breton, and Latvian is taking place at the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall.
• Enjoy the vinyl treasures of Canicule Tropicale, an event from DJs Philippe Noël and La Mano Peluda exploring vintage Afro, Latin, and Caribbean sounds, over at La Sala Rossa.
• îLESONIQ's doing an off-season event with Ray Volpe for their Volpetron Ascends Tour over at Le Studio TD and special guest Hairitage.

Sunday

• Bar Wills is inviting one and all for festive cheer, free beer (if you donate winter clothing) and so much more at a winter holiday party.
• Fernand Nault's The Nutcracker is being performed with a colorful show set to Tchaikovsky's music, all beautifully done by the city's own Les Grands Ballets.
• Cinéma Public's screening the underrated holiday movie Gremlins at Casa d'Italia.
• Les Dimanches Polaires, a free outdoor party at Place Émilie Gamelin, is lighting up the Village with bonfires, decorations and a hot cocktail bar.

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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.

• What was once Le Diplomate in Mile-Ex is now La Marelle, a new spot from the Salle Climatisée alum Carlos Melgar.
• Scope out the new cafe blending Vietnamese and Italian flavours, as well as a new source for egg yolk coffee, Bê.
• The Mile End's got a new spot for negronis and lasagna in the form of Gino's, and it's looking pretty swish.
• 'Tis the season: You need to see what Dinette Nationale's been working on, and consider grabbing some batches of local sweets for stocking stuffers.
• You've gone to the reopened Moishes since it reopened, right?
• Consider trying the Northern Vietnamese classics and Southern Vietnamese favorites on for size over at T'ami in Little Italy.
• It's not edible per se, but it will be: Danny Smiles has announced he'll be leaving Auberge Willow Inn this month in lieu of taking over the space that once housed Maison Publique.

Keeping track of every scrap

We went into walk-ins to ask three chefs how they're making sure every teaspoon of salt and sugar, every drop of oil, and scrap of vegetables and fish and meat is accounted for. (The Main)

Inside the walk-ins of three Montreal restaurants

Inventory management’s integral to a restaurant’s survival—so why don’t we talk about it?

J.P. Karwacki

Here, you'll find a weekly round-up of the latest local news, from entertainment to current affairs and more.

A clean, well-read place

Two booksellers have pooled their experience at Librairie Saint-Henri Books to build out a new place for English books in Verdun: Pulp Books, somewhere outside of home and work—the 'third place'—where locals can gather over a love of reading. (The Main)

Montreal’s new English bookstore, Pulp Books, and the passion that built a neighbourhood spot

What drove two Montrealers to build a third place for a neighbourhood to while away hours with books—and why they want it that way.

J.P. Karwacki

Achievement unlocked for Legault

It's almost like an achievement, anyway: More than 6% of province's population (560,000 people) is on strike to pressure the Quebec government into negotiating new collective agreements. Here's a run-down of the situation. (CBC Montreal)

Half a million people are striking in Quebec. Where is this going? | CBC News

The strikes are the largest labour movement in years and they are having an impact on the delivery of public services. So, where are we now? How far have things come and where is this going?

CBCMatthew Lapierre

Ladies and gentlemen, Martha Wainwright

We spoke to the local famed singer-songwriter about what it was like becoming an artist in the city in the 90's, creating a new venue for the city, writing her memoir, and playing—of course—a game of 20-ish questions. (The Main)

Mile End icon Martha Wainwright on Ursa and coming up a songwriter in Montreal

The singer-songwriter speaks Montreal’s scenes through the decades, writing a memoir, building up her Mile End music venue—and a game of 20-ish questions, of course.

Daniel Bromberg

It could be curtains if things don't change

The future of a historic theatre in Montreal's Latin Quarter, which has stood for over 110 years, is in jeopardy due to a lack of federal funding for major renovations. Built in 1913, it says it has been trying to do renovation and restoration work to solidify its long-term survival. (CTV News)

Montreal’s iconic Imperial Cinema in jeopardy of closing next year

The future of the iconic Imperial Cinema in Montreal’s Latin Quarter, which has stood for over 110 years, is in jeopardy due to a lack of federal funding for major renovations.

CTV News

Party all day, party all night

Montreal will table its first policy on nightlife in the coming weeks, where it would have its first zone open 24 hours a day in 2024. The Latin Quarter is being considered for the pilot project. (Radio-Canada)

Les commerces du Quartier latin pourraient ouvrir 24 heures sur 24

Montréal déposera dans les prochaines semaines sa première politique sur la vie nocturne. Selon ce que Radio-Canada a appris, la Ville se doterait de sa première zone ouverte 24 heures sur 24 dès 2024. Le Quartier latin serait envisagé, selon des sources proches du dossier.

Radio-Canada

This one goes out to truly passionate coffee drinkers

The crossroads of a vibrant and thriving community, the Canadian Roasting Society's a unique place to engage with coffee in ways you can’t find elsewhere in the city (or Canada): An incubator for all things coffee in Montreal. (The Main)

The Canadian Roasting Society: At the crossroads of Montreal’s coffee culture [Watch]

There’s vibrant and thriving community brewing in the CRS, a unique place to engage with coffee in ways you can’t find elsewhere in the city (or Canada).

J.P. Karwacki

Ironically in need of an innovative solution

Notman House, the Montréal startup hub run within a 187-year-old heritage building, will likely be put up for sale as government creditors claim years of unpaid debt. A public workshop will be held at the location Jan. 24. (BetaKit)

Notman House is in trouble. What’s next for the home of Montréal tech?

Notman House, the Montréal startup hub run within a 187-year-old heritage building, will likely be put up for sale as government creditors claim unpaid debt.

BetaKitMadison McLauchlan

Could be a home run

Hundreds of Montreal families could one day live on the site of the former National Film Board headquarters. Residents, community groups, experts, small businesses and other stakeholders will all be invited to share their views on the future redevelopment. (Montreal Gazette)

Old NFB building could become housing project, developer says

Transformation work on the former National Film Board facility in St-Laurent is tentatively scheduled to start in 2025.

Montreal GazetteFrédéric Tomesco

A look at the new Vic project

Set to open its doors in 2027, the revitalization aims to become an international hub for interdisciplinary research and teaching, focusing on sustainability systems and public policy while celebrating the site’s historical significance. (Construction Canada)

Architectural duo reveals plans for McGill’s transformative project

Diamond Schmitt and Lemay Michaud have revealed their collaborative design for McGill University’s New Vic Project—an ambitious $870 million transformation of Montreal’s historic Royal Victoria Hospital site.

Construction Canadaarslan_ahmed

Never again

Fourteen beams lit up in turn in the cold sky above Mount Royal last Wednesday evening, in memory of each of those who were killed at the Polytechnique Massacre of December 6, 1989. Despite the progress made over the past 34 years, however, there are still too many women who suffer violence. (Le Devoir)

34 ans après Polytechnique, il y a «encore du travail à faire»

On dénombre encore trop de femmes victimes de violence, ont reconnu mercredi des politiciens québécois et canadiens.

Le DevoirFlorence Morin-Martel

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

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