The Bulletin: 🎊 Your Montreal NYE Party Planner 🎉 [Issue #57]

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

The Main

December 28, 2023- Read time: 9 min

Delighting an audience of 3,500,000 Miss Canada Pageant viewers in 1968, the 17-year-old Montreal student Marie Beaulieu was the final winner; this is her posing in the swimsuit portion of the contest. | Photograph: Digital Archive Ontario

TL;DR Happy new year, and welcome to our EOY guide. Scroll down for all kinds of NYE events and dinners, as well as our own wrap-ups for 2023.

Welcome to the end of the year, Montreal. We made it.

The year took us through many months both amazing and difficult, months of disasters and celebrations, jubilations and decimations, but we made it.

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As everyone here at the Main wishes you a happy new year with this special EOY edition, we want to thank you for coming along for the ride in 2023. Things have only just begun for us, and we're excited to have you with us as 2024's going to bring with it more local storytelling from more voices, more perspectives, more experiences—more of everything.

As you'll see in our headline recap for 2023, the closure of Metro Media and the cuts at the Montreal Gazette have shown us that it's never been more important for local media to exist.

Large national outlets may not have the resources or focus to delve into the specific issues and concerns of a particular community, but local media? It can provide in-depth coverage and analysis of issues that matter to communities—supporting small businesses, giving a voice to underrepresented groups, fostering a sense of connection and engagement, and more—on a level that those large outlets can't.

We know local media's important, and we intend to prove it.

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

OUR GRAND NYE PARTY PLANNER 🍾 🎉

The Boozy

Everyone and their mom is invited to Bon Délire, and their party's got no reservations, no guestlists, but all of the booze.
Cocktails, bites, live music and bubbles will be waiting for you in a Prohibition inspired ambiance over at Bar Dominion.
Old Montreal's Tittle Tattle cocktail bar will be serving a 4-course meal with a fantastic cocktail pairing.
We love a good dance party, and Bar Social in Verdun always brings it with a $30 ticket that includes entry and a 1/4 bottle of bubbly, so bring three friends with you.
Get your honky tonk on over at Spaghetti Western and their good times totally soaked in Miller Lite during NYE.
Double's Late Night may have been closed during the holidays, but they'll be throwing a bash on the night of the 31st.
The brewery Memento set alongside the Lachine Canal is throwing their own bash, perfect for all beer lovers.
Verdun's Palco Bar and its team are returning for their 8th time with their famous New Year's Eve party.
Mile End brewery Siboire's celebrating with a ticket price that includes some fresh pints.
At midnight, Pub L'île Noire will toast the New Year with a shooter on the house to the sound of our traditional bagpipers.

The Mysterious

Punk Police are back spinning 80s on vinyl all night long at North Star—no cover charge, and there'll be a toast at midnight.
The downstairs speakeasy-style audio cocktail bar Baby Far West has obscure plans, but there's no denying that it'll be a swish evening.
Organizers of the Dark Eighties dance parties are bringing New Year's Eve to the The Church of St. John the Evangelist.
Downtown's Green Room offers an NYE party below its glass ceiling with DJ Chopz in session.
Start partying as early as 10pm with Bazart and their Lost Desert-themed event.
If you like dinner and a show, DIX30's La Nuit Shanghai's evening begins with a cabaret dinner punctuated by performances by their resident artists.
Flyjin's keeping things mysterious, but they'll be partying—RSVP to be a part of it.

The Jet Set

Montreal’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel and its in-house restaurant Maison Boulud will host their annual New Year’s Dinner soirée with a six-course tasting menu as well as music and dancing.
Dance to the beats of top DJs, sip on delicious cocktails, and enjoy the company of friends and loved ones at KAMPAI.
The Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel's restaurant Rosélys welcomes guests with an eight-course NYE menu and live jazz, while Bar Nacarat will be flipping cocktails and more.
La Voûte invites folks to step back into the roaring 20s with a NYE party inspired by the movie Babylon with vintage elegance, extravagant costumes, and more.
Saint-Henri's discreet club Le HŌM Bar is celebrating with an open dance floor and an open bar for about $120.
Marcus at the Four Seasons is celebrating NYE with a 60's night that'll transform the restaurant and bar.
Yoko Luna will be hosting a Neo-Tokyo New Year’s Eve bash with an array of dinner/party ticket options and VIP offerings.

WHAT TO EAT & DRINK IN AND AROUND MONTREAL THIS NYE 🥂

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

Verdun Beach is celebrating with a four-service menu for $80 as well as a (necessary, we say) add-on of wines for $70.
For $79 and an extra $59 for wine pairings, the Peruvian restaurant Barranco's got a full-to-burst list of dish options spread out over four courses.
Bar Otto's got a chef's 4-course menu including a glass of Grape Republic frizzante at midnight for $130.
The Plateau's artful and contemporary Peruvian-Japanese restaurant Nikkei is doing a five-course dinner for $109 with optional pairings.
Start your night or end it with two options at Foxy: Early in the evening, they have a 4-course sharing menu for $101, followed by a service to celebrate New Year's Eve starting around 8:45 pm with a 7-course menu to share for $145.
Moccione is serving a five-course menu for $150 that includes the menu and a glass of bubbly.
Provisions has a 5-course tasting menu, $200 w/ taxes and gratuity not included, and an additional $60 for pairings.
Time Out Market's hosting an evening with a midnight toast, a photobooth to capture memorable moments, a prize draw, and more to accompany dinner.
Pizzaiolo Dan Krystal is back at Saint-Henri Bagels to do another pizza pop-up, this time for NYE.
Annette bar à vin is hosting an early evening dinner as well as a late-night feast lasting until the clock strikes midnight, $150 and $225 respectively.
Nolan is cooking up a dinner service at $85 per person, sharing style, "nothing complicated or fussy".
Bistro La Franquette has a special NYE menu going for $90 that's all mix 'n' match; should be a good way for a gourmand to start their night.
Feel like a steakhouse? Rib N'Reef is promising an "unforgettable gala" featuring a 4 course meal, a DJ, a lively dance floor, and champagne at midnight.

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

Saying so long to 2023

As news can come and go at a rapid-fire pace these days, we thought we'd do the work of digging through an entire year's worth and bring you the biggest headlines from this past year.

Herein lies a time capsule of the city's biggest headlines from the past year, a collection of rising trends, spectacular events, shocking revelations, municipal mutations, and everything in between. (The Main)

Putting the city in the spotlight

It’s the time of year to catch up on films to make up our end-of-year lists. Wading through the past year's many releases, what movies putting Montreal in the spotlight rose to the top? (The Main)

Shout it, shout it, shout it out loud

In a quest to encapsulate the essence of a nonspatial continuum that is measured in terms of events—aka the last 12 months—we’ve embarked on a mission to unearth the most underrated gems of the city. (The Main)

The Michelangelo of Montreal

Guido Nincheri’s artwork is everywhere, in sacred places all across Canada and the northeastern United States. Known as the Michelangelo of Montreal, his masterpiece is Saint-Léon-de-Westmount, a National Historic Site of Canada, where his stained glass nativity window is reproduced. (National Post)

Speaking 1,000 words

Here's a handpicked selection of photos from the Gazette's staff photographers from the past year, showing everything from boxing and hockey matches to police arrests, storm aftermaths, and cityscapes. (Montreal Gazette)

Ending 2023 on a dismal note

The Quebec Restaurant Association says 2023 has been a disastrous year with sales down, bankruptcies up and restaurants and bars feeling the pain of inflation in more ways than one. (CTV News)

Putting insects to work

Scientists in Montreal are harnessing the technology for good, enabling entomologists to discover new species and better understand the effects of climate change. (Global News)

Ice?? In this economy???

Ice skating enthusiasts in the Montreal area won't have as many choices for outdoor skating rinks this winter. Milder weather and rapid freeze-thaw cycles have made the ice unstable and unsafe. (CBC Montreal)