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    The Main

    Montreal's Cultural Directory

    Help us improve! Share your thoughts on how we can make your experience better.

    Leave feedback

    For partnerships and collaborations:

    partnerships@themain.com

    Content

    • Articles
    • Food & Drink
    • Arts & Culture
    • History Lesson
    • Bulletin
    • Events

    Guides

    • All Guides
    • Best Restaurants
    • Best Cafés
    • Best Bars
    • Best Brunch
    • Best Bakeries

    Explore Montreal

    • Browse Directory
    • Restaurants
    • Bars
    • Cafés
    • Bookstores
    • Leaderboard
    • Editor's Picks
    • New Places

    About

    • About us
    • Subscribe
    • Shop
    • Advertise
    • Pitch us
    • RSS Feed

    Legal

    • Terms of service
    • Membership Terms
    • Privacy Policy
    Follow us
    InstagramTwitterTiktokLinkedin

    The Main Media Inc. 2026

    ✦ Built By Field Office

      Your cart

      Your cart is empty.

      --°C|Friday, July 3, 2026|
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      --°C|Friday, July 3, 2026|
      Subscribe today to get 3 free articles per month.Get 50% off your first 5 rides with Lyft
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      EN/FR
      The Main Logo
      Magazine
      Sections
      • Arts & Culture
      • Beyond Montreal
      • Design
      • Food & Drink
      • History Lessons
      • The Bulletin
      Explore
      Popular Guides
      • The Best Restaurants in Montreal
      • Best new Restaurants
      • Best Cafés
      • Unique Boutiques
      • Romantic Restaurants
      • Best Bookstores
      • See all Guides
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      • Downtown
      • Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
      • Mile End
      • Mile-Ex
      • Saint-Henri
      • See All
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      • Café
      • Boutique / Store
      • Bar
      • Bakery
      • See All
      Near the Metro
      • Peel
      • Mont-Royal
      • Place-Saint-Henri
      • Place-d'Armes
      • Jarry
      • View all
      ShopWeather
      Subscribe
      Subscribe

      More Arts & Culture

      A Local's Guide to Saint-Henri
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      J.P. Karwacki

      A Local's Guide to Saint-Henri

      Tanneries, train tracks, and a Restaurant Row: a neighbourhood guide to Montreal's hardest-working quarter.

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      A Quarter Buys Your Fortune From Raymond Biesinger's New Contraption
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      What To Do This Weekend (07.02–07.05)
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      Montréal Complètement Cirque takes the streets, the Jazz Fest takes its final bow, the sky above La Ronde gets loud, and the Oratory opens its doors for free: July 2 to 5, 2026.

      A Local's Guide to Old Montreal
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      J.P. Karwacki

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      Montreal started here. So did some of its best restaurants, bars, and hotels.

      Kopa Is Betting on a Different Kind of Padel Club
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      Arts & Culture

      The Third Spaces of Montreal’s Music Scene That Keep the City Loud

      While iconic venues have disappeared over time, new ones are paving the way and giving what’s indie a pulse again.

      ByGladys Bonyad

      February 19, 2025 · 6 min read

      The third spaces of Montreal’s music scene that keep the city loud
      Photograph: Philippe Manh Nguyen / @philippemanh

      The Main is reader-supported. Subscriptions are what keep us independent. Five dollars a month — the restaurants, the guides, the weekly bulletin, and what to do each weekend. Support us today.

      “Montreal is home to collectives and party series representing a wide array of communities, cultures, and identities. They are showing the world that there are still new sounds to be heard, and that people will always find a way to come together around music and dance—that if there are no third spaces, we'll make them,” says Oliver Philbin-Briscoe, co-founder of FANTOM (Fédération pour les Arts Nocturnes comprenant les Travailleur·euses et Organisateur·ices de Montréal).

      Montreal is home to an abundance of year-round festivals including the International Jazz Festival, Osheaga, Piknik Electronik, and MUTEK.

      But while these have become a defining part of our cultural scene, they are the product of the homegrown and independent talent, spaces, and opportunities that gives our city that element which distinguishes us from other major cities and has enabled artists and the scene to thrive.

      Free account required

      For readers who care about Montreal

      Create a free account to read this story and access 3 articles per month, plus our weekly Bulletin.

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      The Main

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      Follow on Google
      Crime 101 Goes Back to Basics and Executes Them Beautifully
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      Gianni Fiasche

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      J.P. Karwacki

      Jerry Seinfeld and Weird Al Yankovic Lead Just for Laughs’ First 2026 Reveal

      The festival’s first wave mixes legacy acts, internet-era names, and a familiar attempt to prove Montreal’s comedy institution is firmly back on its feet.

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      Our Picks of the Best Shows for this year's Jazz Fest
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      The Main

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      A Local's Guide to Little Italy
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      Remembering Donald K. Donald, a Patriarch of the Canadian Music Industry
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      J.P. Karwacki

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      The Montreal promoter who turned the Forum into a concert cathedral died on April 13. He was 82.

      More Arts & Culture

      A Local's Guide to Saint-Henri
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      J.P. Karwacki

      A Local's Guide to Saint-Henri

      Tanneries, train tracks, and a Restaurant Row: a neighbourhood guide to Montreal's hardest-working quarter.

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      Gianni Fiasche

      Kings of Coke and the Filmmakers Digging Into Montreal's Criminal Mythology

      With New Blood and The Legend of Rory Shayne now on Crave, Nick Rose and Lewis Cohen talk kingpins, bank robbers, and why Montreal can't let go of its outlaws.

      A Quarter Buys Your Fortune From Raymond Biesinger's New Contraption
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      J.P. Karwacki

      A Quarter Buys Your Fortune From Raymond Biesinger's New Contraption

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      What To Do This Weekend (07.02–07.05)
      Arts & Culture
      Kristina Stamkopoulos

      What To Do This Weekend (07.02–07.05)

      Montréal Complètement Cirque takes the streets, the Jazz Fest takes its final bow, the sky above La Ronde gets loud, and the Oratory opens its doors for free: July 2 to 5, 2026.

      A Local's Guide to Old Montreal
      Arts & Culture
      J.P. Karwacki

      A Local's Guide to Old Montreal

      Montreal started here. So did some of its best restaurants, bars, and hotels.

      Kopa Is Betting on a Different Kind of Padel Club
      Arts & Culture
      J.P. Karwacki

      Kopa Is Betting on a Different Kind of Padel Club

      The new Pointe-Saint-Charles venue combines courts, cocktails, Pilates, and hospitality in a bid to make the club itself the destination.

      Arts & Culture

      The Third Spaces of Montreal’s Music Scene That Keep the City Loud

      While iconic venues have disappeared over time, new ones are paving the way and giving what’s indie a pulse again.

      ByGladys Bonyad

      February 19, 2025 · 6 min read

      The third spaces of Montreal’s music scene that keep the city loud
      Photograph: Philippe Manh Nguyen / @philippemanh

      The Main is reader-supported. Subscriptions are what keep us independent. Five dollars a month — the restaurants, the guides, the weekly bulletin, and what to do each weekend. Support us today.

      “Montreal is home to collectives and party series representing a wide array of communities, cultures, and identities. They are showing the world that there are still new sounds to be heard, and that people will always find a way to come together around music and dance—that if there are no third spaces, we'll make them,” says Oliver Philbin-Briscoe, co-founder of FANTOM (Fédération pour les Arts Nocturnes comprenant les Travailleur·euses et Organisateur·ices de Montréal).

      Montreal is home to an abundance of year-round festivals including the International Jazz Festival, Osheaga, Piknik Electronik, and MUTEK.

      But while these have become a defining part of our cultural scene, they are the product of the homegrown and independent talent, spaces, and opportunities that gives our city that element which distinguishes us from other major cities and has enabled artists and the scene to thrive.

      Free account required

      For readers who care about Montreal

      Create a free account to read this story and access 3 articles per month, plus our weekly Bulletin.

      Independent. Local. Reader-supported.

      or

      Already a member? Sign in

      The Main

      Comments

      Welcome to The Main's comments section!

      Share your thoughts and join the conversation. Please be respectful and constructive.

      No comments yet. Be the first!

      Follow on Google
      Crime 101 Goes Back to Basics and Executes Them Beautifully
      Arts & Culture
      Gianni Fiasche

      Crime 101 Goes Back to Basics and Executes Them Beautifully

      Bart Layton's sleek crime thriller starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and Halle Berry isn't reinventing the genre. That's a good thing.

      Jerry Seinfeld and Weird Al Yankovic Lead Just for Laughs’ First 2026 Reveal
      Arts & Culture
      J.P. Karwacki

      Jerry Seinfeld and Weird Al Yankovic Lead Just for Laughs’ First 2026 Reveal

      The festival’s first wave mixes legacy acts, internet-era names, and a familiar attempt to prove Montreal’s comedy institution is firmly back on its feet.

      A Local's Guide to Mile End
      Arts & Culture
      J.P. Karwacki

      A Local's Guide to Mile End

      The neighbourhood that keeps reinventing itself without losing the plot.

      Our Picks of the Best Shows for this year's Jazz Fest
      Arts & Culture
      The Main

      Our Picks of the Best Shows for This Year's Jazz Fest

      From three jazz centennials to J Dilla, Willow, and UZEB at 50, the 2026 festival's best bets across free stages and ticketed venues.

      A Local's Guide to Little Italy
      Arts & Culture
      J.P. Karwacki

      A Local's Guide to Little Italy

      The neighbourhood that turned a century of immigration into one of Montreal's most rewarding places to eat, drink, and spend an afternoon.

      Remembering Donald K. Donald, a Patriarch of the Canadian Music Industry
      Arts & Culture
      J.P. Karwacki

      Remembering Donald K. Donald, a Patriarch of the Canadian Music Industry

      The Montreal promoter who turned the Forum into a concert cathedral died on April 13. He was 82.

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      Portuguese chicken and poutine reached new heights at this Montreal churrascaria

      Previous

      Portuguese Chicken and Poutine Reached New Heights at This Montreal Churrascaria

      Next

      Leila Serves up a No-hype Approach to the Mediterranean in the Mile End

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