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The Main Media Inc. 2026

✦ Built By Field Office
    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

    About

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

    Legal

    • Terms of service
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    The Main Media Inc. 2026

    ✦ Built By Field Office

      More History Lesson

      How Montreal Built Its Own Irish Pub Culture
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      How Montreal Built Its Own Irish Pub Culture

      The shamrock has been on Montreal's coat of arms since 1832, and the pub culture that followed has been here just as long.

      What Happened to Montreal's Red Light District?
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      What Happened to Montreal's Red Light District?

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      The House That Haitian Montreal Built

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      The Woman Who Taught a City How to Play the Piano
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      The Woman Who Taught a City How to Play the Piano

      In so many ways, Montreal jazz exists because Daisy Peterson Sweeney both masters and generations of kids in Little Burgundy.

      How a Railway Porter Built Montreal's Most Storied Jazz Club
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      How a Railway Porter Built Montreal's Most Storied Jazz Club

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      What Montreal's 1976 Olympics left behind, 50 years later
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      What Montreal's 1976 Olympics Left Behind, 50 Years Later

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      More History Lesson

      How Montreal Built Its Own Irish Pub Culture
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      How Montreal Built Its Own Irish Pub Culture

      The shamrock has been on Montreal's coat of arms since 1832, and the pub culture that followed has been here just as long.

      What Happened to Montreal's Red Light District?
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      What Happened to Montreal's Red Light District?

      Jazz legends, burlesque queens, and organized crime made it one of the most alive corners in North America. Then Montreal decided it had a reputation to protect.

      The House That Haitian Montreal Built
      History Lesson
      The Main

      The House That Haitian Montreal Built

      The story of La Maison d'Haïti: Its welcome and advocacy for Montreal's growing Haitian community since 1972.

      The Woman Who Taught a City How to Play the Piano
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Woman Who Taught a City How to Play the Piano

      In so many ways, Montreal jazz exists because Daisy Peterson Sweeney both masters and generations of kids in Little Burgundy.

      How a Railway Porter Built Montreal's Most Storied Jazz Club
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      How a Railway Porter Built Montreal's Most Storied Jazz Club

      The story of Rufus Rockhead, the Jamaican-born railway porter who built Montreal's most legendary jazz club—and spent decades defending it.

      What Montreal's 1976 Olympics left behind, 50 years later
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      What Montreal's 1976 Olympics Left Behind, 50 Years Later

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      --°C|Tuesday, March 24, 2026|
      Subscribe today to get 3 free articles per month.ROYALMOUNT Wants to Be Your Dining Destination for a Whole MonthGet 50% off your first 5 rides with Lyft
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      Explore Montreal
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      --°C|Tuesday, March 24, 2026|
      Subscribe today to get 3 free articles per month.ROYALMOUNT Wants to Be Your Dining Destination for a Whole MonthGet 50% off your first 5 rides with Lyft
      InstagramTwitterTiktokLinkedin
      |
      Advertise
      The Main Logo
      Magazine
      Categories
      • Arts & Culture

        Creativity, heritage, and expression.

      • Beyond Montreal

        Travel, adventure, and global perspectives.

      • Design

        The best of Montreal design.

      • Food & Drink

        La bonne bouffe.

      • History

        Stories, lessons, and context.

      • Newsletter

        Our weekly newsletter.

      • See all original stories
      Explore Montreal
      Popular Guides
      • The Best Restaurants in Montreal
      • Best new Restaurants
      • Best Cafés
      • Unique Boutiques
      • Romantic Restaurants
      • Best Bookstores
      • See all Guides
      Neighbourhood
      • Downtown
      • Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
      • Mile End
      • Mile-Ex
      • Saint-Henri
      • See All
      Business Type
      • Restaurant
      • Café
      • Boutique / Store
      • Bar
      • Bakery
      • See All
      Near the Metro
      • Peel
      • Mont-Royal
      • Place-Saint-Henri
      • Place-d'Armes
      • Jarry
      • View all
      Shop
      Subscribe
      Subscribe

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      Before "world Music” Was a Genre, There Was Club Balattou

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      The soap maker who bent the Jacques-Cartier Bridge
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      The Soap Maker Who Bent the Jacques-Cartier Bridge

      On Tête de Cheval soap, stubborn French-Canadian industrialists, and the fire that just gutted a quiet landmark.

      Before the world knew his name, Montreal heard him first
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      J.P. Karwacki

      Before the World Knew His Name, Montreal Heard Him First

      The Harlem of the North, Little Burgundy, raised a legend. It took 100 years to say it as loudly as possible from the city's rooftops.

      Before "world music” was a genre, there was Club Balattou
      History Lesson
      The Main

      Before "world Music” Was a Genre, There Was Club Balattou

      From exile to empire, this is how a tiny St-Laurent nightclub became the global heartbeat of African music in Montreal.

      When Montreal had a steam-powered shortcut to the top of Mount Royal
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      When Montreal Had a Steam-powered Shortcut to the Top of Mount Royal

      From 1884 to 1918, a steam-powered cable railway hauled Montrealers to the summit in minutes, despite a park designer's vision of leisurely mountain strolls.

      The Gothic mansion where the CIA broke minds with LSD and electroshock
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Gothic Mansion Where the CIA Broke Minds with LSD and Electroshock

      The Ravenscrag manor housed the Allan Memorial Institute, where patients seeking help became victims of Cold War experiments.

      From opera house to haunted relic to hot ticket, Montreal's Rialto Theatre refuses to die
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      From Opera House to Haunted Relic to Hot Ticket, Montreal's Rialto Theatre Refuses to Die

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      In the Rearview Mirror: The Biggest Headlines from Montreal in 2023

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      By J.P. Karwacki

      December 27, 2023 · 15 min read

      In the rearview mirror: The biggest headlines from Montreal in 2023
      Photograph: Kajetan Sumila on Unsplash

      And just like that, 2023 has come to a close.

      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 it 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.

      From a relatively easy-going start to the year of journalists playing with AI and bagel-themed sneakers to wars on orange cones, topics either arrived with a bang and fizzled out or smouldered long after they caught on: Housing was an immense headlining topic, natural disasters touched down in every season of the year... but we wouldn't blame you if you didn't keep track of it all.

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

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      or

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      Advertisement

      Follow on Google
      History Lesson

      In the Rearview Mirror: The Biggest Headlines from Montreal in 2023

      From ChatGPT experiments and institutions shuttering to ice storms, floods, fires, and protests, here's a look back on some of the biggest stories of 2023.

      By J.P. Karwacki

      December 27, 2023 · 15 min read

      In the rearview mirror: The biggest headlines from Montreal in 2023
      Photograph: Kajetan Sumila on Unsplash

      And just like that, 2023 has come to a close.

      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 it 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.

      From a relatively easy-going start to the year of journalists playing with AI and bagel-themed sneakers to wars on orange cones, topics either arrived with a bang and fizzled out or smouldered long after they caught on: Housing was an immense headlining topic, natural disasters touched down in every season of the year... but we wouldn't blame you if you didn't keep track of it all.

      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

      Advertisement

      Follow on Google

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