Bonjour-hi and bienvenue-welcome to the Montreal Bulletin, The Main’s weekly collection of what’s happening, what you might have missed, and what’s to come in Montreal.

This week focuses on what COP15 is and why people are pissed/excited about it, places to grab last-minute gift ideas, and—surprisingly—a lot of video games and nostalgia.

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This weekend's events

• Dec 1 to Mar 5: Beat the winter blahs by taking part in the fun and entertaining experience that are the wintry downtown installations of Luminothérapie.
• Dec 8 to 18: One of the city’s longest-running craft fairs, the Salon des Métiers d’Arts, features over 350 exhibitors in the Montréal Olympic Stadium.
• Dec 9 to 10: Discover handmade products by local artists, from pottery and body care to gourmet treats and home accessories, at the Puces POP Édition Hivernale 2022.
• Dec 10: Go retro at the 8th annual collection of nostalgic goodies where 50 tables of video games, toys, figurines, crafts and many other products will be. Hosted by Retro Neo Video.
• Dec 9: Speaking of video games, barcade Arcade MTL will be hosting a Goldeneye N64 tournament; who knows if Oddjob will be outlawed or not.
• Dec 10: And speaking of even MORE video games, Turbo Haus is hosting Street Fighter and NHL ’94 tournaments on their SNES with prizes to be won.
• Dec 10 to 11: Explore the ties between creation and mental health through personal testimonies and historical references with En équilibre at the Society for Arts and Technology (SAT).
• Dec 9 to 30: A wild display of colours, magic and beauty. Tchaikovsky’s score, performed by Les Grands Ballets Orchestra, will accompany the return of The Nutcracker.
• Nov 25 to Jan 8: Relive a piece of Montreal Christmas history by checking out the 70-year-old mechanical displays of Ogilvy’s department store window for free outside the McCord Stewart Museum.
• Nov 19 to Dec 31: Downtown Montreal’s biggest Christmas market, Grand Marché de Noël de Montréal, is officially holly, jolly, and open to explore on weekends.