The Bulletin: Legacy, leftovers, and the future of everything [Issue #145]

We love to love what came before us, if that makes sense.

We say this because as we looked over this weekend's edition of the Bulletin, we see a clear divide between legacy and reinvention. It feels like a city trying to figure out what to keep and what to change: OFFF—one of the world’s top design festivals—is landing here for the first time, spotlighting studios that bend motion and branding into something that feels just a little ahead of its time. Meanwhile, Palomosa is making a case for the future of festivals: genreless, gender-fluid, and deeply chaotic (in a good way).

In the news, SSENSE is fighting off a forced sale, ROYALMOUNT is still trying to prove it wasn’t a mistake, and Projet Montréal is… rebranding itself, to say the least. Even our park benches and public art are getting the legacy treatment, while the city’s food scene just keeps cooking up something different: karaoke bánh mì, a new Caribbean bar, and one last run of KojItalian session.

Legacy is everywhere, but so is the urge to tear it up and try something else. It's interesting, to say the least. Take a look.

A look inside the future of design.

After two decades of globe-trotting, one of the world’s top design festivals OFFF lands in Montreal for the first time.

From September 8 to 9 at the SAT, OFFF Montréal brings together boundary-pushing studios (Tendril, Territory, Found), local legends (Caserne, Vallée Duhamel), hands-on workshops, and community events like a designer soccer match and rooftop wine lab.

Whether you’re in branding, motion, or just want to see what the future of design looks like—this is the one.

Tickets are limited: See the full guide & lineup.

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

Thursday

🎤 Palomosa Festival 2025 lands at Parc Jean-Drapeau with a stacked three-day lineup: M.I.A., Arca, Rebecca Black, Yeule, Marie Davidson, Nettspend, and more across multiple stages—plus a Zack Fox block party to kick things off.

📚 The Friends of BAnQ Book Fair returns to the Grande Bibliothèque with tens of thousands of French and English titles, all priced between $1 and $20.

🩰 Festival Quartiers Danses takes contemporary dance out of theatres and into the city—filling streets, parks, markets, museums, and even daycares with movement.

🔮 Jazz & Tarot rings in its 8th anniversary at Datcha with live sets, tarot readings, and harvest moon energy to carry the night.

Friday

🖋️ Art Tattoo Montréal returns for its 21st edition at the Grand Quai, gathering international tattoo artists, enthusiasts, and the tattoo-curious for a three-day celebration of ink and artistry.

💃 L’avenue de la danse avec Crèmes Boboule takes over Wellington with Latin workshops, family classes, live performances, and DJs turning the street into a salsa block party.

🚨 Afterparty Palomosa 2025 takes over the SAT with a stacked lineup featuring ATLGrandma, Mechatok, TDJ, Rebecca Black (DJ set), and more—two nights of heavy beats, surprise guests, and no limits.

🎥 Hong Kong Cinema Classics lights up Cinéma du Parc with 4K restorations of iconic films from the 80s and 90s, including John Woo’s The Killer and A Better Tomorrow, Ringo Lam’s City on Fire, and Ching Siu-Tung’s A Chinese Ghost Story.

Saturday

🌙 Ferias ’til Dawn at Système stretches the night into sunrise with warm lights, flowing vibes, and late-night sets—plus films by J. Lara Couette to keep the energy glowing.

🎉 Cultur’Elles Fest: Back to Childhood takes over TOHU with live performances, throwback DJ sets, creative workshops, games, and a market—free, festive, and open to all ages.

🥐 Croissound Morning DJ Sets brings coffee, croissants, and house grooves straight to Promenade Wellington with a free open-air latte party from 11 to 2.

📚 Book signing with Jinwoo Park at LSHB celebrates the release of his debut novel Oxford Soju Club—meet the author, grab a copy, and get it signed.

🎶 Something Sweet EP Release finds Cherrykim bringing a love letter of sound, heartbreak, and devotion to La Sotterenea, joined by Ryan Brio All-Star Band and Plus.

☕ Bravo Café marks three years of orange furniture, bubble letters, and one of the city’s best playlists with a $3-everything day—yes, even the pumpkin spice lattes.

Sunday

🚗 ☕ Cars & Coffee at Royalmount brings together Café Got Soul Car Club and a lineup of sleek machines, DJs, and live art for a refined Sunday morning meet-up—open to car owners and curious onlookers alike.

☀️ L’Amour de jour Vol. 5 brings cozy afternoon grooves to Supernat with DJs FiddyShadesofBlack, Sovann, and special guest Namco—free vibes, warm company, and nothing but good energy.

🏮 Gardens of Light transforms the Botanical Garden into a glowing wonderland, with its three cultural gardens illuminated after sunset to reveal fantastical scenes and luminous creatures.

There are 37 on the menu, so start here.

Le Burger Week is in full swing right now until September 7, 2025, and we're not surprised to see at least over three dozen burgers on offer. There's a catch, however, for even the most voracious of burger eaters out there: That's too many to eat in one weekend.

So, we here at The Main have made a shortlist of the top Burger Week spots to try in the city this weekend. If you like 'em, love 'em, or completely disagree with us? Vote for your favourites, crown Montreal's Top 5, and—either way—help raise funds for Food Banks Canada as every burger sold donates $1 to meals across the country.

📅 Don't forget: Until September 7, 2025
🍔 See the full guide here:

The Main’s Burger Week 2025 Picks | Best Montreal Burgers - The Main

From greasy diners to creative newcomers, here are eight Burger Week 2025 picks that say something real about the restaurants behind them.

The MainThe Main

Brought to you from the minds behind La Poutine Week and La Pizza Week, Parkour, an umbrella brand building a cultural movement around food, flavour, and discovery.

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.

Le Rodman is now open on St-Laurent with Caribbean fire and wild cocktails—swing by the new Mile End restobar for bites, beats, and neighbourhood vibes.

Monsieur Mi makes its debut in Lachine on Sept 4 & 5 with a daytime menu built around crisp, house-sauced bánh mì. Soups, salads, and homemade sweets round it out.

Fermes en Ville spotlights Montréal’s urban farms with a week of tastings, banquets, garden tours, and chef-driven showcases, proving just how much can grow within city limits until September 7.

Club DD’s has soft-launched on St-Laurent, bringing drag, dancing, and small shows to the former Blue Dog space. Full opening coming soon.

Patom is Rosemont’s new neighbourhood creamery, serving sorbets packed with 40% fruit and ice creams spun from scratch with seasonal ingredients. Flavours rotate monthly.

Woodbird Noodles lands at Lopez on September 4 with free ramen, cold drinks, and gifts to celebrate the brand’s first Canadian drop.

Arcade MTL throws an all-night ‘80s party on September 4 with retro arcade games, synth vibes, and drinks ‘til 6 am—all for $9.50. Neon fits encouraged.

Phil Rosenthal brings stories, laughs, and food talk to Montreal on September 5 in a live conversation and audience Q&A at 7 pm.

From Syria with love: Brocard opens this Saturday with an open kitchen and a menu full of Syrian classics, from kibbeh and shish barak to grilled kebab and halawet al jibn.

Dispensaire Microbrasserie throws an old-school épluchette with buttered corn, coarse salt, and the launch of its new lemonade-hopped lager, Doré Jaune—a perfect Saturday 5 à 7 combo.

Paquebot Bélanger throws a 10-year anniversary bash on September 6 with food by Boom, sweets by Patachon, wine from Ward, and all-day funky beats.

Pescadero 62 pops up at Marci on September 7 with a one-night-only Baja fire kitchen by chef Zarek Yussif—expect oysters, crudo, tacos, and grillades.

KojItalian returns for one last run (for now) on September 7 with a five-course pop-up fusing koji and Italian flavours at Kitano Shokudo.

La Table d’André has opened its doors in Lachine, carrying forward the legacy of André Martin—architect turned beloved restaurateur behind Pasta Andrea.

Valentin Raffali takes over the kitchen at Limbo on September 10 for one night only. À la carte menu, limited spots—book now or regret it later.

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

Montreal’s September calendar is stacked with alleyway stages, street food blowouts, dance battles, and big-name festivals to close out summer in style. Read more.

From Tlaxcala-rooted tacos to Haitian fire-cooked brisket, these 30+ Montreal restaurant openings prove the city’s food scene isn’t slowing down this fall. Read more.

Senegalese wrestling took over a Hochelaga gym with drums, ritual, and surreal pageantry—transforming a local sports hall into a Dakar dreamscape. Read more.

Books, bánh mì, and beloved neighbours—The Word’s Brendan King-Edwards shares his favourite Milton-Parc haunts, from secondhand gems to timeless takeout. Read more.

Montreal fashion giant SSENSE has filed for creditor protection to avoid a forced sale, citing a liquidity crisis, U.S. trade changes, and slumping luxury sales. Read more.

Premier François Legault says he wasn’t told about SAAQclic’s $500M cost overrun until this year—despite years of red flags and warnings within his own government. Read more.

With Valérie Plante stepping down, Montreal’s mayoral race is wide open—pitting a rebranding Projet Montréal against rivals promising more pragmatism, less gridlock, and cheaper bus fares. Read more.

One year in, Royalmount mall draws weekend crowds and buzz—but empty luxury storefronts and economic headwinds raise the question: boom or bust? Read more.

Hugo Larochelle takes the reins at Mila, stepping into Yoshua Bengio’s former role as scientific director after nearly a decade at Google. His mission? Keep Quebec at the forefront of AI while making sure it serves society—not just Big Tech. Read more.

In a spicy manifesto for summer cycling in Montreal, Jean Bourbeau breaks down what deserves a “smash” or a “pass”—from AirPods to Bixis, Bellechasse to bike snobs. Read more.

Despite the green light from Quebec’s language office, Montreal’s buses won’t flash “Go! Habs Go!” again until winter—the STM says it’s too expensive to update signs before then. Read more.

Three months after new language rules kicked in, at least 500 Quebec businesses still haven’t updated their signage to make French twice as prominent—leaving shopfronts, and tempers, in limbo. Read more.

After cutting down century-old poplars in La Fontaine Park for safety reasons, the Plateau borough gave the stumps new life—turning them into public art carved by chainsaw. Read more.

Where do Montreal’s picnic tables, park benches, and garbage bins come from? A team of city-employed artisans builds them by hand in a Rosemont workshop. Read more.

A new study shows most Montrealers see culture as core to city life—so why do mayoral candidates keep sidelining the arts? Brendan Kelly wants answers. Read more.

With a new Olympic-inspired sculpture at Pie-IX, Montreal’s métro hits 100 public artworks—cementing its status as one of the world’s most art-filled transit systems. Read more.

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

If ever you catch something we should know, don't hesitate to reach out to us on Instagram.

👋 Masthead: Philip Tabah, Founder & Head of Creative / Daniel Bromberg, Co-Founder & Head of Operations / Jean-Philippe Lauzon, Co-Founder & Head of Tech / JP Karwacki, Managing Editor / Amber Spector, Social Media Manager / Anahi Pellathy, Editorial & Production Coordinator