The Bulletin: Who's afraid of the big bad weekend? 😱 [Issue #153]

You're in for some ghoulish good times, and we're not just talking about the upcoming election.

Things are both as loud as a haunted house and as quiet as the pregnant silence you'd find in any old slasher film right now: While the weekend is absolutely stacked with more than enough things to do—and while we imagine you already know where you plan on being, we have a LOT of Halloween options here for you—it's also eerily quiet in a lot of ways.

The political parties vying for seats in city hall are scrambling for press coverage, so much so that it forms a sound akin to static on an old TV set. There's so much out there that the best we can do is offer our own takes, because including what every other outlet out there is saying would make this edition of the Bulletin number in at 3,000+ words. Hell, even this intro is getting too long.

So we'll just say this: Get out there and have fun, because the sun is going to rise on a new day after November 2 either way. All we ask is that you don't forget to vote!

LFG.

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

Thursday

🕷 ESC hosts Chill ‘N Thrill, a unique and immersive Halloween art installation where their venue gets transformed into an eerie space to unwind and connect with others over drinks and costumes.

🔊 Akousma returns for its 21st music festival, showcasing fifteen visionary artists from near and far who are redefining the boundaries of 21st-century digital music.

🔩 Experience Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Frankenstein on the big screen at Cinéma du Musée.

👠 Experience the cult classic The Rocky Horror Show live, where campy sci-fi, glam rock, and playful sensuality collide in an intimate performance with a full cast and band.

Friday

👽 Homeby6 throws a Halloween rave, with a program full of local DJ’s that will make the night bleed into morning.

🧛🏻‍♂️ Costume party at Le Red Tiger; dress to win a free cocktail (and, we guess, to impress too).

🪩 It’s the disco apocalypse at Vino Disco, with drinks and retro vinyls spinning all night.

🩸 Moonshine returns with a special Halloween bash filled with a night of hypnotic beats, eerie energy, and dancing in the shadows.

👻 Step into the Haunted Tunnel of Plaza St-Hubert for a family-friendly Halloween adventure, featuring candy, music, games, and spooky surprises.

💀 Wrap up Halloween at Dante Park in Little Italy with eerie Italian tales, where Death takes the stage for an hour of stories, sweets, and spooky charm.

Saturday

⚰️ Journey through the afterlife at Ferias' 12 hour Halloween party as DJ's spin the soundtracks to hell, purgatory, and heaven.

🧟 Nevski’s Spookeasy returns for its second edition that will be darker and wilder, with Russian bangers and eerie surprises on the dancefloor.

🪄 For one night only, DJ Carlita will be in Montreal, headlining Olympia for a Halloween celebration of magic and madness.

🔪 Die Well parties for once and for all at Le Système, with a killer lineup of DJ's keeping the floor alive 'til the very end.

Sunday

📜 Paragraphe Bookstore celebrates the distinct voices of three Montreal poets with a triple poetry launch, offering an evening of creativity, connection, and inspiration.

🤘 The 11th edition of the Punk Rock Flea Market returns with vendors selling pins, patches, clothing, vinyl, and other weird treasures you won't find elsewhere.

🇲🇽 Montreal’s Día de Muertos Festival invites you to Manalli, a traditional altar exhibition that honours the natural cycle of life and death through art and music.

Bar Minou is an unsung hero on the new restaurant scene right now—read more in this week's What You Need to Know round up. | Photograph: Audrey-Eve Beauchamp / @audreyeve.beauchamp

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.

MTLàTABLE is back, friends: From Oct 30 to Nov 16, over 150 participating restaurants are offering a three- or four-course set-price evening menu ($35, $50, $65 or $80). More details here.

Aux 2 Clochers puts on their first bingo night of the season, with tacos, margaritas, and a prize for the best costume on Oct 30.

Win a 500$ gift certificate for best costume at Messorem’s Halloween party on Oct 31, and enjoy 7$ pints of Lagers and Pilsners.

Courcelle Bar celebrates Halloween with a southwestern flair on Oct 31, with 4$ whiskey and a midnight costume party.

El Sabor de Mexico is celebrating the Day of the Dead on Oct 31-Nov 1, with good music, food, and 9$ margaritas.

Star Bar turns 1 on Oct 31 and throws their second annual Halloween party featuring half-price pizza, a costume contest with prizes and DJs spinning all night.

Les Sans-Taverne celebrates Halloween on Oct 31 with sweets, homemade chili, and hellish Jell’O, followed by a night of devilish DJ sets and bewitching cocktails.

Old vintages from the Loire valley wine region of France will be available at Stem on Oct 31– and with not-so-scary prices.

Party like it's 1920 at Bar Suzanne’s on Oct 31, with 10$ Prohibition cocktails, mystery drinks, and prizes all night.

Trick or treat at Dalmata– show up in a costumemon Oct 31 for a free cone before they close until the spring.

Tequila Bar closes on Nov 1 after fifteen years of serving the Montreal community– stop by for one last round of tacos, memories, and celebration.

Enjoy a 5-Course dinner at Barbello on Nov 2, alongside Mexican street food staples and aperitivo cocktails at Barbello.

Pikliz throws a daytime party full of curated beats, tasty bites, and refreshing drinks you won’t want to miss on Nov 2.

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Photograph: Marie Rousseau / @marieourse

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Here, you'll find a weekly round-up of our stories from the past week, plus the latest local news.

Montreal’s transit strike is set to hit hard: if no deal is reached by Oct. 31, Metro and bus service will be limited to rush hours only until Nov. 28—even on election day. Read more.

Five candidates, one city in flux. As Montreal heads into the 2025 election without Valérie Plante, the race is wide open. Here’s who’s running, what they want, and how to vote. Read more.

Where do they stand? From language and identity to safety, public space, arts funding, and nightlife, here’s where Montreal’s mayoral candidates stand on the issues that shape the city’s cultural life. Read more.

In Montreal’s municipal elections, you don’t have to vote one or the other—you can build your own dream team. Ditch party lines and vote for the people who actually impress you: Read more.

Two new political parties—Transition Montréal and Futur Montréal—are shaking up the 2025 election. Built from scratch with no budget, they’re betting that big ideas can still beat big machines. Read more.

Bar Minou rewrites the wine bar rulebook: no tips, no resos, no pressure—just seasonal plates, natural wine, and the kind of vibe you don’t want to leave. Read more.

When Zack Cutrona bought Icehouse, he inherited its reputation. A year in, he’s learning the hard way what to fix, what to leave alone, and how to earn the right to stay. Read more.

What if Montreal had saved its tramway? A deep dive into the rise, fall, and forgotten future of the city’s “p’tits chars” reveals a cautionary tale still echoing through today’s transit debates. Read more.

Strangers, stories, sketchpads. Whatever way they do it, Montrealers are trading scrolls for serendipity. Call it radical proximity: a quiet revolt against digital life. Read more.

Eight years after promising to “unblock the city,” Montreal’s streets are still a maze of cones and chaos—now every mayoral hopeful has their own fix. Read more.

The Michelin Guide calls Montreal a place where creativity reigns. Despite the lack of stars, this new article is a nod to what landed differently in a year when nearly no stars were awarded. Read more.

Merchants at Montreal’s public markets are warning of crumbling infrastructure and broken promises—calling on the next mayor to act before winter drives them out for good. 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 / Samuel Vadnais, Head of Partnerships / Anahi Pellathy, Editorial & Production Coordinator / Phylida Tuff-West, Editorial Intern / Kaitlyn DiBartolo, Editorial Intern / Jeremy Cox, Editorial Intern