The Bulletin: We've got some big things cooking [Issue #158]

And this is just the start.

Beyond this, you may have also received an email from The Main's founder and publisher Philip Tabah asking for your support. If you're already a paid subscriber? Many thanks. If you're not?

We’re small, independent, and fuelled entirely by people who believe Montreal deserves thoughtful, stylish, human storytelling.

Memberships are $50 (less than $1/week) and we’ll ship you a free copy of Beau Type Vol. 1 as a thank-you bonus. If that sounds like something worth keeping alive, this is your moment:

Something is brewing

This Friday, December 5 at 3 p.m., WILLS is tapping two brand-new collaborations—and if you know anything about their track record with limited releases, you'll want to show up early. 🍻 ❤️

First up: OUTAOUAIS DOUBLE IPA, brewed with Gatineau's Brasserie du Bas-Canada, a fiercely independent operation putting Outaouais on Quebec's craft beer map. Then there's CONFLUENCE IPA, made alongside Ayawan, the Val-Morin brewery that set up shop in a former synagogue on the banks of the Rivière du Nord.

The Bas-Canada crew will be on-site to celebrate with good energy and fresh pours: Two taps, limited quantities, don't sleep on it!

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

Thursday

🎤 Experience Montreal artist Bells Larsen as he brings his lo-fi, folk album Blurring Time to the stage at the Phi Centre for an intimate performance. 

💐 Celebrate the opening of Fleuriste Monarque's new space at their holiday sip & shop where you can indulge in festive drinks and treats, holiday florals and gifts for you andloved ones.

🦧 Join Dr. Keriann McGoogan for a conversation and Q&A on her new book Sisters of the Jungle, spotlighting the pioneering women who transformed primate research, followed by snacks, refreshments, and a book signing.

Friday

👕 Shop Parc’s newest collection at their latest pop-up, featuring a live DJ set and Pabst. 

🪩 Take a breather from December stress under the disco balls at Sans Soleil, where their freshly revealed monthly program offers the perfect escape.

🎄 Festival Noël dans le Parc begins, once again turning the city into a glowing winter scene, with free shows, Dieu du Ciel beer, and Christmas trees to pick out.

⚱️ Settle into a festive pottery night inspired by The Holiday, with warm snacks, hot chocolate, a cozy screening of the cult film, and everything you need to create your own ceramic.

Saturday

🛒 The Collectif Créatif heads to Verdun's Auditorium December 5-7 with 115 different artisans hawking their wares each weekend.

📚 The Read Quebec Book Fair returns for its 10th edition, featuring author signings,and a full weekend of programming—including a conversation with Heather and Arizona O’Neill about their new collaborative book Valentine in Montreal.

 ​​📖 Swap your well-loved reads for something new at Café Jardin's first-ever Saturday Swap, a  book exchange where you can bring a favourite title (or two), meet fellow book lovers and sip on a literary-themed cocktail. 

❄️ Discover a packed lineup of local artists and makers at Marianne’s annual Christmas Fest, with returning favourites and a wave of exciting new vendors to explore.

🧶 Pick out a one-of-a-kind gift at Loosends' holiday market, bringing together some of the city's most talented makers with creations ranging from ceramics, jewelry, to crochet and more!

🧣 Floh Market’s Christmas Market brings together a vibrant mix of artisans—soaps, ceramics, vintage, zines, jewelry, and more—so you can snag the perfect holiday find.

🌱 Find plant-based gifts and treats at this year's Vegan Christmas Market with free entry all weekend.

Sunday 

💃 Bernard Cabaret Gourmand's Scrambled Legs Drag Brunch returns with Uma Gahd hosting Montreal's fiercest drag artists.

🥐 Croissound brings the heat at their next pop up in collaboration with Festival Noël dans le Parc, keeping you warm with coffee, croissants, hot chocolate, and a live DJ set.

🍪 Bring your favourite cookie recipe to life and swap your baked goods with fellow food lovers at Drawn & Quarterly's Cookbook Club for their holiday cookie exchange.

💎 Spend your Sunday wandering through Mellön brewery’s first winter market, featuring a hand-picked lineup of local makers—from ceramics and knitting to books, blown glass, coffee goods, zines, Italian treats, and more.

🎧 Foil Gallery transforms into a vinyl lover’s marketplace, with La Rama, Aux 33 Tours, and 180g bringing crate after crate of records to dig through, plus all-day DJ sets.

🧥 Montreal's newest clothing brand, Faith, launches their new collection with a full day of DJs, fire hairstyles, henna, grillz, tattoos, free photoshoots, amazing food, and a game night with prizes from local creators.

🎙️ Perform, laugh, and give back at The Kickback Comedy Party’s open mic every Monday at Pas de Problème with all donations supporting Hurricane Melissa relief in Jamaica.

🕎 The Hanukkah Market returns at the Montreal Jewish Museum where you can enjoy live klezmer music and festive treats while getting some holiday shopping done.

📻 Get a drink and shop some vintage at Bar de Courcelle’s vintage pop-up sale.

A holiday calendar stacked with free events

ROYALMOUNT is leaning into the holidays with a full calendar of complimentary programming that will deck its halls of its mall and turn its Urban Park into a winter festival.

The centrepiece? A skating rink, open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through the season. Open access, right in the Urban Park. Build your day around it, whether that's morning laps before the crowds, an afternoon session with kids, or evening skating under the lights.

From there, the calendar fills in with live performances, workshops, and spectacles that give you more than enough reasons to keep coming back.

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.

Montreal’s last-standing Chinatown factory, Wing’s Noodles, hosts a community banquet on Dec 5 to honour 128 years of impact and supporting efforts to preserve their historic building for the future. Seats are mostly booked; consider donating to the Jia Foundation even if you can't make it.

Pastificio Etna launches a festive new menu of handcrafted holiday pastas, lasagnas, and family-size tiramisus, all available as of Dec 1. 

There’s a new Italian sandwich shop in town! Head to Roxy Focaccia on Dec 4 in Little Italy and try their squash and pistachio pesto. 

Join Buboy on Dec 4 for a community gathering and typhoon-relief kickoff, featuring local organizations and artists on site, and live music.

Traffic's pop-up café, Temps Partiel, takes over while Mr. & Mrs. Mmmmagasin are on holiday from Dec 4-7. 

North Star Machines à Piastres celebrates four years this Friday with Risk Youth spinning hits from the '80s/'90s/00s while Bruno and Shannon mark another year of keeping Montreal's best pinball bar running.

A year after launching as a nomadic pop-up, NADIA—the guinguette dedicated to women's sports—found a permanent home. Read more.

Restaurant Candide collabs with Frankie’s on Dec 4th, bringing a taste of Vermont to Montreal.

Le 4e Mur celebrates the holiday season with burlesque and murder mystery evenings. 

Saturday Café brings the festive spirit at their holiday pop-up on Dec 5 with seasonal drinks, sweets, and wreaths courtesy of Nastie Fleur. 

Sutton’s Reserve Naturelle hosts an array of winemakers at their holiday market on Dec 6 where you can enter for free and shop the most unique bottles for your cellar and enjoy some gourmet bites. 

Magpie Magique reopens on Dec 6, with an elevated food and cocktail menu.

Peluso Beaubien offers free wine tastings on Dec 6 for their Mini Natural Wine Show, featuring a generous selection of Quebec wineries. 

Salle Climatisée celebrates five years on Dec 7, with an open-floor afternoon of sausage rolls, choux à la crème, great wines by the glass, and plenty of good company.

Chez Jean Paul keeps its doors open exceptionally on Dec 8 to celebrate two years of service. 

For one day only, savour Hainanese chicken made with fragrant rice and an aromatic broth at J'ai Feng on Dec 8.

Le 4e Mur hosts Lot 14 on Dec 9, an immersive speakeasy experience where aristocrats, mobsters, journalists, and academics gather for a clandestine auction centred on a mysterious statuette.

Head to Star Bar for a fashion-themed trivia night on Dec 10, with prizes for the most stylish look and plenty of pizza for teams of up to six.

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

After decades cooking fancy, David McMillan and Derek Dammann came home to the West Island to open the kind of restaurant they'd always promised their neighbours: a place where everyone can afford to eat. Read more.

Speaking of which, December's restaurant openings range from that West Island spot to Marcel Larrea resurrecting Mezcla as a 24-seat speakeasy where he gets full creative control, a Scottish tavern, and more. Read more.

Montreal's December calendar refuses to quit: PHI offers haptic wearable wombs, Beatles tributes, Boxing Day techno, skating sessions, holiday markets... and that's just scratching the surface. Read more.

M for Montreal's been the launchpad turning basement nobodies into international careers for 20 years. How did this festival figure out that putting the right people in sweaty Mile-Ex rooms does more than algorithms ever could? Read more.

It's the bar you want to drink at after a shift: Numéro's a brutalist Little Italy spot of high design and artful drinks in under ten minutes—because waiting 20 minutes for a cocktail you'll finish in 20 minutes is bullshit. Read more.

Montreal's finally testing phone-based Opus card scanning in early 2026 with 10,000 invited users—part of a $146-million modernization project that started in 2008 and still won't be fully rolled out until late next year, because apparently being 17 years behind schedule is the new on-time. Read more.

Nearly 40 years after his landmark book helped designate The Main as a heritage site, Edward Hillel returns with a layered portrait of memory, time, and urban change. Read more.

Sabor Latino's been the gravitational centre of Montreal's Latin American communities for decades , and it all started with a Colombian businessman filling suitcases with food in 1984. Read more.

Montréal en Lumière's 2026 edition digs into 65 years of Montreal dining history with 90+ visiting chefs from nine World's 50 Best restaurants, plus standout pairings like Snowdon Deli's 80th anniversary with Italo-Jewish carbonara and matzo balls. Read more.

After 179 years, the Laurentian Bank—founded by a Montreal bishop in 1846 to serve working-class Catholics—is being sold off in pieces because it never caught up with the times, launching its first app only a few years ago while competitors built trillion-dollar empires. Read more.

The tinsel-drenched holiday pop-up Miracle that spawned 200+ locations worldwide, returns to Old Montreal after three years with Christmapolitans served in Santa head mugs, Christmas Karaoke, and maximalist decor. Read more.

When you ride the first metros at 5:30 a.m., you meet the shadow army that keeps Montreal running: nurses, construction workers, care attendants—many recent immigrants—clocking hours of daily commutes while the city still sleeps. Read more.

Hydro-Québec's requesting 3% annual hikes over three years—totalling 9% and breaking Legault's promise to keep increases at or below inflation—which means an extra $240/year for the average Montreal home by 2028, all to fund a $200 billion grid expansion. Read more.

Want to sponsor this newsletter, or know someone who would?

Reach thousands of Montrealers and support our content at the same time: Contact us for more info.

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 / AnnaClare Sung, Editorial Intern