The Bulletin: Welcome to a Brand New Year, Montreal [Issue #162]

We also navigated into uncharted territory, hosting two in-person events—our first-ever block party and holiday market—that helped us connect with readers like you directly, reminding us why community matters. Behind the scenes, we partnered with incredible clients across Montreal to deliver some of our strongest brand work yet and grow our agency by 3x over last year. 

Not bad for a small, scrappy, deeply ambitious team.

We built a lot, too: a refreshed visual identity for the Dépanneur, including our first run of limited branded products, a growing newsletter community, new storytelling formats on social, an online directory on our website, and dozens of new features for logged-in users—the kind of tech improvements you might not always notice, but that matter deeply to us because of how they enhance your experience. Each of these pieces is part of a larger vision we’re excited to keep shaping with you.

And through it all, you’ve been there: reading, sharing, showing up at events, sending us notes, rooting for us, and trusting us to help you reconnect (and fall in love) with Montreal (again), a place we truly believe is the best city on the planet.

So thank you. Really. Your support means more than we can put into words.

We have so much planned for next year, and while we can’t reveal too much just yet, we can say this: we’re just getting started.

Here’s to everything ahead.

Daniel Bromberg

Co-founder, Head of Ops

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

Thursday

🎼 Ring in the New Year with Salute to Vienna, a lush orchestral celebration of Johann Strauss Jr.’s 200th birthday through waltzes, operetta highlights, and the sweep of The Blue Danube.

Friday

🖤 Sink into raw, hypnotic techno at Barbossa Montréal, where Techno Crudo Collective hosts Triksell, Sannarchy, and Char.l.n for a no-frills, bodies-only night built on deep grooves, low lights, and total immersion.

🎤 Catch Gotham Comedy Live alum Daniel Tirado at The Comedy Nest, where the multilingual, culture-hopping comic brings sharp observational stand-up—plus opening acts—for a tight 90-minute set that leans smart, personal, and very funny.

🎧 PHI’s immersive listening room Habitat Sonore spotlights Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe, unfolding their collaborative albums over time in a slow, spatial experience.

☕️ 🍩 A communal Twin Peaks ritual at Cinéma du Parc features David Lynch’s final vision on the big screen with key episodes from Seasons 2 and 3—donuts, coffee, and cosmic dread included.

🏑 Newcomers can try their hand at hurling and Gaelic football—two fast, physical Irish sports—with Montreal Shamrocks Intro Day while getting a feel for one of the city’s longest-running community clubs.

Saturday

⛓️⚔️ Enter the ritual at Turbo Haüs, where Tachyon, Øbelisk, and Mother Mary summon a night of chaotic, confrontational sound.

🚀 Experience the Star Wars saga in full at Cinéma du Musée, where Episodes I–VI play on the big screen for fans to revisit the galaxy far, far away in chronological order.

🎱 Kick off 2026 with a low-pressure Gaming Night at Fitzroy—expect pool, foosball, good food, solid cocktails, and an easygoing crowd here to play, dance a little, and actually meet new people (no cover, just pay as you go).

Sunday 

🎺 Ease into the new year with a Balkan jam at Café La Ligne Verte where musicians of all levels play čočeks, kolos, and other folk favourites—no cover, no pressure.

🏒 Catch the Montréal Victoire back on home ice at Place Bell as they take on the Minnesota Frost for a high-energy Sunday afternoon matchup.

🏁 GOPLEX e‑Karting is hosting a full-throttle Sunday that pairs simulator golf, a shared dinner, and elite-level e-karting.

🎨 Start the year with intention at New Year, New Canvas, a guided painting session that invites you to map out 2026 (and beyond) through colour, reflection, and creative reset.

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.

Eat and drink on New Year’s Day: Restaurants and bars open January 1 in Montreal - The Main

The city’s mostly closed on January 1st, but these spots are open and ready to feed and ply you with a drink or two.

The MainThe Main

Castel Franco and Limbo kick off 2026 together on Jan. 1 with a no-reservations, all-attitude brunch starting at 1 p.m. and running "till infinity."

Sae Low kicks off 2026 with a special walk-in brunch takeover by Minh Phat from Jan. 1–3 and Jan. 6–10, offering a rare chance to taste his cooking in a casual daytime setting.

Bruce adjusts its rhythm for the holidays, easing back with a snack-bar night on Jan. 2, then returning to its regular menu on Jan. 3. Slàinte.

Maynard closes its doors for good on January 4, 2026, marking the end of a six-year run—open daily until then for one last round of poutines and a proper send-off before the lights go out.

Vinvinvin brings back its beloved spaghetti-and-wine deal for 2026, turning Wednesdays into Mercredi Spaghetti from January 7 to April 8—$20 gets you a plate of pasta and a glass of wine, Trattoria-style, no fuss required.

Turbo Haus launches a year-long, community-powered fundraiser with a bold goal: raising $25,000 for local causes. On the last Monday of every month, the bar flips the script with $5 beers, mixed drinks, and wines—while any cocktail with more than two ingredients jumps to $100.

Le Plongeoir hosts a cozy knitting night on January 13, inviting stitchers of all levels to gather for an evening of slow craft, conversation, and wintertime togetherness.

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

Montreal’s dining scene in 2025 found its footing while staring down rising prices, Michelin’s influence, and a looming 2026 defined by pop-ups, collaborations, and the uneasy question of whether global recognition can coexist with the city’s unpretentious soul. Read more.

In a year when new openings felt like bold declarations and closures landed like personal losses, Montreal’s 2025 dining scene swung between long-awaited debuts, neighbourhood triumphs, and the quiet disappearance of beloved rooms that once held daily rituals. Read more.

Our bar scene was all about settling into rooms that felt right, ordering martinis, and letting good bartenders, familiar stools, and repeat visits define how the city drank in 2025. Read more.

URBANIA’s 2026 horoscope ditches cosmic reassurance for chaos, roasting every sign with pop culture, political jabs, and the suggestion that survival, not self-actualization, might be the year’s real victory. Read more.

After every icy storm, Montreal’s winter crews juggle 11,000 kilometres of streets, sidewalks, and bike paths using a strict priority system—explaining why some areas feel neglected even as hundreds of vehicles spread salt and abrasives around the clock. Read more.

At Canada’s deepest transit station, a 33-metre mosaic by Montreal artist Manuel Mathieu channels Mount Royal’s geology while reviving the métro’s mid-century tradition of monumental public art. Read more.

From a missing toddler found alive and Amazon’s Quebec exit to border crackdowns, housing discrimination, and a former astronaut’s death, these were the 10 stories CTV wants to highlight from the last year. Read more.

After mass arrests, a brazen jailhouse shooting, and the jailing of alleged boss Leonardo Rizzuto, experts warn 2026 could bring a violent power vacuum and what may become the biggest mafia trial in Canadian history. Read more.

A “Mieuxtropolitaine” could turn the Autoroute 40 into a greener, quieter corridor with transit priority and housing built above the roadway. Read more.

After nearly 90 years serving Montreal photographers across three generations, Old Montreal’s Photo Service is closing its storefront—undone by digital photography’s slow erosion. Read more.

At Marché aux puces Saint-Michel, a maze of mid-century furniture, vintage films, cast-iron pans, and lifelong obsessions reveals a flea market powered less by resale than by memory, expertise, and the quiet joy of finding the right object. 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 / Kaitlyn DiBartolo, Editorial Intern / Jeremy Cox, Editorial Intern / AnnaClare Sung, Editorial Intern