Le Bulletin : Crème Glacée À la Néo-zélandaise, Passionné au Palais, une Nuit Wes Anderson, et le Ciel Devient Vraiment Bruyant [Numéro #188]

Morning, Montreal.

There are many, many things from the last week that are competing with this first sentence, so I’ll just up and say it: SAVE THE DATE for August 8, 2026 because our second-ever annual summer party is happening with more drinks, more DJs, and more local dining options than last years.

Details are coming very soon to an inbox near you.

😮‍💨

Now that that’s out of the way, at the risk of trying to sound like a late-night talk show host: We’ve got an amazing weekend line up for you this time around, folks. Not only is a circus festival kicking off, but the Jazz Fest will sing its last song and fireworks will light up the sky. It will be, no doubt, literally and figuratively arresting for all.

And don’t get us started on just how electric things will be elsewhere with music and dance and art and food and drink. Apparently, Angine de Poitrine drew the biggest crowd to downtown since Stevie Wonder took to the stage in 2009.

If you’re trying to wrap your head around how a costumed duo from Saguenay playing microtonal math rock managed to draw that kind of crowd, we have the answer.

On with the show, enjoy your weekend, ride the wave, have fun.

— JP Karwacki, Managing Editor

PRESENTED BY LAVAZZA

Before jazz had a stage, it had an espresso bar.

Decades before the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal became the world's largest on offer, the city's jazz culture took shape in smoky basement rooms where legends cut their teeth and Bob Dylan played his first Canadian show.

This summer, Le Café Lavazza brings that same coffeehouse spirit back to the festival grounds, pouring espresso, Espresso Martinis, and pastries until July 4.

The Editors' Picks

The places our editors keep coming back to. Every one has earned an editorial badge.

One Story to Read This Week

The ‘70s saw Leonard Cohen, Mordecai Richler, and Mavis Gallant, but recent years have produced authors like Heather O’Neill, Madeleine Thein, and Rawi Hage alongside local publishing houses, bookstores, and writers’ federations that seek to uplift equally local voices.

Forming from these sites of cultural exchange, as well as creative writing programs at schools like McGill and Concordia and from our interconnected digital age, Alexander Hackett writes, is a small but mighty collective of literary journals, fledgling writers, and their eager readers, ushering in a new era for Montreal-derived English literature.

Originally running in late 2024, this story still holds water.

PRESENTED BY MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE

Montreal Is a Complete Circus, and the Whole World Knows It

Montreal is a leading global exporter of the circus arts.

MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE returns July 2 to 12 with its 17th edition, bringing companies from France, Finland, England, and beyond to five venues across the city, plus free outdoor programming that takes over entire neighbourhoods.

Here's your full guide to what to book, what's worth the detour, and what won't cost you a dime.

Thursday

🎪 Montréal Complètement Cirque kicks off today. Enjoy a range of circus acts from international performers at venues across the city.

🎆 Watch the first fireworks installation for the 40th season of L’International des Feux Loto-Québec.

📀 Every night of the Jazz Fest, Music is My Sanctuary, and Ferias are presenting jazz vinyl DJ sets at PHONO.

🎼 The first day of Festival d’Art Vocal, a program showcasing emerging opera singers and musicians at Salle Claude Champagne until August 2.

Friday

🎶 Dance to techno and electronic music with 360° visuals at the SAT Dômesicle.

🏞️ Les Guinguettes du Sud-Ouest are back this weekend with live entertainment and a local market by the Lachine Canal.

🦸 The 16th edition of Montreal’s Comiccon is happening this weekend at the Palais des congrès: film screenings, costume contests, vendors, photo sessions, and meet-and-greets.

🏆 Join in on the spirit of sports and community with Les Premiers Vendredis at the Esplanade of Olympic Park: international food from over 40 vendors, FIFA Watch Party, and DJ sets.

🚶History walks on the Main begin, with guided tours on Boulevard Saint-Laurent going until the end of August.

Saturday

🎷 The 46th edition of the Montreal Jazz Festival, the world’s largest jazz festival, wraps up today in the Quartier des Spectacles.

🎻 The Saint Joseph’s Oratory welcomes the Orchestre Classique de Montréal for a day of free shows from morning until sunset.

⚽ Watch Montreal Roses play Vancouver Rise at Stade Boréale.

🎸 The West Island Blues Festival makes its next stop at DDO Park with performances by Rachel Dara, Steve Rowe, Inus Aso Reggae Band, and more.

🎤 Enjoy live outdoor comedy sets with Comedy in the Garden, held at Café Roxane.

Sunday

🪷 Celebrate the annual ‘’Ratha-Yatra’’ Festival of Chariots at Jeanne Mance Parc with a parade, dancing, and free vegan food.

🪩 Ferias is collaborating with Sans Soleil for Sunday Jams every weekend in July.

🏊 Attend the Bell Canadian Swimming Trials and watch the country’s best swimmers compete for a spot on the national team.

🎬 Cinéma Public screens Waiting for Guffman outdoors at Livart’s courtyard.

⭐ Candlelight Concerts is presenting The Best of Hans Zimmer for a night of iconic movie soundtracks.

PRESENTED BY LA CABINE COMÉDIE CLUB

Presented by La Cabine Comédie Club, a new room for stand-up comedy at the corner of St-Denis and Laurier, Cabine Fever Comedy brings you the best of Montreal comedy with these two regular shows in English:

• Open Mic every Sunday at 7PM.
• Professional show every second Saturday at 10PM.

Readers of the Main can come enjoy this ultimate comedy club experience with an exclusive 2 for 1 special on tickets throughout July!

Simply use the promo code MAINCOMEDY at checkout!

Grab your tickets

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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.

DAX Glace, a new ice cream spot, opens in Outremont: New Zealand-style ice cream, artisanal soft serve and popsicles, sundaes, and coffee.

Salon Badin celebrates Émile's last round behind the bar tonight, July 2: DJ Tristam spins Balearic dub, trip hop, and deep house from 9 p.m., doors at 7.

Chez Teta’s second location in St-Henri is in soft opening.

Patio Patio is celebrating its 1-year anniversary with a 5 à 7 on July 2.

Le Pois Penché is paying homage to New Orleans Jazz Nights on July 2, 3, and 4: Louisiana-inspired dishes and live jazz starting at 7 p.m. Reservations are recommended.

La Cave de Mamie invites Angela Prado, co-founder of Maison Moritz Prado, to showcase some of her wines on June 2 starting at 5 p.m.

Taste food from all over the world at First Fridays, Canada’s largest recurring food festival held at the Olympic Park Esplanade. June 3-4, and every first weekend of the month until September.

Jean-Talon Market is having its Festiv’Été Spice Edition on July 4 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.: try a range of spicy food from local vendors, dance to Latin music, and participate in a hot wings challenge.

Enjoy brunch with views of the city on the Weekend River Brunch Cruise departing from the Old Port. Tickets are limited.

Chefs Shu and Louise pop up at Bar Wills for a summer kickoff on July 5—3 p.m. until sold out.

Polari hosts a grill & sip complete with martinis, hot dogs, spaghetti, and more on July 5, starting at 2 p.m.

Buboy is bringing Filipino food over to Atwater Market on July 6 from 5 p.m.

Parc Jean Drapeau welcomes La Buvette des Floralies, a new spot for food and drinks located in the Jardins des Floralies. Stop by for a celebratory opening 5 à 7 on July 7.

Parisian Bouillon Week returns to Le 9e from July 14 to 19 for six days of classic French cuisine. Reserve here.

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

Pho chawanmushi at an eight-seat omakase, Hiroshima ramen's first outpost outside Japan, and sourdough slices selling out on Saint-Viateur: the best new restaurants in Montreal, updated for July. Read more.

One kingpin stayed invisible, one bank robber hijacked a helicopter: the filmmakers behind Kings of Coke on why Montreal can't let go of its outlaws. Read more.

Last year, Angine de Poitrine played a small local stage at Jazz Fest for 2,000 people. On Saturday, the festival closed the gates for the first time since Stevie Wonder. Read more.

The Coldroom team's newest bar is their first where the drinks come second: an Old Montreal basement built around a serious vinyl-forward sound system. Read more.

A Montreal illustrator restored a 1950s stamp machine and filled it with 300 fortunes written by his favourite writers, artists, and poets. Bring quarters. Read more.

Scholars say the Côte-des-Neiges shooting reflects how incel violence is changing, and warn Canada will see more of it. Read more.

The tributes to outgoing labour minister Jean Boulet tell one story. The daycare workers forced off the picket line three days before Christmas tell another. Read more.

A new Pointe-Saint-Charles padel club comes with a licensed bar, two Pilates studios, and bleachers full of strangers watching strangers play. Read more.

MELS is closing Canada's last photochemical film lab, the one that developed Mommy and Simple comme Sylvain. Quebec filmmakers who shoot on celluloid will now have to send their reels to the States. Read more.

Little Italy's Quincaillerie Dante has survived 70 years, Home Depot, and the internet. Now the Vendittelli family faces its hardest question yet: who takes over? Read more.

La Ronde's new owners are keeping the park open until 10 p.m., adding a week in August, and throwing in three water parks with the season pass. Read more.

Brendan Gallagher became the first hockey player named an honorary citizen of Montreal. Four days later, the Canadiens traded him to Vancouver. Read more.

Old Montreal is more than its tourist traps and souvenir shops. Here’s a local's guide to the neighbourhood where the city began. Read more.

Moving the Grand Prix to May was supposed to hurt June tourism. Instead, hotel demand jumped 13 percent both months, and Tourisme Montréal is already talking about a record year. Read more.

NUVO's Canada Day fashion roundup spotlights the labels redefining Canadian style, with Montreal well represented: Eliza Faulkner, running brand Balmoral, and 3.Paradis all make the list. 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 & Editor-in-Chief / Jean-Philippe Lauzon, Co-Founder & Head of Tech / JP Karwacki, Managing Editor / Whitney Domingo, Community Manager / Samuel Vadnais, Head of Partnerships / Anahi Pellathy, Editorial & Production Coordinator / AnnaClare Sung, Junior Staff Writer / Kristina Stamkopoulos, Editorial Intern