Last week we were talking about all of the stressors that can come with the holidays. Suppose we caught a vibe, as this weekend seems to speak to everyone who wants one last hoorah before they spend days with their families, whether they're born into 'em or they're chosen.

Don't get us wrong: There are still holiday markets and activations and special annual events, but so much of what piqued our interest this time around was less saccharine and corporate, and far more alternative, artisanal, and even gothic. Nightclubs are also pushing their schedules to the hilt, and restaurants and bars continue to keep doors open until the night before Christmas and Hanukkah.

The question is, where are you going to be during the holidays: Helping make green bean casseroles and wrapping gifts, or putting on your sequins early and hitting the discotheque?

Either way, we’ll be back in your inbox on December 26th with NYE party ideas for you!

Happy holidays from all of us at The Main, and thank you so much for a great year of storytelling and sharing everything this city has to offer! 🎄 🕎 ❄️ ✨ ❤️

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

Thursday

🤠 Le Noël du Cowboy Urbain invites you to don your boots and hats for a free Nashville-style show by Seb Brault at Bottes & Whiskey, following Jason Dupuis’s broadcast.

⛳️ Scope out the newly opened MUNI with golf simulator bays, a full restaurant, a sports bar, and plenty of screens to catch the action—reservations now open!

Friday

🪅 Star Bar invites you to a holiday bash filled with rock, alternative, pop, disco, and Coyote Ugly-inspired vibes—come for the music, stay for the sweet surprises.

🪩 Francesco’s got a lineup featuring ALCY, FICE, PESER, FROUFROU, and KEPEK—welcome to the discotheca.

💥 Celebrate the holiday season with two weekends of local shopping with PUCES POP at Église Saint-Denis.

🎙️ Entrevues avec des objets blends podcast and theatre as Jean-Christophe Leblanc and Guillaume Létourneau bring inanimate objects to life in a live, talk-show-style performance.

🛠️ The Salon des métiers d’art du Québec takes place at Palais des Congrès de Montréal with 200 exhibitors from Québec, Canada, and beyond.

Saturday

🎁 Marché Items returns to Livart for its sixth edition, celebrating winter with a showcase of local artists, artisans, and designers offering unique creations.

😈 Maleficarum MTL – Seasons Creepings invites you to explore 30+ artists’ uncensored works, indulge in free vegan hot chocolate, and shop unique merch at this gothic, witchcraft-inspired market.

🤶🏻 Swifties unite at Esplanade Tranquille for a festive day of skating, holiday shopping, and a cozy dinner, celebrating community spirit.

🪐 Cosmic Café returns to Le Système with Moka and Francis Englehardt spinning raw house, dirty techno, and underground beats for an unfiltered night of dance and energy.

Sunday

📽️ Celebrate the 35th anniversary of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation at Cinéma du Parc with a restored 4K screening and a Q&A featuring director Jeremiah Chechik, a Montreal native returning to his roots for the occasion.

🎤 Sing your heart out at Bar Bello’s Christmas Karaoke Night, hosted by Vacanze di Natale MTL—perfect for unleashing your inner Mariah Carey.

🩰 Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal performs The Nutcracker, set to the timeless music of Tchaikovsky, from now until December 30.

🎼 The Secret Chord: A Leonard Cohen Experience at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts celebrates the life, music, and poetry of Leonard Cohen.

The holidays are a time to give! The Main has partnered with some of Montreal's finest addresses in hospitality and fine food & drink to offer readers a chance to win a huge prize package valued at over $1,300!

Valued at over $1,300, it has everything you need, from Italian goods and curated packages for wine and cider aficionados to cozy winter essentials, all supplied by the city’s best names in hospitality.

Enter now and share the link with friends and family!

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.

The Mon Lapin team's opened a new restaurant, the rotisserie-focused La Lune.

The new southern Mediterranean-inspired restaurant from Chef Amine Laabi and his long-time collaborators, Leila, is now open in the old Beau Temps space.

Celebrate the holidays with an Independent Contractors Holiday Dinner at Turbo Haus on Dec 21—because who needs an office or coworkers to party? Join the fun with free spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread, and tirami-fucking-su!

Boxermans bids farewell after eight unforgettable years with one final blowout party—no tables, no chairs, just drinks, dancing, and memories on Dec 21.

La Courtepointe's a new neighbourhood bar that's taken over the iconic Miss Villeray, with microbrewery collaborations, natural wines, and creative vegetarian dishes.

A new café named in homage to the printing history of Old Montreal, Paper Hill, is now open with some strong library vibes.

Caramia and Polari Vin team up for a festive holiday lunch featuring pasta, wine, and good cheer on Dec 20—limited spots available, so grab your ticket soon!

Celebrate the holidays at Broue Pub Brouhaha Ahuntsic with a curated selection of house-made beers, guest brews, festive dishes, and more on Dec 21.

After 25 years in Saint-Henri, Resto-Café Quoi de N’Œuf is bidding farewell, officially closing its doors on December 30th.

The Smoothie Fight continues at Messorem this weekend, with four breweries facing off over the weekend.

Milky Way serves up late-night $5 pizza specials Thursday to Saturday from 11 PM to 2 AM, with drink purchase, no reservations needed.

Brasserie Ayawan celebrates its 4th anniversary on Dec 21 with special brews, global cuisine from Fleur de Feu and Mamaji Cantine, and an afternoon DJ set.

Queer Wine Night: Chosen Family Holiday Edition invites you to celebrate the season with community vibes and wine tastings at Vino Rama on Dec 19.

Café Olimpico's Westmount location brightens the holidays for children at the Montreal Children’s Hospital: Donate a new, unwrapped toy and enjoy a free coffee as a thank you from Dec 16 to 23.

Bar Dominion invites you to a special Holiday Brunch featuring guest chef Josh Crowe from Monkland Tavern, with proceeds supporting the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal.

Nouveau Palais invites you to their Oyster Party on Dec 19—expect festive vibes, fresh oysters, and a night to remember.

Oregon Bar à Vin hosts a special caviste event on Dec 21, offering natural wines and grower champagnes at friendly prices—perfect for the holidays.

Le Grotto Speakeasy, hidden beneath Sauvage in Old Montreal, offers an escape with cocktails, tapas, and Basque cheesecake bites that steal the show.

Mon Lapin continues its tradition of festive December lunches, offering à la carte delights—including passatelli romagnoli—Thurs to Sat from Dec 5 to 21.

Foxy kicks off the holiday season with Lunchs des Fêtes from December 11–13 and 18–20, a festive 3-course menu for $65.

Don't forget Bar Bello has transformed into a festive wonderland with Vacanze di Natale until Dec 30, blending the magic of Christmas with the groove of Italo Disco.

Buboy’s Filipino brunch is back for the holidays, an all-you-can-eat feast on Dec 15 and 22—reserve your spot now before seats fill up.

La Scacciata, an Italian scacciata café, softly opens in Montreal’s Sud-Ouest on Dec 17, 18 and 19.

There's a hidden Christmas cocktail bar under Kwizinn that's open Thursday to Sunday from 6 PM to midnight throughout December.

Last-minute gift ideas, right here 👇

There’s no better gift than an unforgettable experience, and Montreal’s top-rated restaurants excel at creating nights to remember.

Give a gift your special someone will always remember with digital gift cards from TREATER: Select a restaurant, choose an amount you want to offer, and watch their face light up twice—first when they receive it, and then after they experience it.

Best of all? TREATER gift cards do not expire and can be redeemed at any of their 75+ partner restaurants.

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

Trading eights with Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill: Here's the story behind one of Montreal greatest jazz clubs that's still in operation today. Read more.

Hybrid pizza & Italian-American Rat Pack-era aesthetics. That's the name of the game at Marci, a place you gotta try once on Plaza Saint Hubert. Read more.

Readers like you were in our comments and DMs so much after our article on the burgeoning restaurant scene in the West Island that we caved and made a list of the best spots. Read more.

What started as a small trailer-turned-diner in 1954 became a Montreal icon, thanks to its ultra-thin patties, toasted buns, and a signature tomato-based sauce—that's Dic Ann's. Read more.

Once a Montreal music mainstay for five years before being closed by noise complaints, The Diving Bell Social Club has a new project in the works. Read more.

Once hidden from the world for the better part of the last century, the largest collection of classical sculpture, the Torlonia Collection, is coming to Montreal. Read more.

What a hot streak: Montreal menswear label École de Pensée has seen a lot of leaps and bounds with huge features over the past year. Read more.

Reviving the art of conversation, Hot Chain brings together Montrealers for deep, idea-driven discussions in a pretension-free setting. Read more.

It's not every day you can see inside Cirque du Soleil co-founder Guy Laliberté’s Outremont mansion—now on sale for $9.3 million. Read more.

Will Montreal’s Molson Brewery site become a $2.5 billion mixed-use neighbourhood with a promised 20% allocation for social housing? 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 / Jean-Philippe Lauzon, Co-Founder & Head of Tech / Daniel Bromberg, Co-Founder & Head of Operations / JP Karwacki, Managing Editor / Amber Spector, Social Media Manager