We haven't just arrived at any weekend, but the last long weekend of the summer (thank you, 1872 printers' strike in Toronto!) and damn it all if we don't intend on wildly vacillating between doin' absolutely nothing on one hand and guzzling margaritas, looking at world-renowned photography, and/or watching people scale an inverted 65-foot wall above a swimming pool at Parc Jean-Drapeau before taking in a burlesque show on the other.

Yee—and we can't stress this enough—haw.

This weekend marks the beginning of the end for Montreal's winner of the 'Best Season of the Year' Award, and as much as some of you look forward to slurping PSLs on a bench along Beaver Lake or wearing your best flannel to an off-island cider house, we say (nay, insist!) that you get on out there and experience these warmer days while they last. And this weekend's weather just might be the best we've had all summer.

We've made this week's Bulletin an especially wild and weird one, y'all. Hope you enjoy it.

The list below features all kinds of non-food related activities. If it's grub you're after, keep scrolling...

Thursday

• Expo World Press Photo Montréal is back to present the results of the 2023 World Press Photo Contest, an annual exhibition showcasing the best and most important photojournalism and documentary photography of the past year.
• Block party specialists Aire Commune will host their 4th and final block party of the summer in the industrial Esplanade Louvain site.
• JOAT Festival (Jack Of All Trades) has launched its inaugural International Street Dance Festival: A week of performances at Place des Arts.
• Pop life! at MMFA showcases iconic works of Pop art from the Museum’s collection, including creations that have rarely or never been shown.
• BLVD Festival is going to transform Saint-Laurent Boulevard into street fest with a bunch of games, parties, street food, and more.
• Ladyfest begins, an annual celebration of Montreal's dynamic femme and non-binary comedians and performers.

Friday

• Gardens of Light is back at the Botannical Gardens, a sensory experience that combines art, science, and technology across the Japanese, First Nations, and Chinese gardens.
• Check out Psicobloc, the extreme climbing competition where climbers demonstrate speed, agility and endurance as they climb an inverted 65-foot wall at the Olympic Pool.
• Les Guinguettes is putting on Punctuation, a tribute to the French language and to the art of punctuation through performances, art, and more.
• Over at Cinéma Beaubien, they're throwing an alley party with Le Elsdale, featuring screenings by MAPP_MTL, the unveiling of a new mural, a BBQ with Boucherie Petite Patrie music, and bevvies.
• The Montreal Cup, a street-style skate competition for Quad and Inline skaters is on, and it's the largest skating event in Canada.

Saturday

• Check out the eco-friendly fashion, unique decor & community celebrations at the three-floor pop-up Not Your Usual Yard Sale.
• Summer fun's ending: This is the last weekend when you can swim at Jean-Doré Beach before it closes for the season. This is also the last weekend to put your toes in the sands of the Clock Tower Beach.
• Check out the live painting event Beaux Dégâts at the Distrix Festival, where 5 teams of artists will be painting live for 2 hours; vote for your favorite creation while you're there.
• It's the reopening of Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, a 4,361 meter long motor racing track now available for cycling, skating, running, and other fast(er) stuff.
• Montreal's largest corgi gathering, Corgi Pawty, is back: Last year saw over 200 doggos and thousands of pawty people.
• The Wiggle Room is hosting a burlesque spectacular featuring hits from the '80s and four performers heating the stage up.

Sunday

• It's your chance to check out Canettes De Ruelle, the public graffiti and mural event running from September 2 to 4 off Rue Masson.
• Jardin de la Pépinière is throwing a party around Hochelaga with music by Andy Williams and an Afro BBQ.
• Datcha is hosting L Nights, which has been organizing parties almost every month for the lesbian community in various bars around Montreal.
• Piknic Électronik is back at it in Parc Jean-Drapeau's Jardin Le Petit Prince with two stages featuring artists like Misstress Barbara, Forrest, and more.
• Nesraf, a rhythmic and melodic movement in chaâbi and Andalusian music, is in the spotlight at this show going down over at Club Balattou.
• Into the idea of a Kinky Craft Fair? Local vendors of kink related gear for all types of players is for sale, from leather and candles to wearables, accessories, implements and so much more.

WHAT TO EAT & DRINK IN AND AROUND MONTREAL

This section dishes out the scoop on restaurant openings, new menus, old classics—you name it.

• For 3 days, Taco Fest is bringing the best of Mexican cuisine plus music, games, dance lessons and tons of tacos to the Clock Tower Beach.
• Les Premiers Vendredis returns on Sept 1 at the Olympic Stadium Esplanade for a Vietnam-themed version, plus a free show by Clay and Friends.
• Riverside and Quartier Dix30's Dirty D are getting margarita takeover nights on Saturday and Sunday respectively, with entertainment, DJs, tacos, giveaways, and more.
• New Asian dessert spot @paramourpatisserie has opened in Ville-Émard to serve lightly sweet desserts found in the Asian pastry tradition.
• Reminder that Le Garden Room, the newest project from chef Pamika Sukla of Mae Sri, has had its grand opening, and boy oh boy is it ever gorgeous.
• If you haven't had 'em yet, the smash burgers at Patty Slaps? Well, they slap.
• White Heron Coffee is a chic coffee and pastry shop that comes highly recommended thanks to its pristine look and taste.
• Located on the University of Montreal's MIL campus, Baristello Outremont is making pizzas, sandwiches, Italian sodas, sweets, and a slick coffee program.

ICYMI: Here's a quick round-up of our latest in Food & Drink.

That's right: Above a paint shop

Here’s the deal: You show up at a back door ‘round the corner of a paint shop in Lachine, get buzzed in up to the second floor, and you’ll find a former butchery space just shy of 200 square feet where two Italo-Montrealer brothers are producing some of the best pizza in the city to date. (The Main)

Montreal’s best new pizza is being baked above a paint shop in Lachine

Humble pie with big(a) flavour.

The MainJP Karwacki

The cream of the crop

There are, without question, thousands of names that we would consider to be the best restaurants in Montreal. With its rich history of chefs with storied backgrounds and diversified dining culture, the following names can be counted among the highest tier in the city. (The Main)

34 of Montreal’s Top Upscale Restaurants

There are, without question, thousands of names that we would consider to be the best restaurants in Montreal. With its rich history of chefs with storied backgrounds and diversified dining culture, the following names can be counted among the highest tier in the city.

The MainJP Karwacki

A return to savoury roots

Chef Patrice Demers and sommelier Marie-Josée Beaudoin have made a spectacular return to Montreal’s dining scene with Sabayon, a project which refocuses their passions for dining experiences alongside tea times and cooking classes—all in one multifaceted space in Pointe-Saint-Charles. (The Main)

Sabayon Marks a Return to Savoury Roots for Patrice Demers and Marie-Josée Beaudoin

One year since the closure of Patrice Pâtissier, the city of Montreal is welcoming Pointe-Saint-Charles’ newest dining option with open arms.

The MainJP Karwacki

And, last but not least, this section features a weekly round-up of the latest local news, from entertainment to current affairs and more.

A hospitality industry in evolution

Scrambling with a labour shortage and inflation pressures on rent and food, Montreal restaurateurs are finding it even more difficult to be away from their loved ones. Recently, both Maison Publique and Chez Sophie have decided to close up shop. (Montreal Gazette)

Brownstein: Family comes first as Maison Publique and Chez Sophie restaurants close

Scrambling with a labour shortage and inflation pressures on rent and food, Montreal restaurateurs are finding it even more difficult to be away from their loved ones.

Montreal GazetteBill Brownstein

How did Montreal become a hub for technological arts?

From museums to the circus, digital arts are everywhere in Montreal now, but it only really started with a handful of passionate people 30 years ago. SAT, MUTEK, all of it; it all had to start somewhere, and this is how. (Radio-Canada)

Comment Montréal est-elle devenue une plaque tournante des arts technologiques?

Que ce soit dans les musées, sur les scènes de spectacle ou encore au cirque, les arts numériques sont partout. À Montréal, une poignée de personnes passionnées ont flairé la bonne affaire, il y a près de 30 ans, permettant à la métropole de se hisser comme leader de cette forme d’art tentaculaire.

Radio-Canada

Rooftop sunflowers and vines: A photo essay

The roof gardens of the Palais des congrès de Montréal are a touch of green in a sea of ​​concrete. According the Urban Agriculture Laboratory's scientific director Éric Duchemin, these hanging gardens are a great way to combat heat islands while improving self-sufficiency. (La Presse)

Agriculture urbaine | Un potager qui fait plus que nourrir

Les lundis après-midi, des réfugiés se rendent sur le toit du Palais des congrès pour jardiner et récolter des légumes qu’ils rapporteront à la maison, avec quelques conseils pour les apprêter. Nous les avons accompagnés, entre les tournesols et les vignes.

La PresseTextes : Stéphanie Bérubé

SWAP ONLY!

Montreal renters are turning to apartment swapping amid an affordability crunch in a city once considered a renter’s paradise compared to other major Canadian cities. The choice for housing is much smaller than many realize. (Global News)

Montreal renters are turning to apartment swapping amid ‘crazy’ affordability crunch | Globalnews.ca

An apartment swap, which is a mutually-agreed-upon transfer of two separate leases, allows tenants to find the right home for them during the ongoing housing crisis in Montreal.

Global NewsKalina Laframboise

This just got even more intense

Montreal police say traces of "accelerant" were discovered at the scene of the fire in Old Montreal that left seven people dead on March 16. It's a major development marking a turning point in the police investigation, which has been in progress for months. (CTV News)

Fatal fire in Montreal Airbnb now subject of criminal investigation

Montreal police say traces of ‘accelerant’ were discovered at the scene of the fire in Old Montreal that left seven people dead. It is being investigated as a criminal act.

CTV News

Nostalgia blinds us as well as moves us

"We were a more colourful city decades ago because we were also a more lawless one, filled with murderous motorcycle gangs and continent-leading bank robbers. Our motorists were colourful speed demons and our accident fatality rates horrific," says Josh Freed. "Much of what we nostalgize over we wouldn’t want back." (Montreal Gazette)

Josh Freed: I loved Montreal in the ‘good old days,’ but I love it more now

Sure, the Main is less interesting for me personally, but our city has many great new streets for new generations.

Montreal GazetteJosh Freed

Get that paper

The Saint-Armand paper mill in the basement of an old linoleum factory in Ville-Émard on the banks of the Lachine Canal has a storied past, but it's time to move on, the owners say. They'll be going a more artisanal route, but that means leaving the city. (CBC Montreal)

A Montreal mill where handmade paper was made for decades is closing | CBC News

David Carruthers and his wife, Denise Lapointe, make paper that artists, printers and bookbinders prize for its unique qualities. But soon, they’ll be moving out of their mill in the basement of an old linoleum factory in Ville-Émard, on the banks of the Lachine Canal.

CBCMatthew Lapierre

These streets ain't easy

In this letter to the mayor, Caroline Leblanc describes how there's been a lot of forced dismantling of homeless camps in recent years. The city says these camps aren't safe, nor are they a dignified solution for the people who live there. But what alternative do they have? (Le Devoir)

Oui, Mme Plante, les campements peuvent être une solution

Face à l’absence de réponse suffisante et adaptée en itinérance, ils peuvent au moins offrir une stabilité.

Le DevoirIdées

Sorry mom and dad, I'm striking out on my own

Foreign Legacies is a new documentary from filmmaker Darryl Aljo, a first-generation Filipino Montrealer, exploring the parental pressures that first-generation Montrealers can face as they choose a career outside their parents' expectations. In Darryl's case, it's about being part of the film industry. (CBC Gem)

Absolutely Canadian | Season 23 | CBC Gem

Absolutely Canadian is a national one-hour series showcasing documentaries and performance programs that tell unique stories from communities across Canada. All programs are produced locally.

CBC Gem

You make me feel like (roller) dancing

25 years ago, Danielle Senecal discovered roller skate dancing in New York. Importing it into Canada, she made Montreal the first city in the country to host it, and its following only continues to grow. (24 Heures)

And that wraps yet another weekly bulletin. We’ll be back with more curiosities, local stories, and events to discover next week.

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