The Bulletin: All the leaves are brown [Issue #49]

The Bulletin is a collection of what's happened, what’s happening, and what’s to come in and around Montreal.

The Main

November 2, 2023- Read time: 9 min

And the sky is grey. | Photograph: @riazoozeer / Instagram

Well, ain't this a plum way to start off a month: With two straight days of light snow and the fiery colours of the city falling to the asphalt of roadworked streets, the most notoriously miserable of months is upon us, November.

'Tis the season to hunch over bars and lean on friends for warmth, to shift deep into hibernation mode in our apartments, turn a pallid white as we wait for a crack in clouds for sunlight, nurse week-long Halloween hangovers, and maybe—just maybe—not leave our phones' texts on read.

This is a rallying cry and it ain't: If you need to get out, you need to fight those urges to stay inside and take a bite out of any one of the pop-ups, sales, events, and exhibitions we've listed below.

If you're on a cold streak this weekend instead? We won't blame you, take it easy, but maybe everything we've got on offer might change your mind.

Pas de pression.

Thursday

The 29th edition of the Festival du Film Francophone, CINEMANIA, is now running from November 1 to 12 in Montreal: Discover the program here.
The MMFA marks the 100th year in the life of Françoise Sullivan, a figurehead of modern art and a pioneer of Quebec dance with an all-new exhibition.
Virtuoso organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez and young trumpeter Lucienne Renaudin Vary's concert touches down at the Maison Symphonique.

Friday

Famed English electronic music band Depeche Mode is going to play the Bell Centre.
Discover English-language books written or published in Quebec at Read Quebec, featuring poetry, fiction, children's books, graphic novels and more.
The PHI Centre starts showing JOUEZ/PLAY, a solo exhibition by artist Rirkrit Tiravanija playing rehearsal sessions and organized concerts with Montréal bands.
Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition will offer insights into the history of the famed cathedral over at Arsenal art contemporain Montréal with an immersive exhibition.

Saturday

Canadian indie icon Dan Mangan, an artist who's played with just about every band a given millenial enjoyed listening to in their teens and 20s, is playing at Le Studio TD.
Instead of going out, really go out: BIXI's going to be available all year long now.
Into doing something cozy-artsy? Everyone's raving about Killers of the Flower Moon, the latest film directed by Academy Award winner Martin Scorsese.
The 24th edition of the Montreal Arab World Festival has kicked off with tons of cultural events featuring some amazing artists.

Sunday

Uncover how Montrealers are honouring the dead with Día de Muertos, a holiday that culminates in large celebrations and events on November 6.
Head to Turbo Haus for Soul Expressions Night: A mix of soul, funk, jazz, afrobeat, and world music all represented by the lady artists.
Star Wars, the musical parody, a "unique, low-budget but highly creative intergalactic sci-fi epic" is now on at Comédie de Montréal.
The MAC's exhibition Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia is officially underway, documenting the band's artistic protests.

Get out of town

Bedford's already got a lot of history and elements that make it a staple of the Eastern Townships, but waves of people are coming in with new aims and ideas to drive the city’s development and longevity, and make it a radiant place. (The Main)

New eats from Bon Délire—read on for more. | Photograph: Bon Délire

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.

Check out the participating restaurants and book your tables at MTLàTable, an opportunity to discover new restaurants and revisit favourites!
What do mac & cheese, chicken wings, artichoke dip, wedge salad, and choripan sandwiches have in common? They're all on the new bar menu at Bon Délire.
If you're looking to ball out, Menu Extra's doing a special edition of their La Table Cachée event with wines from Pinard & Filles and a twelve-course tasting menu.
Ferme Bika is multi-course tasting brunches for $55 per person that includes several homemade spreads, homemade cheese, warm dishes, eggs from our hens and more. BYOB!
Verdun's Brook Pizza just launched pan pizzas on their menu, and they're doing a 50% every 2nd pizza sale at their restaurant from Nov 1 to 4.
Nov 3rd marks the second edition of Symbiose Vins' BUTINAGE and its samplings of new beer, cider and wine before they hit the shelves of the SAQ and local specialty grocery stores.
Verdun Beach is holding a natural wine tasting workshop, LIEUX COMMUNS, on November 7 that'll feature 5 vintages to discover. Should take about 2h.
Pumpui's friends at @beignehabitude, a homegrown donut shop, are doing a big pop up sale on November 5th—expect a lot of sweets.
Just a friendly reminder to check out a new spot: Have you been to Boom J's for Jamaican cuisine and some of the best jerk chicken in the province?

All carrot and no stick

MTLàTABLE is back for another session, so we decided to take a closer look at exactly why it matters to Montreal: An economic activator, a hospitality advocate, a game-changing concierge, a remedy to what ails a tough season for Montreal's restaurant industry—however you slice it, it's just what this city needs. (The Main)

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

A buzzkill of the highest order

Montreal’s transit agency has studied closing the métro early and opening it late on weekends as part of a plan for service cuts it was asked to draw up. Why? It's part of a contingency plan for a budgetary shortfall. (Montreal Gazette)

Priced out and hun

As Montreal restaurants adapt to rising costs and impending deadlines to repay loans issued during the pandemic, chefs are expressing concerns about the future of the city’s famed dining scene. (Globe and Mail)

Facing the music

We listened in on conversations with the audiophiles driving Montreal's listening cafés, bars, and restaurants to learn about what they love about what they do, and what they’re passionate about. (The Main)

A new height for drag in Montreal

Sequins, rhinestones, platform heels, glitter and feathers filled Montreal's Palais des Congrès during the first day of Canada's first ever drag convention last weekend in a massive national showing of everything drag Canada has to offer. (CBC Montreal)

A house that's constantly for sale

On the outskirts of Montreal, there’s an imposing 6,500-square-foot Georgian mansion in Châteauguay, Quebec. Looking like something out of the Gilded Age, it turns out the house was built just last year and nearly everything you see in it is for sale. (Macleans)

Strippers, old taverns, and funeral processions

Avenue du Parc has been the meeting place for countless events throughout its history, and one local historian takes a journalist down the long street to trace the many histories it's composed of. (Le Devoir)

Direct-to-hunger models

One hour from Montreal there is a large vegetable farm in Saint-Nazaire d’Acton that is hoping to change the way Montrealers shop for produce. The idea was to open a grocery store owned by farmers, cutting out the middleman. (Global News)

Too little and too late?

After two years of inactivity, Montreal will increase the amounts paid to real estate developers to facilitate the construction of social and affordable housing on its territory. But is it going to be enough? (Radio-Canada)

"Hey hey, ho ho, tuition hikes have got to go!"

More than 1,000 university students ditched class Monday to protest Quebec's tuition hike, marching through the streets of downtown Montreal to spread their message: Tuition hikes are going make education inaccessible. (CTV Montreal)

A reflection on dark times

Let's take a journey for a moment to Montreal in the fall of 1970, a city gripped by the specter of separatism and political turmoil, in a period that brought Montreal, Quebec, and Canada to the brink of a crisis that would test the very foundations of society. (The Main)