Maybe you've heard the roar of engines in the distance this past week. And if it wasn't that, it was noise rising up and off of the city's main thoroughfares filling up with music, dance, and dialogue: The weekend, specifically this weekend.

Even if rain come down on the city all weekend (and who knows, things can change), the energy coursing through the streets of the city will be palpable this weekend as though a switch were flipped: Grand Prix, MURAL Fest, arts and theatre, late nights full of glowing lights, and that's just the biggest of the weekend's highlights; we're willing to bet money that you'd be hard-pressed to go anywhere in this city without seeing or hearing of something that's contributing to a great big common thrum.

Read on and see exactly what we're talking about.

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

Our grand prize events for Grand Prix (June 6 to 9)

• Saint-Henri's underground spot for good sounds and better drinks, Bar Baby, is throwing a hi-fi celebration on June 6, 7, and 8.
• The Four Seasons Hotel Montréal has launched the Marcus Circuit, a collection of gourmet races, opulent intermissions, and vibrant afterparties.
• June 6 to 8 will see a live mural from Stikki Peaches plus DJs and special cocktails over at Bar Bello.
• Hôtel Humaniti Montréal's 9th floor Terrasse Alizé is hosting a Formula Fun Rooftop Party that runs from June 6 to 8.
• Francesco's Discoteca in Old Montreal, a destination for house music enthusiasts, is offering Race Week celebrations to complement its unique Sicilian aesthetic inspired by the Italian disco era.
• ...plus ways more events here.

High art in Montreal with MURAL Festival (June 6 to 16)

• Latin collective FRIKITON kicks off MURAL on June 6 with a FREE opening block party that will transport you to the streets of Latin America.
• After turning dancefloors around the world upside down, Moonshine celebrates its 10th anniversary and returns on June 8 for a MURAL Festival Block party.
• June 6 and 8 will feature the MAPPLIGHTS Urban Art Studio and video mapping projections on murals.
• June 7 and 8 will feature the beginning rounds of the Secret Walls competition, where 8 artists compete in live 1-on-1 showdowns to create masterpieces on white canvas using only black.
• And Pat LaCroix looks to be building a massive 40-foot (equivalent to a 4-story building) volumetric sculpture that'll project holograms at the Peel Bassin Stage.

More events this weekend

Thursday

• Aire Commune's holding a Throwback Party with DJ tallandskiinny to celebrate RNB and hip-hop from the 1990's and 2000's.
• Dive into Pelicano's bottom-of-a-swimming-pool dance floor when house music's being played by @mica; there are other events all weekend, too.
• Les Mardis cyclistes de Lachine is ongoing, where nearly 200 runners compete for victory each week, while tens of thousands of people come annually to watch the competitions.

Friday

• Dar Sherif, for Sherif House, invites one and all to dance in Osmo x Marusan's atmosphere for a memorable night of house, disco, and Italo music.
• Into the Wild is back for its fourth edition at Salon Daome, and it'll be a special one with Amber Long, the event's first female guest DJ, sharing progressive house bangers.

Saturday

• The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts unveils its new major exhibition, “Saints, Sinners, Lovers and Fools”, bringing together masterworks by Memling, Rubens, van Dyck and other celebrated Flemish artists.
• Mont-Royal Avenue will be pedestrianized from Saint-Denis Street to de Lorimier Avenue, from June 5 to August 26. Avenue Duluth is also closed to traffic until October 15, as is Wellington Street in Verdun until September 15.

Sunday

• Catch one of the shows at the St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival, a collection of fringe theatre, repertory, dance, music, drag-queen performances, and more.
• While Snoop Dogg plays the Bell Centre, an indie wet dream's happening at Place Bell with the Pixies, Modest Mouse, and Cat Power.

Love Montreal? Support our content!

You like The Main, right? Of course you do. So why not get exclusive access to dispatches from your favourite city by subscribing as a paid supporter?

You'll not only get complete access to everything we have to offer whenever you want it, but you'll also receive:

• Early access to exclusive features and content
• Special invites
• A 10% discount on everything in our store
• Being able to impress people by knowing more about Montreal than they do
• Good vibes

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.

• Les Premiers Vendredis returns for the summer with its first session of 2024 at the Olympic Stadium from June 7 to 9. Here's a list of everything on offer.
• Join Paloma for their culinary project Projet Galets, where new menus grace the restaurant every week with Mike Chanthamynavong, Morgane Muszynski, and Jocelyn Després.
• Salle Climatisée's got the BC-by-way-of-Ireland chef Matt Finn in the house on June 8 and 9.
• Carolyn Aubry, the wine lady without compare from @vinoramamtl, can be found at Philemon Bar for a special night of revelry on June 9.
• Local cook extraordinaire Haruna Makino will be at @yamabikocoffeeroasters to cook up Japanese plant-based onigiri sets on June 8.
• If Grand Prix's not your thing, check out Caron & Frères's BBQ out in Knowlton and visit some wineries while you're at it.
• June 7 marks the 7th anniversary of Monopole, and they're celebrating with a summer menu, wine and cocktail tastings, music, and more.
• The Outremont bistro Boxermans has unveiled a new no-reservation terrasse serving snacks and $10 margaritas all summer long with Equinoxe.
• Drink up the lager showdown at Poincaré Chinatown, where four beers will be pitted against one another on June 8.

Let's go to the Dep

As a locally-focused cultural magazine, we're working with the people who help enrich our city's identity by showing us just how beautiful and creative it is.

That's why we created the Dépanneur, where you can support locals, keep cash in the community, and connect with the people who are creating amazing things (every purchase also helps to support our editorial content, too).

Right now, you can subscribe to our coffee program collaboration with Dreamy Café that's fueled by freshly-roasted Montreal brands, and shipped straight to your door every month. And if you're subscribed to The Main? You get 10% off!

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

Hit the ground running

With these 5km & 10km running guides created with ciele athletics™, you’ll be exploring a part of a borough that’s near and dear to Montreal, The Sud-Ouest, with the historical and cultural stories of everything you pass by. (The Main)

A Guide to Running the Sud-Ouest’s Historic Pathways with Ciele Athletics

Hit the ground running with these 5km & 10 km tours that take you through the Sud-Ouest’s scenery and history with curated routes in partnership with ciele athletics™.

Ciele Athletics

Finally kicking off ⚽

A new Canadian professional women’s soccer league will be created next year, and one of its teams will be in Montreal alongside Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax in the new Northern Super League, which kicks off in April 2025. (Montreal Gazette)

New pro women’s soccer league will have a team in Montreal

Jean-François Crevier and Isabèle Chevalier founded the Montreal franchise in the new league being spearheaded by Diana Matheson.

Montreal GazetteThe Canadian PressAlec Brideau, Neil Davidson and Simon Servant

One crisis after another

For the past 20 years, dump trucks have come from across the region to unload contaminated soil on Mohawk land. Though the community has repeatedly tried to stop this from happening, a handful of Mohawks have cashed in by allowing trucks to dump on their property. (The Rover)

In Kanesatake, “Our Land Has Been Traumatized” – The Rover

Illegal dumping and government inaction have destroyed swaths of Mohawk territory.

The RoverChristopher Curtis

Let them cook

Michael Lafaille, co-owner of Kwizinn restaurant in Montreal's Old Port, has spent upwards of $20,000 to recruit workers from abroad. Despite his efforts, the foreign worker applications of four Haitian employees were rejected. (CBC Montreal)

Montreal restaurateur hits immigration roadblock when trying to recruit staff from Haiti | CBC News

Michael Lafaille, co-owner of Kwizinn restaurant in Montreal’s Old Port, has spent upwards of $20,000 to recruit workers from abroad after years of struggling with a staff shortage.

CBC

Five finger discounts

Whether we're talking about inflation, reflation or simply the regular increase in profits at major grocery chains, the situation at checkout remains the same: The bill continues to rise when it's time to eat, and thefts are rising. (Pivot)

Vol en épicerie : un geste, plusieurs raisons – Pivot

Quelles motivations se cachent derrière le vol à l’étalage dans les grandes chaînes d’alimentation?

PivotLaurent Trépanier Capistran

Actual edibles would be cool too, you know

While edibles like gummies or brownies can't be sold under provincial law due to their appeal to minors, the SQDC stores now sells cannabis-infused spicy crackers, mini-sausages, chicken ramen, dill pickle-flavoured nuts, cinnamon and black currant bites, and, naturally, poutine sauce. (CTV News)

Cannabis-infused poutine sauce, jerky, nuts among new edible options in Quebec

The few customers looking for an edible option at a Quebec cannabis store (SQDC) will have noticed some new options on the shelves though the weed-infused poutines sauce, jerky and sausages are not increasing the bottom dollar.

Montreal

Leave no sustainable stone unturned

While the city continues to push initiatives around active movement among Montrealers, neighborhoods in eastern Montreal are facing persistent neglect in terms of sustainable mobility initiatives. So what are the issues that get in the way? (Le Devoir)

L’est de Montréal, la grande négligée de la mobilité durable

Cette réalité est préjudiciable à la vitalité de ces communautés en manque de solutions.

Le DevoirIdées

What are our chances of going car-free?

The solutions are there and neighborhood stakeholders are ready to act, so why can't a series of measures to considerably reduce the number of vehicles on the island be implemented? (La Presse)

We want a revived downtown, but at what cost?

The last time we saw a wave of skyscrapers was in the 1960s. Now, we're seeing buildings climb higher and higher once again, but often without adhering to the needs of a city looking for affordable places to stay. (Le Devoir)

La guerre montréalaise des gratte-ciel

Les promoteurs du Maestria se targuent d’avoir créé un immeuble emblématique pour la métropole.

Le DevoirJeanne Corriveau

A surprise, but also not

The Supreme Court of Canada will not review a Quebec ruling that bars people from suing the U.S. government in Canada over its role in notorious brainwashing experiments at a Montreal psychiatric hospital. (CTV News)

Supreme Court won’t hear appeal in Montreal brainwashing experiments case

The Supreme Court of Canada will not review a Quebec ruling that bars people from suing the U.S. government in Canada over its role in notorious brainwashing experiments at a Montreal psychiatric hospital.

Montreal

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.