Sorry not sorry: It's too hot to write a more compelling, eye-catching, click-baity title.

To all of you out there who've persisted at wearing jeans this past week, putting fashion ahead of function during these oppressive, muggy times: We salute you. Tell us your secret, because we're boiling in the office at The Main.

We're typing this out in swimsuits right after hitting the beach.

How appropriate is it that today marks our summer solstice, when the Earth's at maximum tilt toward the Sun? Though hopefully this weather's going to break, things will cool down, and the fun can start: This edition is jamPACKED with art, dancing, music festivals, a whole bunch of Saint-Jean-Baptiste events, pop-ups, tasting menus, and a couple restaurant openings past and present worth noting.

Stay frosty. 👇

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

Thursday

• On the banks of the Saint Lawrence River or the Lachine Canal, the Guinguettes are back this summer with 2 stages and a capacity of up to 5,000 people.
• Suoni Per Il Popolo's meeting ground of experimental music, art and activism continues; don't miss the wealth of shows taking place.
• The year 2024 marks 25 Years of digital art with ELEKTRA at Arsenal contemporary art from 8pm onwards. During this celebratory evening, discover the performances of GAZAEBAL and Navid Navab.
• Village au Pied-du-Courant is back up and running every weekend from Thursday to Saturday—check out their site to see what's up.
• New gallery alert: Arriving in Villeray, the artistic venture Société Art Villeray (Villeray Art Society) is looking to breathe fresh life into its local scene with dynamic space for art. Here are the details about the VIP party tonight.

Friday

• POP Montreal is partnering with Resilience Montreal and the Native Women’s Shelter to host a free concert in honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day.
• Aire Commune's holding a Throwback Party with DJ tallandskiinny to celebrate RNB and hip-hop from the 1990's and 2000's.
• Nouvel Établissement is hosting TECHNOBIBI with @casakobrae @nglflounce @namanariii and @teknokrat_.
• Montreal collective LVRS BLVD, founded by DJ HONEYBUNN and JOVONCHY, presents Glowchella, an open-format dance party at Bar Le Ritz PDB.

Saturday

• Inspired by the Indian festival of Holi, the Festival of Colours, is back at the Old Port of Montréal for its 5th edition with its live music and massive amount of throwing colours.
• It's the last day to experience Les Francos de Montréal, a proud showcase of French-language music through a ten-day festival bringing together the best musical talents from the French-speaking world.

Sunday

• It's the opening evening of BLEU SOIR, a summer series of outdoor projections held by @lelivart in the courtyard of @cinemapublicmtl in Montreal! It'll start with free beer*, a surprise short film, music and prizes to win... oh, and it's free.
• PIKNIC ÉLECTRONIK #6 will feature six artists across its two stages; enjoy it as the heat's broken over the weekend.
• Go see artist Marisa Portolese's exhibition on the demolition of Goose Village to make way for the short-lived Autostade—razing 350 buildings and expropriating 1,500 people—at Maison de la culture Marie-Uguay.
• Final warning to see the Montréal Chamber Music Festival, a celebration of intimate chamber music in all its forms as it presents outstanding performers in concert.

And now for a special Saint-Jean Baptiste selection:

• Saint-Jean's spectacular annual parade starts at 1:30 p.m. on June 24 with floats that will leave from the corner of Molson and Rachel Streets, heading toward Orléans Street.
• On the evening of June 24, the Grand spectacle from La Fête nationale du Québec à Montréal starts at 8 p.m. at Parc Maisonneuve.
• Plateau Mont-Royal will be throwing a party at 2 p.m. with guest artists and musicians at Parc La Fontaine in front of the Notre-Dame Hospital.
• At the Jardins Gamelin, FunkyFalz will be turning up the heat from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Celebrate the Fête nationale along the water at the Parc des Rapides dance floor in LaSalle and enjoy an evening of folk songs and festivities.

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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.

Wines of our generation 🍇

Operating out of a former textile factory space, Lieux Communs has been part of a boom in infamous urban projects growing and purchasing grapes to make highly desired bottles in everything from renovated garages and converted basements to abandoned restaurant spaces. (The Main)

Lieux Communs: Montreal’s first urban winery

Local wine, cider and piquette makers discovering new terroirs out of their hybrid, urban, and nordic laboratory in Ahuntsic-Cartierville.

J.P. Karwacki

• New opening alert: June 20 marks the day when Dorsia, a "contemporary restaurant" that looks to be focus on Euro swish eats, opens.
• Wine (of course) plus oysters, hot-dogs, shrimp rolls, party cake, good tunes and a special limited edition T-shirt—all on offer tonight (June 20) at vinvinvin.
• Terrasse Ciel Rose, a sky-jungle-themed terrasse in the Plateau, is officially reopening for anotha summa on June 20.
• Also tonight (June 20), On Thursday June 20th, Konstantinos Theodorakopoulos from the famed Athens bar 'The Bar In Front Of The Bar" will hop behind Bar Bello for a fun guest shift.
• Also also on June 20: La Gargamelle's reverse speakeasy is launching a new menu.
• Strøm spa nordique has launched a new restaurant concept in all of its locations, Nord—spa day followed by five-course meals, anyone?
• Little Burgundy's Lulu Épicerie is holding a 'charcoal grill bonanza' block party on June 23 from 3 to 11 p.m. but it's ticketed—grab your spot while you can.
• Explore Jean-Talon Market's openings for the summer, like San Gennaro's focaccia sandwiches at @roxyfocaccia, Napoletana bakery-style eats & dessert from @casaditotomtl, and Spanish tapas from @lacroqueteriademontreal.
• The summer solstice will be held on June 20th at 4:50 p.m. at Wills Bar, and new never-released glasses of wine and cider from Polisson will be on offer.
• The Plateau's Barbossa is celebrating the summer solstice with a happy hour that'll last until 10pm... then again, they're doing that on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday too, so drink while the drinkin’ is good.
• Local pop-up Disco Mayo is serving wings and strawberry shortcake (jackfruit on Hawaiian rolls for veg types) on June 22 from 3 to 8 p.m.

Pintxos in the Plateau

Servers here will say a menu is ‘tapas-style’ to describe how it's shareable, but spots true to a combination of Spain’s cuisine, portions and way of eating are none too common in Montreal—until this one came along on Duluth. (The Main)

Bar Vivar: A Montreal take on a Spanish way of eating

How a Montreal chef and sommelier’s pintxos in the Plateau derive influences from Galicia, the Basque region, and Asturias—plus some flourishes from Andalusia or Valencia.

J.P. Karwacki

Let's go to the Dep

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

A glamorous maze

Lavish rooms, spa treatments and experiences; boutique products and plates; Sunday brunches and afternoon tea; showstopping drinks from its own bar; Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth not only offers a gateway out into the city, but also invites it all in through its own permanent public art collection. (The Main)

The Art Tour of Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth: A rare perspective on an iconic Montreal address

How one local tour opens up new ways to discover Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth’s glamorous maze of curated permanent art.

The Main

Evictions up 150% in a year: An accelerating housing crisis

With July 1 quickly approaching, The Rover caught up with Cédric Dussault, spokesperson for the Regroupement de comités logement et associations de locataires du Québec (RCLALQ) to take their temperature of the housing crisis and get a sense of where things are headed. (The Rover)

Pas de répit pour les locataires – The Rover

Une discussion avec Cédric Dussault, porte-parole du RCLALQ qui défend les droits des locataires du Québec.

The RoverChristopher Curtis

"Fashion, as a performance medium, disguised as a party"

Here's what Skip Fame, the label from the Jamaican Canadian designer Brandon Lajoie, had to show off with a runway performance alongside DJ Gregory Miller—a hybrid show without beginning or end—on Canal Street in NYC. (Document Journal)

Montreal-based label Skip Fame turns a former bank building into a ghostly performance space

In ‘Won / One / Whah Gwan’ Brandon Lajoie and Gregory Miller stage a hybrid runway show without beginning or end

Document JournalDrew Zeiba

At least we lookin' good on paper 😎

Montreal ranked 118th in the world for its overall cost of living but came in 20th for quality of life, giving it the best overall score. Believe it or not, but they're saying cost of living in Montreal is cheaper than in 74% of cities in North America. (Business Insider)

This Canadian city has found the sweet spot between low cost of living and high quality of life

“It’s extremely cultural, great food scene, safe, bilingualism is an asset,” an expat who moved to the city from the US previously told BI.

InsiderPolly Thompson

There goes another international rep

Changes in Quebec tax credits are putting animation and visual effects workers out of a job. Studios are closing and the work is so specialized that people can’t instantly pivot to other kinds of visual work—video games are facing a slump, too. (CTV News)

Quebec FX workers say budget cuts will threaten local industry

More than 8,000 workers in Montreal’s film post-production industry are sounding alarm bells about what Quebec’s last budget will do to the city’s status as an international multimedia hub.

Montreal

Doesn't putt us in the mood ⛳

Montreal inaugurated a mini golf course last week on land acquired in 2021 to develop social and affordable housing, but has remained vacant. The city points to the lack of funds in the new (and ironically acronymized) Programme d’habitation abordable Québec (PHAQ). (Radio-Canada)

À Montréal, un minigolf en attendant du logement social

La Ville de Montréal va inaugurer jeudi après-midi un minigolf sur un terrain acquis en 2021 pour y développer du logement social.

Radio-Canada

Where did tramways run in Montreal before they disappeared?

As the city talks up a large tram network to crisscross the island by 2050, one outlet decided to remember that, at another time, there were no less than 55 tram lines in Montreal. (24 Heures)

Riding the bus is... passé?

A McGill University study found that public transit has operated in a kind of vicious cycle since the end of the pandemic: Ridership on STM buses is not what it was before the pandemic, and greater investment is needed for people to bring riding the bus back from the brink. (Montreal Gazette)

Public transit in Montreal is in a vicious cycle, McGill study finds

“The same level of service, with the same budget, will not attract the same number of users,” says a member of the research team.

Montreal GazetteLa Presse CanadienneLaurie Trottier

Cross-cultural cultivation

A new community garden was inaugurated in Montreal’s Chinatown. A first of its kind in Quebec, the Kahéhtaien Jardin Lumb hosts both Asian and Indigenous plants and aims to connect different communities. (Global News)

Indigenous-Asian garden opens in Montreal’s Chinatown - Montreal | Globalnews.ca

A new community garden was inaugurated in Montreal’s Chinatown. A first-of-its-kind in Quebec hosts both Asian and Indigenous plants and aims to connect different communities.

Global NewsMatilda Cerone

"Also, if you’re hungover, go to Noodle Factory."

Here, the artist shares his guide to Montreal—“personal classics,” he says, “as remembered through the eyes of a 17-year-old art school dropout”—a time in his his life that led him to enroll in research on movement and architecture and become the artist he is today. (Air Mail)

Miles Greenberg’s Guide to Montreal

The Canadian artist, who recently performed at the Venice Biennale, shares his favorite spots from his hometown.

Air MailAir Mail

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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