The Bulletin: Going down the rabbit hole of Montreal's alleyways [Issue #86]

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

The Main

July 18, 2024- Read time: 10 min

Photograph: Daph & Nico - Tourisme Montréal

Lights, cameras, and a whole lotta action: Big stage performances featuring the return of Just for Laughs(!), film festivals, big-name acts, and not one but three occasions to eat burgers are all taking place this weekend.

At the same time, we're not just looking at what's happening on the streets, but what's happening off of them as well. We've got our fair share of alternative culture and festivities, live music returning to the alleyways of Hochelaga for the seventh year running, and a deep dive into the history of the city's ruelles vertes detailed below. Oh, and a national stone carving festival with film noir being screened along the canal because why not?

Enjoy.

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

Thursday

@justforlaughs is back! It'll be returning to Quartier des Spectacles with comedy programming for the @comediha festival from July 18 to 28.
@fantasiafestival, the largest and most influential event of its kind in North America for genre films is now on until August 4th.
The first of Shows de ruelle's four shows , presented by @sdc_hm, is lighting up Gaboury Alley this summer for a 7th edition with a BBQ, beer, and a lot of music. @jeromecinquante and @calamine_mtl will be performing.
Love local print culture? A new zine called Out There by @differentdreamcatcher is being dropped at Atomic Café.

Friday

@ctrl_alt_fest, a micro-festival dedicated to underground nightlife at Place du @villagemontreal, will bring together local artists, groups and organizations of the city's nightlife for 100% free shows.
Method Man and Redman will be playing at @olympiamontreal.
@chodemmtl, Montreal's Vietnamese cultural festival, is returning to Bassin Peel from July 18 to 21 with a large street food market and performances.
The Canadian Stone Carving Festival, a three-day festival of stone carvers from across Canada congregating to display skills and creativity, will be at Place Royale until July 21.

Saturday

Cheers the home team on at the 38th edition of L’International des Feux Loto-Québec at @larondesixflags as Canada takes to the stage with their own performance on July 20.
Celebrate @parcjeandrapeau's 150th anniversary at Jean-Doré beach and its summer parasol party on July 20 and 21.
The 38th edition of the biggest world music festival in North America,@nuitsdafrique, is at @quartierdesspectacles_mtl until July 21.
@memmtl has a new permanent exhibition exploring the city from the inside through the eyes of those who call it home, building on some one hundred first-hand accounts.

Sunday

@filmnoiraucanal is back and its second film of the season, The Wages of Fear by Henri-Georges Clouzot (1953), will be screened on July 21 at 7:30pm.
@espace.canevas, a fusion of art, craftsmanship and self expression, is inviting folks out for a summer alleyway pop-up fueled by local creators.
@avenuemontroyal's RU festival and its diverse programming of music, visual arts, theater, slam, and dance with established and emerging artists ends this weekend.

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There's a new smash burger in town with the arrival of pop-up @loosiesburgers's new permanent Mile End address. | Photograph: @mtl.inmyhand / Instagram

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.

Bringing together proven expertise in creating and running local haunts in the city, partners in life and business Alexandre Cohen and Raegan Steinberg have created Romies, a contemporary American bistro in Old Montreal. (The Main)

@loosiesburgers, a pop-up-turned-new-spot for smash burgers, fries, and drinks both boozy and not has arrived in the Mile End. Launch party's on July 19.
Saint-Hubert Plaza's @marcisurlaplaza is hosting @maria.summmmmer for a pop-up of pulled pork buns (veggie options available), good wines, and—of course—ice cream on July 21 from 3pm to 11pm.
Only July 19, @lorenzoantinori_ from Hong Kong’s @barleonehk will be tending at @barbellomtl, followed by @huntergregory_ & @sarah_proietti from @maybe_sammy_sydney on July 21.
Food trucks and restaurants known for their unique poutines are on hand at the @legrandpoutinefest in @vieuxportmtl.
@_whinemom_ will be at @philemonsocialclub on July 21,
bringing crushable juice, yummy pasta, and dancing to some summer tunes from 4pm to 10pm.
What's this? @verdun.beach is going to be hosting Le Majestique on July 21?
Sonya Sammut of @sacheredesserts will continue her pastry courses after the permanent closure of their pastry shop on August 31.
From 3pm til they're sold out on July 21, @elenamontreal will be at @boxermansmontreal to sling classic Margheritas and seasonal wood-fired pies alongside margaritas.
Also this Sunday, July 21: @entredeuxmtl will be selling smash burgers & bourbon lemonade from 2pm to 6pm; all proceeds go towards Youth Soccer programs around Montreal via @goalinitiatives.
@wardetassocies is heading to @saucettecaviste out in Saint-Lambert on July 19 for a day of vinyl and vino with funk, slow disco, new wave and house downtempo music.
Oyez, oyex, @pizzeriagema's Ferragosto block party is coming back, and it's promising to be a highlight of the summer season.
Local homegrown supper club @panna.osteria, where 6 to 12 people dine on a private back patio with vegetables from a garden 20 feet away, is now taking reservations for a 5-course dinner on August 3.
@sataybrothers's first-ever Sataypalooza, a series of street food pop-ups celebrating Montreal’s food scene, continues with Chef Dara from @streetmonkeysmtl on July 25.
Don't forget @tt_supermarket Montreal's Asian night market with @nightmarketmtl will feature 100+ dishes from more than 30 restaurants and stores from July 18 to 21.

Montreal next-gen Korean chefs

Jongwook Lee and WonGoo Joun, two Seoul natives, have changed what Montreal knows about Korean cuisine with their restaurant 9 Tail Fox and its tapas-style approach that blends heritage with fine dining techniques. Here's where they like to go eat. (The Main)

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

Montreal's backstage of daily local life

Spiraling staircases, a skyline penetrated by steeples, grandfathered neon signs, relics from Expo 67—the iconography of Montreal is often recognized in the built forms the city's amassed throughout history. But then there’s where Montrealers live, and how they live there: The ruelles vertes, or green alleyways. (The Main)

🚲 A keystone in Montreal's cycling culture

Before the advent of Strava, Zwift and carbon wheels, there was Elio, an iconic figure in the Quebec cycling world. His influence on cycling in the region is immense, thanks to his contribution and dedication. This is his story. (Urbania)

Big Ben is back

The parking lot of a family-run Granby canteen lit up once more with its nine-metre neon man: Chez Ben on s'bour la bédaine, the local shop whose name roughly translates to "we stuff our bellies at Ben's," has become synonymous with the retro sign of a man eating a hotdog. Now the sign's back up. (CBC Montreal)

A business photographed in the dark, with a neon sign that reads "best poutine." On the right is a large sign in the figure of a man holding food. — Photograph: Charles Beaudoin/Radio-Canada

All art through the lens of drag

Since 2019, Afro Drag has showcased Black performers in a range of disciplines. One Montreal show however has become more than a platform for drag; it's a multidisciplinary performance to highlight forms of Black art that mainstream culture is known to borrow and even steal from all the time. (CBC Montreal)

A person with a big green wig and purple shimmery body suit stands on stage with other performers. — Image: Carlin Holmes

The grind to survive

Something to consider in Quebec's fight to preserve its language's primacy: Franco-Ontarians are working to preserve their own language due to the lack of systemic support. Recent political challenges have shown that their gains remain precarious, highlighting the ongoing need for vigilance and advocacy. (The Rover)

🪑Nine Easy Pieces

Montreal has been de-industrializing for decades and relatively cheap rent, skilled labour and large post-industrial spaces have enabled a thriving arts scene. Here are nine indie designers working in a variety of styles. (Dezeen)

OK, wtf

Smoking crack, taking cocaine or injecting fentanyl, safe from prosecution, is now possible in Quebec. Except that the Legault government has informed almost no one, not even the police. (Radio-Canada)

What's to come of a Saint-Henri landmark

Abandoned since 1989, the former Canada Malting factory was recently purchased by a developer who wants an ambitious real estate project there. The revitalization of the Saint-Henri district site, which is home to a famous pink cabin, may however take longer than expected, as the former owner is threatening to repossess the land. (Le Devoir)

The EMSB: A ‘radical’ group

Joe Ortona, the chair of the English Montreal School Board, recently made headlines when he pointed out that the EMSB is better at teaching French than the Quebec government. Education Ministry statistics seem to confirm his point. (Cult MTL)

🎣 To the water!

Live music pulses through the air as Henry Leung, one of many urban fishers dropping a line into the Lachine Canal, casts a lure into murky waters at a site wedged between a noisy festival and the high-rises of Griffintown. (CTV News)