A hard rain's fallen and gonna fall: After yesterday's precise forecast of nickel-sized hail hitting the city, the torrential downpour from Debby's tropical storm last week, and stormclouds on the horizon for this weekend, things are up in the air.

We're hoping you and yours haven't been hit too hard by the flooding; we've found some quick hits for support here, here, and especially here.

For those of you who are into going out this weekend and braving some potential showers, a few festivals are keeping the fires of summer lit, but it's not all about the outdoors. If you'd prefer a rainy day in, the city's awash with action in restaurants and bars, film screenings, pinball tournaments, and dance parties as well.

Whatever you do, here's to staying high and dry.

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

Thursday

• @mutekmontreal starts celebrating its 25th anniversary with a free, immersive event called @village.numerique in the @quartierdesspectacles_mtl until August 29.
• From Spain to the Middle East, through Italy and Greece, @osmconcerts will showcase a rich tapestry of musical cultures with around sixty free activities.
• Show de ruelle, presented by @sdc_hm, continues its 7th edition with a BBQ, beer, and a lot of music. This time, @gabpointbouchard will be performing.
• @jenny_hardy_ and @cathlandryyy are guiding bike rides every Thursday that end with a glass at @babeurre.delicatesses. Lovely times.

Friday

• Yeehaw and yippee-ki-yay, Montreal's new country music festival @lassomtl is in town this weekend, held at Espace 67 in @parcjeandrapeau.
• This weekend marks the second and last for hot air balloons and live music from the @montgolfieres festival.
• @lemonastere's Le Jardin is hosting a free circus guinguette every Friday from 5pm to 9pm at St. Jax.
• YINTAH, a documentary on the Wet’suwet’en people reoccupying their territory and resisting the construction of multiple pipelines, opens at @cinemadumusee & @cinemathequeqc on August 16, and @cinemamoderne on August 17.
• Join cieleathletics at 6:30pm at @bar.wills for their ciele challenge to celebrate a decade of running; free beer and plenty of prizes are afoot.⁠

Saturday

• @luluepicerie's last Beiroots Groove Ensemble of the year is happening, this time with @salon.badin at the bar—every ticket includes a shawarma, too.
• Cash Prizes, custom trophies, glory and fun's the name of the game over at @northstarpinballbar when their big tournament goes down.
• Enjoy the vinyl treasures of @caniculetropicale, an event from DJs @caniculetropicale_philnoel and @la.mano.peluda exploring vintage Afro, Latin, and Caribbean sounds, over at @lasalarossa.
• Another road trip idea: Not far out of the city, the @vkh_ag_fair's celebration of all things agriculture (plus monster trucks) is taking place.

Sunday

• @montreal.rollorama, a weekend-long event starting August 16 where skaters gather to skate across the city, concludes.
• @festival.afromonde's celebration of the richness and unique character of Afro-descendant communities kicks off in @vieuxportmtl.

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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.

• Grab tacos and takoyaki when @lacatrina.mtl pops up over at @saelow_mtl on August 17 from noon to 4pm. There'll be a special on margaritas too.
• On August 15, @vinoramamtl is hosting a Queer Wine Night: Pride Edition with wines courtesy of their many, many lovely collaborators.
• @verdun.beef and @primavin_vinvivant are teaming up with @menu_extra on August 18 to bring you an evening of prime cuts, cuvée, and good cooking.
• @primavin_vinvivant is busy this weekend because they'll also be popping up at @kabinetmtl all weekend.
• @jeantalonest’s new gourmet festival @fringalemtl continues, where a different culinary dimension of Saint-Léonard’s small but mighty stretch of Jean-Talon Est is explored, and all plates are $8 or less. This time, it's all about Maghreb and the Middle East.
• The Nikkei specialists at @tiraditomtl have announced a new project coming soon: @capiscomtl, a fusion of Italian and Peruvian flavours.
• Bummer! @loosiesburgers has announced abruptly that they've closed up shop; we're gonna miss those burgers.
• On August 18, the slick food events of @seeyousoon.to are coming to @giagiagiamtl with an à la carte menu, special cocktails and wine!
• @98doughh is popping up at @barbaravin_ for a good ol' fashioned épluchette with some delicious panuozzo by the former on August 18 at 1pm.
• Take a road trip out for a day of foccacia and artisanal wines from @fermejeunesautravail with @wardetassocies and chef @davidpellizzari on Aug 16.
• @sataybrothers's Sataypalooza, a series of street food pop-ups celebrating Montreal’s vibrant gastronomy scene, continues on August 15 with chefs @mr_acacia & @chef.chaka1804 from @pikliz.mtl.
• The 2024 edition of the @mtlribfest_bbbs is bringing together over 30 vendors & 22 musical acts in one spot in Pierrefonds from August 16 to 18.
• @tavernemidway is celebrating its 10th anniversary on August 16, and knowing their style, it's gonna be a huge party.
• @vieuxportmtl is hosting the 4th edition of their street food night market, the Montréal Streetfood Festival, all weekend that'll feature more than 40 local eateries.
• All evening long on August 17, Verdun's beer shop @maltehops is lighting up Verdun with crushed cans and popped tops and corks; good for stocking up.
• A new "MediterrAsian" restaurant and lounge has opened up in Chinatown under the name @makaomontreal.
• 'Lil promo here: @knuckles.mtl is hosting Thirsty Thursdays where glasses of wine go for $10.
• Book this one in your calendars: Go try 6 natural wines from @levindanslesvoiles with appetizers inspired by the harvests of @farouche_tremblant's Nordic farm on August 31.
• @dispatchcoffee is popping up until November in the historic Rodier Building, a classic Montreal flatiron building, in partnership with @lapiscinemtl.

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

We had a blast

As the event's founder Paul Desbaillets described to us in a past interview: “What’s beautiful about GOAL is its ability to bring together various groups and industries—bars, restaurants, entrepreneurs, you name it—in a real melting pot. We’re uniting under one banner despite our differences.” (The Main)

GOAL MTL 2024: What it’s like at football & charity’s biggest day of the year in Montreal

A gallery throwback to when Montreal’s soccer and hospitality pros, local businesses, and more descended on Percival Molson Stadium.

The Main

And stories continue to flood in

Quebec municipalities hit by the remnants of tropical storm Debby say they're looking at months of recovery from a natural disaster that was unlike anything they had seen before: The torrential rain dumped up to 175 millimetres on Montreal and across a large swath of the province. (CTV News)

Montreal storm: First-hand stories of flooding and mayhem

Residents in and around Montreal were hit with a major rainfall when the remnants of tropical storm Debby smashed into the region. Here are some of their stories.

Montreal

Shining new light on Montréal-Nord

Violence, poverty, and gangs: Exasperated by the reputation that Montreal North is dragging around, local elected officials have commissioned a marketing agency to work on improving the borough's "brand image." (La Presse)

Look ma, no cars

"Montreal is Canada’s poster child" when it comes to seasonal pedestrian streets. Mayor Valérie Plante has praised the city for what's now become a signature of summers here. Now, more Canadian cities have become allured by the possibilities of pedestrian-only streets. (New York Times)

Heritage moments in Canadian clubbing

Montreal and Toronto were home to Canada's earliest DJ scenes. We were a destination for international disco fans and kept up with the times when Tiga opened Sona in the mid-90s, offering three floors for wax-spinning selectors. (Red Bull)

Red Bull 3Style: This is how DJ culture evolved in Canada

As Red Bull 3Style arrives in Vancouver for the Canadian National Finals here’s a brief history of country’s DJ scene, from disco to the present day.

Red BullChris Parkin

Lotsa violations, no renovations

Montreal is still taking very little action against owners of buildings left vacant or poorly maintained, either through negligence or for speculative purposes. Is the city administration doing everything it can to counter the deterioration of housing when needs are so acute? (Le Devoir)

Des bâtiments délabrés, des propriétaires décidés à ne pas bouger

Des propriétaires montréalais accumulent les amendes impayées, sans pour autant juger bon de corriger la situation.

Le DevoirZacharie Goudreault, Jean-François Nadeau

A nice, warm bath of an opinion piece 🛀

As Josh Freed writes, anglo–Montrealers are professional complainers about everything from construction to cyclists and language laws, but once festivals flower everywhere, it’s worth remembering what makes our city unique. (Montreal Gazette)

Josh Freed: Six things that make Montreal special

Let’s take a peek behind the city’s mystique.

Montreal GazetteJosh Freed

Is Montreal's heyday as a VFX hub over?

Montreal is home to some of the biggest players in the movie post-production industry, thanks to a workforce of over 8,000 VFX and animation artists. But that number decreased by 42 per cent between the ends of 2022 and 2023, as VFX demands decline. (CBC Montreal)

Oh yeah, this is going swimmingly

New Bill 96 directives for Quebec's healthcare system detail exceptions to language restrictions that require healthcare providers to communicate with patients in French only, causing confusion and even panic among the public and healthcare staff. (Cult MTL)

Shameful Bill 96 healthcare directives on language restrictions creating chaos in Quebec

The new Bill 96 directives for the Quebec healthcare system have prompted confusion and even panic among the public and staff alike.

Cult MTLToula Drimonis

"It's triggering"

The chefs at some of Montreal’s top restaurants have seen the latest culinary TV show gripping our screens—that pressure-cooker comedy-drama called The Bear—but when they watched it, something felt unsettling. (Montreal Gazette)

Montreal chefs dish on The Bear: Are kitchen conflicts finally a thing of the past?

Chefs at Joe Beef, Mon Lapin and Gia say the era of constant kitchen turmoil is ending as restaurants embrace more respectful work environments.

Montreal GazetteHarry North

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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