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The Main Media Inc. 2026

✦ Built By Field Office
    The Main

    Montreal's Cultural Directory

    Help us improve! Share your thoughts on how we can make your experience better.

    Leave feedback

    For partnerships and collaborations:

    partnerships@themain.com

    Content

    • Articles
    • Food & Drink
    • Arts & Culture
    • History Lesson
    • Bulletin
    • Events

    Guides

    • All Guides
    • Best Restaurants
    • Best Cafés
    • Best Bars
    • Best Brunch
    • Best Bakeries

    Explore Montreal

    • Browse Directory
    • Restaurants
    • Bars
    • Cafés
    • Bookstores

    About

    • About us
    • Subscribe
    • Shop
    • Advertise
    • Pitch us
    • RSS Feed
    • Subscribe

    Legal

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    • Membership Terms
    • Privacy Policy
    Follow us
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    The Main Media Inc. 2026

    ✦ Built By Field Office
      --°C|Monday, March 16, 2026|
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      --°C|Monday, March 16, 2026|
      Subscribe today to get 3 free articles per month.ROYALMOUNT Wants to Be Your Dining Destination for a Whole MonthGet 50% off your first 5 rides with Lyft
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      Magazine
      Categories
      • Arts & Culture

        Creativity, heritage, and expression.

      • Beyond Montreal

        Travel, adventure, and global perspectives.

      • Design

        The best of Montreal design.

      • Food & Drink

        La bonne bouffe.

      • History

        Stories, lessons, and context.

      • Newsletter

        Our weekly newsletter.

      • See all original stories
      Explore Montreal
      Popular Guides
      • The Best Restaurants in Montreal
      • Best new Restaurants
      • Best Cafés
      • Unique Boutiques
      • Romantic Restaurants
      • Best Bookstores
      • See all Guides
      Neighbourhood
      • Downtown
      • Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
      • Mile End
      • Mile-Ex
      • Saint-Henri
      • See All
      Business Type
      • Restaurant
      • Café
      • Boutique / Store
      • Bar
      • Bakery
      • See All
      Near the Metro
      • Peel
      • Mont-Royal
      • Place-Saint-Henri
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      1. Articles
      2. History Lesson

      When Beatlemania Conquered Montreal for One Day

      🎵 It was 60 years ago today / The Beatles came to Montreal to play 🎵

      By Stuart NulmanSeptember 9, 2024 - Read time: 7 min
      When Beatlemania conquered Montreal for one day
      The Beatles at the Montreal Forum for their only show in the city on September 8, 1964. | Photograph: Gunther/MPTV

      On September 8, 1964, Montreal experienced the Beatlemania phenomenon, as John, Paul, George, and Ringo performed two shows at the Montreal Forum as part of their first North American tour, and one of its three Canadian stops; the other two were Vancouver and Toronto.

      1964 was a landmark year for the Beatles: In February, they kicked off the "British Invasion" with two landmark appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, in which the February 9 telecast attracted over 73 million viewers; they did their first American concerts in Washington, DC and New York City; they released their first motion picture A Hard Day's Night, which became a major success at the box office; and in April, they achieved the unheard of feat of dominating the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart (in order of appearance from 1-5, they were Can't Buy Me Love, Twist and Shout, She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand and Please Please Me).

      Free account required

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      Create a free account to read this story and access 3 articles per month, plus our weekly Bulletin.

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      How Montreal Built Its Own Irish Pub Culture
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      How Montreal Built Its Own Irish Pub Culture

      The shamrock has been on Montreal's coat of arms since 1832, and the pub culture that followed has been here just as long.

      What Happened to Montreal's Red Light District?
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      What Happened to Montreal's Red Light District?

      Jazz legends, burlesque queens, and organized crime made it one of the most alive corners in North America. Then Montreal decided it had a reputation to protect.

      The House That Haitian Montreal Built
      History Lesson
      The Main

      The House That Haitian Montreal Built

      The story of La Maison d'Haïti: Its welcome and advocacy for Montreal's growing Haitian community since 1972.

      The Woman Who Taught a City How to Play the Piano
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Woman Who Taught a City How to Play the Piano

      In so many ways, Montreal jazz exists because Daisy Peterson Sweeney both masters and generations of kids in Little Burgundy.

      How a Railway Porter Built Montreal's Most Storied Jazz Club
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      How a Railway Porter Built Montreal's Most Storied Jazz Club

      The story of Rufus Rockhead, the Jamaican-born railway porter who built Montreal's most legendary jazz club—and spent decades defending it.

      What Montreal's 1976 Olympics left behind, 50 years later
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      What Montreal's 1976 Olympics Left Behind, 50 Years Later

      Were the Summer Games a triumph, a total failure, or somewhere in between?

      1. Articles
      2. History Lesson

      When Beatlemania Conquered Montreal for One Day

      🎵 It was 60 years ago today / The Beatles came to Montreal to play 🎵

      By Stuart NulmanSeptember 9, 2024 - Read time: 7 min
      When Beatlemania conquered Montreal for one day
      The Beatles at the Montreal Forum for their only show in the city on September 8, 1964. | Photograph: Gunther/MPTV

      On September 8, 1964, Montreal experienced the Beatlemania phenomenon, as John, Paul, George, and Ringo performed two shows at the Montreal Forum as part of their first North American tour, and one of its three Canadian stops; the other two were Vancouver and Toronto.

      1964 was a landmark year for the Beatles: In February, they kicked off the "British Invasion" with two landmark appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, in which the February 9 telecast attracted over 73 million viewers; they did their first American concerts in Washington, DC and New York City; they released their first motion picture A Hard Day's Night, which became a major success at the box office; and in April, they achieved the unheard of feat of dominating the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart (in order of appearance from 1-5, they were Can't Buy Me Love, Twist and Shout, She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand and Please Please Me).

      Free account required

      For readers who care about Montreal

      Create a free account to read this story and access 3 articles per month, plus our weekly Bulletin.

      Independent. Local. Reader-supported.

      or

      Already a member? Sign in

      How Montreal Built Its Own Irish Pub Culture
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      How Montreal Built Its Own Irish Pub Culture

      The shamrock has been on Montreal's coat of arms since 1832, and the pub culture that followed has been here just as long.

      What Happened to Montreal's Red Light District?
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      What Happened to Montreal's Red Light District?

      Jazz legends, burlesque queens, and organized crime made it one of the most alive corners in North America. Then Montreal decided it had a reputation to protect.

      The House That Haitian Montreal Built
      History Lesson
      The Main

      The House That Haitian Montreal Built

      The story of La Maison d'Haïti: Its welcome and advocacy for Montreal's growing Haitian community since 1972.

      The Woman Who Taught a City How to Play the Piano
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Woman Who Taught a City How to Play the Piano

      In so many ways, Montreal jazz exists because Daisy Peterson Sweeney both masters and generations of kids in Little Burgundy.

      How a Railway Porter Built Montreal's Most Storied Jazz Club
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      How a Railway Porter Built Montreal's Most Storied Jazz Club

      The story of Rufus Rockhead, the Jamaican-born railway porter who built Montreal's most legendary jazz club—and spent decades defending it.

      What Montreal's 1976 Olympics left behind, 50 years later
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      What Montreal's 1976 Olympics Left Behind, 50 Years Later

      Were the Summer Games a triumph, a total failure, or somewhere in between?

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      A butcher's gamble, a forgotten tavern, and how the Mile End earned its name
      History Lesson
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      A Butcher's Gamble, a Forgotten Tavern, and How the Mile End Earned Its Name

      From a Durham County butcher shop and Massachusetts tavern keepers to a global creative district, the real story's one historians got wrong for decades.

      How Little Portugal carved out its place in the Plateau
      History Lesson
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      How Little Portugal Carved Out Its Place in the Plateau

      From postwar migration to piri piri chicken, Azorean immigrants transformed an iconic Montreal neighbourhood with enduring community.

      When Montreal had a steam-powered shortcut to the top of Mount Royal
      History Lesson
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      When Montreal Had a Steam-powered Shortcut to the Top of Mount Royal

      From 1884 to 1918, a steam-powered cable railway hauled Montrealers to the summit in minutes, despite a park designer's vision of leisurely mountain strolls.

      The soap maker who bent the Jacques-Cartier Bridge
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      The Main

      The Soap Maker Who Bent the Jacques-Cartier Bridge

      On Tête de Cheval soap, stubborn French-Canadian industrialists, and the fire that just gutted a quiet landmark.

      Montreal's decades-long Polynesian fantasy and volcano cocktail experiment
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      Montreal's Decades-long Polynesian Fantasy and Volcano Cocktail Experiment

      When Kon Tiki brought post-war escapism and Hollywood's idea of the South Pacific to Peel Street, it created an exotic escape unlike any other.

      If this factory closes, a century of Montreal's Chinatown history goes with it
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      If This Factory Closes, a Century of Montreal's Chinatown History Goes with it

      For over a century, Wing Noodles has fed Montreal with handmade noodles, fortune cookies, and quiet defiance—one of the last family-run factories still standing in Chinatown.

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      The Bulletin: Spanish-Andalusian eats, a skateboard party, and an iconic park redesign [Issue #93]

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      The Bulletin: Spanish-Andalusian Eats, a Skateboard Party, and an Iconic Park Redesign [Issue #93]

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      Bad Bones Beer: From a Bone-crushing Car Accident to an Eastern Townships Brewery

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      A butcher's gamble, a forgotten tavern, and how the Mile End earned its name
      History Lesson
      The Main

      A Butcher's Gamble, a Forgotten Tavern, and How the Mile End Earned Its Name

      From a Durham County butcher shop and Massachusetts tavern keepers to a global creative district, the real story's one historians got wrong for decades.

      How Little Portugal carved out its place in the Plateau
      History Lesson
      Phylida Tuff-West

      How Little Portugal Carved Out Its Place in the Plateau

      From postwar migration to piri piri chicken, Azorean immigrants transformed an iconic Montreal neighbourhood with enduring community.

      When Montreal had a steam-powered shortcut to the top of Mount Royal
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      When Montreal Had a Steam-powered Shortcut to the Top of Mount Royal

      From 1884 to 1918, a steam-powered cable railway hauled Montrealers to the summit in minutes, despite a park designer's vision of leisurely mountain strolls.

      The soap maker who bent the Jacques-Cartier Bridge
      History Lesson
      The Main

      The Soap Maker Who Bent the Jacques-Cartier Bridge

      On Tête de Cheval soap, stubborn French-Canadian industrialists, and the fire that just gutted a quiet landmark.

      Montreal's decades-long Polynesian fantasy and volcano cocktail experiment
      History Lesson
      Phylida Tuff-West

      Montreal's Decades-long Polynesian Fantasy and Volcano Cocktail Experiment

      When Kon Tiki brought post-war escapism and Hollywood's idea of the South Pacific to Peel Street, it created an exotic escape unlike any other.

      If this factory closes, a century of Montreal's Chinatown history goes with it
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      If This Factory Closes, a Century of Montreal's Chinatown History Goes with it

      For over a century, Wing Noodles has fed Montreal with handmade noodles, fortune cookies, and quiet defiance—one of the last family-run factories still standing in Chinatown.

      Advertisement

      The Bulletin: Spanish-Andalusian eats, a skateboard party, and an iconic park redesign [Issue #93]

      Previous

      The Bulletin: Spanish-Andalusian Eats, a Skateboard Party, and an Iconic Park Redesign [Issue #93]

      Next

      Bad Bones Beer: From a Bone-crushing Car Accident to an Eastern Townships Brewery

      Bad Bones Beer: From a bone-crushing car accident to an Eastern Townships brewery

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