Montreal, city of festivals

June 11 2013

by Laurence Ogiela / TÊTU

Special features? Good humor, friendliness and hospitality. Montreal deserves the title of the friendliest city in North America. Montrealers have that playful, laid-back quality that puts even the most reluctant visitor at ease.

This natural openness has made Montreal the ideal city to host international festivals. How many French-speaking comedians have we heard praising the Just for Laughs gala? How many international artists are delighted to participate in the Montreal Jazz Festival or the Francofolies? And how many gays are hysterical at the idea of going on vacation to Montreal for one of its many community festivals? Because the most French-speaking city in North America is also undoubtedly one of the friendliest.

But Montreal also has more gay festivals than any other city. As soon as the weather is nice, the city is transformed into a huge pedestrian zone, especially on the east side of Sainte-Catherine Street, in the heart of the gay district, and the festivities follow one another.

The season begins with the Hot & Dry weekend, which took place this year on May 19 and 20. The LGBT community celebrates the return of spring and the first warmth during the weekend of the Patriots' Day and the Queen's Day. As a result, the queens of the night have been doing dance-floors and "partés" (parties in Quebecois) from the launch cocktail to the closing party, which took place at Cabaret Mado last year.

The Divers/Cité festival will take place this year from July 30 to August 5 © Laurence Ogiela

Those who are still alive after that have two months to rest and prepare for the biggest gay festival in Montreal, Divers/Cité, which will take place from July 30 to August 5. Thousands of gays from all over the world flock each year in the middle of summer to attend the quality house, techno, latino scenes and colorful shows.

Stand-up with the Cabaret New York where Joey Arias and Lady Bunny officiated in 2011, variety with the Boulevard des Rêves and its blues, jazz and pop sounds, and above all glitter, wigs and false eyelashes with Mascara, the largest outdoor drag show. Mado Lamotte, queen of Montreal nights, brings a hundred or so girlfriends on stage for four hours of laugh-out-loud shows. Lesbians also have their own party, Lesbomonde, with three different rooms. And everyone meets again on the closing day of the festival for the Grande Danse, a techno-house scene that offers the best DJs for eleven hours of non-stop music.

And just when you think there's no more... there's more, with Pride Weekend , Montreal's Gay Pride that will take place from August 13 to 19 this year. As in the vast majority of pride marches, the week includes shows, debates, parties and, of course, a wild parade. Just after the gay pride, on August 19th and 20th, the Twist weekend takes place. Again, clubbing and aftershows follow one another on the beats of inspired DJ's.

Then, suddenly, it's empty! No gay festival in September? No, because you need at least the whole month to recover from your hot summer, before going on to one of the most popular parties on the planet: the Black & Blue. At the beginning of October, gays arrive from all over the world to sweat to the sound of electro. Created in 1991, the famous gay techno festival has lost none of its glamour. House room, trance room, leather ball, military ball, and gigantic dance-floor...

And at the end of October-beginning of November, Image + Nation, wiser and in theaters, is one of the major gay and lesbian film festivals of the circuit. And then, is it over? But you're kidding! It's already fall, and in Montreal, it's almost time to hibernate.

(Main photo: Montreal's old port ©Gjm130 on en.wikipedia - Photo opposite © Laurence Ogiela)

Find all the gay and gay-friendly addresses in Montreal inthe Montreal gay guide