If you're not sure why Montreal is called a city of festivals yet, June should clear things up.
1. Highlights and Festivals
Photo © Evelyn Reid
Suoni Per Il Popolo, the Fringe Fest, fashion & design for all, the return of the International Jazz Fest, 450 beers, ciders and assorted booze on tap, street sales, the worldwide premiere of Home, fireworks competing week and after week ... summer hasn't even started yet!
2. Music, Concerts, Live Shows
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We've got a reggae fest with U-Roy, Montreal Baroque with Suzie LeBlanc, a Virgin weekend with Jabbawockeez, experimental Québécois folk à la Bobelo, klezmer rap with Socalled at the Yiddish ZumerFest, and a Jazz Fest opener freebie with the epitome of effervescence, Mr. Stevie Wonder himself, an outdoor circus sure to jam up a chunk of downtown. Soft spots also include UK's Doves, gentle indie rockers Blind Pilot, posturing by Fritz Helder & The Phantoms, a chance to see the wide-eyed "godfather of punk" Jonathan Richman still plucking away, I'm nuts about Amadou & Mariam, Cali is back and last but not least, there's No Doubt.
3. Family and Community Events
Photo © Evelyn Reid
The Ecomuseum proposes a counterintuitive activity the kids will love, the Yiddish Theatre fest promises fun for little ones, fireworks season is about to take off and families baffled by Dad may want to browse through this guide to Father's Day in Montreal for inspiration.
4. Theater and Dance
Photo courtesy of Cirque du Soleil
As dance and theatre companies retire for the the summer, festivals are winding up! We've still got a bit of Festival TransAmériques left, the Montreal Fringe Fest has something for nearly every taste, the Segal Centre for Performing Arts is proposing Montreal's first ever Yiddish theatre fest and tribal beats are sharing space with a little cha cha over at Parc Jean-Drapeau. And let's not forget OVO.
5. Museums and Art Galleries
Photo © Evelyn Reid
June is last call for Imagine a the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (free admission), the Montreal Planetarium has got all sorts of star-gazing freebies courtesy of the International Year of Astronomy, the Biodôme proposes another go at Madagascar's threatened ecosystem (expect ring-tailed lemurs but sorry, no Sifaka leapers will be joining) and of course, there's more.
