The Bottom Line
Pros
- Excellent DJ lineups.
- Beautiful outdoor location.
- Affordable cover charge.
- Choice to bring your own food and drinks (no glass allowed).
Cons
- Not a lot of sitting space near the dance floor.
- Bad backs and sensitive joints watch out: the dance floor is concrete.
- Can get very crowded.
Description
- See for yourself: Piknic Electronik image gallery.
- When: from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. The 2009 season starts Sunday, May 17 and ends Sunday, October 4.
- Where: near the Jean-Drapeau Metro Station on Île Sainte-Hélène.
- Get There: Jean Drapeau Metro, follow the beat and dirt path, almost straight ahead upon exiting the metro, to the left.
- Cost: $10, free for kids 12 and under.
- Crowd: from toddlers to late thirties/early forties.
Guide Review - Piknic Electronik in Montreal: A Review
Piknic Electronik is a fun, mixed bag of surprises. The music -- generally tech house, progressive house, and dirty minimal, but covering every electronic genre and sub-genre imaginable, particularly weekends where MUTEK artists are featured -- is top-notch (past DJs include Josh Wink, James Holden, Mistress Barbara and MSTRKRFT) and the location is picturesque, multipurpose, and easy to get to by public transit, offering a convenient and affordable excuse to get active (ideal for picnics, Frisbee-playing, dog-walking, biking).The crowd is varied, with many in their late teens, early twenties and there's also the late twenties/thirty something and older crowd ranging from parents bringing their toddlers for a day in the sun to afterhours scenesters.
Get there early, before 3 p.m., if you want a prime spot in the middle of the action with one of the few plastic chairs and outdoor mattresses scattered on the outskirts of the concrete dance floor. Located just underneath the huge L'Homme stabile, the Piknic hub has a tribal sensation to it, especially when the dance floor fills up, usually by 5 p.m. For a mellower, more intimate beat-in-the-distance experience, take a left or right past the statue and choose a spot on the grass or walk down the first staircase you see to sit by the water.
Great to attend with a group of friends, the event is also dog and kid-friendly. Beer, juice, energy drinks, crêpes and hot dogs are sold near the sculpture.
