The top 5 things to do in Montreal: summer 2014 special
Time for some summer lovin’, folks.
We're off to enjoy the city. See you in September.
1. MULTITASKING POP CULTURE POLYMATH
Woodkid | July 1 | Free
Montreal International Jazz Festival | June 26 to July 6
Yoann Lemoine a.k.a. Woodkid — French pop culture polymath and all around wunderkind — first showed his chops as a music video director. There’s Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” and Lana Del Rey’s “Born to Die,” plus a couple of projects with Luc Besson and Sofia Coppola before the age of 24.
Here’s your chance to hear what Woodkid himself sounds like. It’ll involve Baroque pop, neofolk and various other types of musical cross-pollination. All absolutely free of charge.
While you’re at it (and by “it” we mean the Montreal International Jazz Festival), you may want to check out two great Concordians: Blake Pattengale (June 27) and Willis Pride (June 28).
Find out more about the Montreal International Jazz Festival.
2. STREET SAMBA
Parade Brésil en fête| July 19, 3:25 p.m. | Free
Festival International des Nuits d’Afrique | July 8 to 20
Add a dash of spice and World Cup pride with this Brazilian parade at the Festival International des Nuits d’Afrique. This is where you show how suave you can be.
3. TOTALLY RANDOM AND POTENTIALLY AWESOME #1
Zoofest | July 10 to August 3
Oh, just admit it: deep down, you’re still a J.K. Rowling fan. So why not geek all the way out and go to a Harry-Potter-themed comedy show?
We kid you not.
Zoofest describes itself as “an off-the-wall parallel to Just For Laughs.” Expect chutzpah as well as open mics.
4. TOTALLY RANDOM AND POTENTIALLY AWESOME #2
Montreal Ghost Walks and Ghost Hunts | June 21 to November 1 | $18.50 (with student ID), $22 (no student ID)
Goose bumps plus handholding equals … the perfect date? Meet the spooky criminals and historical characters that shuffled off this mortal coil in Old Montreal.
When it comes to Fantasia, just ask yourself: What would Tarantino do?
| Image courtesy of Fantasia
5. HORROR, FANTASY, ACTION, ANIME … OH MY!
Fantasia International Film Festival | July 17 to August 5
Quentin Tarantino’s favourite (“the most important and prestigious genre film festival on this continent”) is back for the eighteenth time and it really is better than ever.
This is not a fest for the faint of heart. There will be the horror, fantasy, action, anime and sci-fi. Guts, gore, nudity and people in costume.
The best part? It’s close to home: most of the screenings take place at Concordia’s J.A. DeSève Cinema, D.B. Clarke Theatre and Alumni Auditorium.
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About the author
Andy Fidel is a Montreal-based freelance journalist, photographer and writer with dreams of living on a submarine. She enjoys metro rides, writer's block and cold instant coffee.