It’s finally October! The swift onset of autumn means that the gorgeous sunny days are soon going to be a thing of the past. Enjoy the sweet sunshine while it lasts–and be sure to make the most of this wonderful month which is home to both Thanksgiving and Halloween. Here’s a quick overview of some of the things that will be happening in Montreal this October.
Botanical Gardens of Montreal: Gardens of Light
This annual fall event is always a treat for the eyes. This year, the Gardens of Light will be on until October 31st. The Garden of Lights includes a lighted path through three cultural gardens: the Chinese Garden, the Japanese Garden, and the First Nations Garden. Each garden offers a unique perspective: The Chinese Garden tells a traditional Chinese tale about fishing and a mythical creature. The Japanese Garden emphasizes peace and harmony, and the First Nations Garden draws symbols from the Circle of Life and Mother Earth. There will be chances to enjoy traditional music and treats along the way too. Visit the official site for details.
Les Belles-Soeurs: théâtre musical
This one is for all you bilinguals or francophones who would like to immerse yourselves in Québécois culture. Les Belles-Soeurs is a play originally written by Montreal native Michel Tremblay in 1965. It had a profound impact on the Québécois French language as well as the theatre scene. The entire play was performed using joual, the unique French dialect which was often associated with the working-class in Montreal at the time. The play made a huge splash when it was first released, both for its use of joual, which was a historic moment, as well as for its portrayal of working-class women. Les Belles-Soeurs (the musical adaptation by René Richard Cyr and Daniel Belanger, based on the original) will be playing at the Place-des-Arts theatre from October 17-27th. Grab your tickets here!
Get ready, McGillians…it’s Homecoming Weekend this October 11-13th! Be prepared for an influx of McGill alumni this weekend, as many reunions and special events will be happening. Signature events include the McGill Homecoming football and hockey games, the Beatty Memorial Lecture featuring Professor Roxane Gay (which is sold out, but will be live-streamed), and numerous faculty and facility tours (like the tour of the newly opened Maude Abbott Medical Museum). Even though the weekend is geared towards McGill alumni, do keep in mind that there might be some golden opportunities to network during this weekend, since these alumni did happen to graduate from the same school (and maybe even the same program) as you!
La Ronde: Fright Fest
Every October, the entire park of La Ronde is taken over by spooks and screams at sundown as part of its annual Fright Fest. There will be a number of themed haunted attractions in addition to the scare zones in between where zombies and ghouls roam free. Beware, there really is no place to hide here.
Public art in Montreal
Montreal is an artsy city. We have the gorgeous Museum of Fine Arts down the street on Sherbrooke, and the grandiose Place-des-Arts, which hosts many performances. We also have an enormous outdoor art scene. From wall murals to outdoor sculptures, the streets of Montreal are teeming with creativity. Pick a sunny day in October to check a few of them out while the walk is still bearable. Visit this site to find out where these outdoor treasures are located. The site has a bunch of suggested walking tour routes as well!
Happy October, everyone!
Image sources:
http://espacepourlavie.ca/en/programming/gardens-light
Melaney Bernier
https://placedesarts.com/fr/evenement/belles-soeurs-théâtre-musical#video
http://myalumni.mcgill.ca/s/1762/gid2/interior-attend.aspx?sid=1762&gid=2&pgid=400
Heart Made from Tools by Jim Dine / Photo credit: Cirque du Soleil Inc., Michel Dubreuil (2016)
https://artpublicmontreal.ca/en/oeuvre/heart-made-from-tools/
Du Côteau-Saint-Louis à Aujourd’hui by Simon Bachand & Jasmin Guérard-Alie / Photo credit: Ville de Montréal
https://artpublicmontreal.ca/en/oeuvre/du-coteau-saint-louis-a-aujourdhui/
Chibird https://giphy.com/gifs/art-animation-cute-3oz8xLSmmt0WaMTbX2
Giphy https://giphy.com/gifs/fall-winnie-the-pooh-autumn-U26Aj5j5Yv3Hy