Spring break is practically upon us, so we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief for the hiatus, however brief, from the barrage of midterms, essays, and research papers that our professors have been throwing at us for the past two months of class. The grind may never stop, but we can at least put it on hold for a week while we catch our breaths and stock up on sleep again. If you’re not a part of that group of McGill students who get to go skiing in the Alps or to a tropical resort for the week and you’ll be spending your week here in Montreal, fear not, because the city still has lots to offer for your entertainment. From festivals to concerts to ice skating, there is plenty to keep you entertained this week while you strategically ignore all the readings your prof’s assigned you for the break.
Lumière Noire / Nuit Blanche
You know Montreal’s winter festival, Lumière Noire, is back in town when there’s a zip line stretching across Place des Arts. In its twentieth year of existence, the festival provides a little light and warmth to the dead of Montreal winter. It runs from February 21 – March 3 so you’ll just be catching it at the tail end if you head out to it in the first weekend of spring break. Most of the activities on site are free, including outdoor concerts, a Ferris wheel, and interactive installments in between. The festival also ends with Nuit Blanche, an all-night party taking place from March 2 – March 3, complete with live performances, events, and music all over the city, even underground.
Mumford & Son’s Concert
If you’re looking for concerts to go to over spring break and have a little extra to splurge, Mumford & Sons will be in Montreal at the Bell Centre on March 4th. Tickets aren’t sold out yet so you can still round up some friends if you enjoy singing I Will Wait at the top of your lungs and want to hear it live.
Skating in Old Port
The Natrel Skating rink, located just under La Grand Roue in Old Port is only open for a few more weeks until it closes on March 10th. You may not be sad to see it go since it marks the start of warmer spring weather (finally), but you can still enjoy it over spring break in its final days. Open Monday-Wednesday from 10 am to 9 pm and Thursday-Sunday from 10 am to 10 pm, you can surely squeeze in one visit around whatever other activities you may have planned for the week off.
Art Souterrain (Underground Art)
Art Souterrain is a non-profit organization founded to make visual art accessible for a wider public audience. To do so, they take artwork out of traditional exhibition sites, such as museums, and broadcast it across 6 kilometres of Montreal’s underground city. This allows them to highlight not only the artwork itself but also the city’s architectural heritage as a piece of artwork itself. The festival starts on March 2nd, runs for three weeks, and is completely free to the public, so you won’t have to worry about paying any hefty museum fees.
Mondial des Cidres
If you’re missing the apple picking and cider drinking of fall, this festival is for you. From March 3-5, over 20 different cider producers will have kiosks set up in the entertainment district at Complexe Desjardins for all of your sampling desires. Including cheese, charcuterie, and of course, bread, the festival also has workshops and special tasting events, so you can get your full fix of cider to hold you over until next fall.
Images obtained from:
https://images.radio-canada.ca/q_auto,w_1600/v1/ici-info/16×9/aetd-nuit-…
https://evenko.ca/_uploads/event/18279/splash.jpg?v=1538597863
https://images.dailyhive.com/20180223134710/Screen-Shot-2018-02-23-at-1….
https://www.tripsavvy.com/thmb/CDgyNUe-0_knI290j4PnZhI_qoA=/960×0/filter…():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/art-souterrain-underground-city-art-courtesy-ERIKA-DE-FREITAS_AS2016_NatalieSartisson-58a4f60b3df78c345bd20357.jpg
https://urbainecity.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/mondial_cidres.jpg