11 things to do in Montreal today: Sunday, August 18

If you’re looking to cap off your weekend in style, here are a few happenings going on around town today, August 18.

See also:

• See the MASSIVE line for Jollibee’s newest Canadian location (VIDEOS)
• Rare series of lightning strikes the North Pole 48 times
• Montreal was just voted one of the friendliest cities in the world

Montreal Pride Parade

Montreal’s Gay Pride Parade (Défilé de la fierté gai) invites everyone to a fun and flamboyant celebration of the community’s solidarity and strength, demanding for the same respect, dignity and basic rights as those granted to heterosexuals.

When: Sunday, August 18
Time: 1 pm
Where: Boulevard René-Lévesque and Rue Metcalfe and ends at Rue Alexandre-DeSève
Price: Free admission

Tam-Tams

Tam-Tams returned to the city at the beginning of the summer and the iconic party keeps up its weekly trek on Sunday.

Tams, the weekly outdoor party at the base of the mountain, is a perfect summary of Montreal, open to both locals and tourists.

The magical outdoor bash is where Montrealers from far and wide, gather in Parc Mont Royal for an afternoon of food, vendors, fun, music, and maybe even a couple of beers and some smoking (shhh, don’t tell anyone).

When: Sunday, August 18
Time: 12 pm until sunset
Where: Sir George-Etienne Cartier Monument
Price: Free

Italian Week

Montreal’s well-represented Italian community has been celebrating it’s 26th annual Italian Week since last weekend and it concludes on Sunday.

The week-long festival will be celebrated throughout the island, promoting the Italian culture through music, fashion, cars, shops, and obviously, food.

Anchored primarily in Little Italy, the festival also branches out to Montreal-Nord, Laval, Lasalle, NDG, and St-Léonard.

When: Sunday, August 18
Time: Times vary according to the day, visit the website for exact festival times
Where: Various locations throughout Montreal
Price: Free admission

Horos – A Virtual Voyage

Regular ‘real-life’ escape rooms are so 2018.

The Old Port is hosting “Horos” all summer, a free-roam virtual reality escape room that “blurs the lines between what is real and what is imaginary.”

Produced by AR/VR company Phenomena, the escape room blends interactive development with content creation and scenography, giving guests a “turnkey location-based experience.”

The VR voyage of Horos is a two-player immersive game that allows users to simultaneously walk freely in a virtual world which is synchronized to physical space.

When: Sunday, August 18
Time: 10 am – 10 pm
Where: Old Montreal (in front of the Science Center)
Price: $15, available online

Piknic Electronik

Piknic Electronik returns for its fourteenth edition today.

Piknic is an outdoor electric music dance festival featuring DJs and artists from all over the world. There are obviously good tunes, but there’s also good food, good drinks, and plenty of activities to keep you going. Best of all — the show goes on rain or shine.

When: Sunday, August 18
Time: 2 pm – 9:30 pm
Where: Parc Jean Drapeau
Tickets: $16, available online

Jackalope 2019

For event-goers seeking that little extra ounce of adrenaline, Jackalope might be for you.

The festival returned to Montreal this weekend and it’s headlined by the World Cup Skateboarding Championship, a bouldering competition, and base jumping from the top of the Olympic Tower.

Yes.

According to the Jackalope website, the three-day festival is “an international showcase of raw talent, outdoor fun, and stimulating exchanges at a unique event.”

The entire event is staged outside at the Olympic Stadium. The event hosts a slew of adrenaline based activities that include: skateboarding, BMX, bouldering, motocross, slacklining, and water gunfights.

When: Sunday, August 18
Time: Friday, 5 pm – 10 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 1 pm – 10 pm
Where: Montreal Olympic Park, 4549 Avenue Pierre-de-Coubertin
Price: $35 to $325, available online

Voiles en Voiles

Climb aboard life-size replicas of both royal and pirate ships from the 18th century in Montreal’s Old Port (how fitting).

They are over 100 feet in length and range from two feet high for the young pirates to 35 feet for Peter Pan wannabes.

As the obstacle course gears up for its final stretch run, check out the 61 different activities between the Royal Ship and the Pirate Ship. Activities include zip-lining, rock climbing, and bouncy castles.

When: Sunday, August 18
Time: 10 am – 6 pm
Where: Place des Vestiges, Old Port
Price: Prices vary depending on selected activities, tickets online

Le Grand Ribfest de Montréal

Ribbers from Texas, Alabama, New Mexico, Florida, and Tennessee are coming by Old Montreal today for four days of heavy-duty rib cooking.

The site also features a slew of great microbrewery kiosks from all over the province.

Beer and ribs, anyone?

When: Sunday, August 18
Time: 11 am – 1o pm
Where: Quai Jacques-Cartier, Old Montreal
Price: Free admission

International Balloon Festival

Look up in the sky today, it won’t be a bird, nor a plane, and it won’t even be Superman. It’ll be dozens of hot air balloons.

The International Balloon Festival of Saint Jean-sur-Richelieu is the largest gathering of balloons in Canada/ The week-long event, which concludes today, caters to the entire family and is an easy 40-minute drive off the island of Montreal.

In what started off as a balloon festival, has grown to host food vendors, bar outlets, live bands, theatre performances, activities, and has garnered a reputation on an international scale.

This year’s outdoor party will feature hot air balloons from Canada, the United States, France, and Brazil.

When: Sunday, August 18
Time: 12 pm – the end of the show
Where: 5 Chemin de l’Aéroport, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
Price: $30 – $50, available online

This Light Never Goes Out – Jim Carrey Exhibition

A new art exhibition featuring works from Jim Carrey is will be on display in Montreal all summer and this steamy weekend might be a good time to check out some art (and you know, air conditioning).

As part of the Phi Centre’s commitment to celebrating technology-based media, the arts centre will present the world premiere of This Light Never Goes Out, featuring over 50 of the actor’s works in an exhibition that will run from June 20 to September 1.

“Jim Carrey is known to most people as a comedic genius on the silver screen, but since 2016, his Twitter feed has been the canvas for a series of satirical and subversive cartoons, penned in response to headlining news,” reads the Phi Centre’s description.

Carrey’s cartoons weigh in on the American political right, focusing on many who are abusing their power in the United States.

When: Sunday, August 18
Time: 10 am – 10 pm
Where: Phi Centre, 315 St-Paul Ouest
Price: $12.40, available online

Through the Echoes

The first-of-its-kind pyramid-shaped entertainment venue, PY1, created by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté continues its showing all month.

The innovative venue will offer a multi-sensory experience, state-of-the-art technology and “a unique playground” for multimedia entertainment combining high tech with the talent of the greatest digital creators.

The PY1 experience made its worldwide debut with Through the Echoes, a show produced exclusively for the pyramid last month, located near the Clock Tower grounds in the Old Port.

When: Sunday, August 18
Time: Varies
Where: Montreal’s Old Port
Price: $28.50 – $51, available online