11 things to do in Montreal today: Sunday, March 17

The massive lineups of people may say otherwise, but there’s actually a bunch of great activities happening in Montreal today, March 17, besides the parade.

But seriously, come on… it’s the parade!

From butterflies, barbies and booze, here’s what’s happening across town today.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

monique_major/Instagram

After a one year hiatus, Montreal’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is returning to its rightful route on Ste. Catherine Street this year.

The annual parade will be back on Ste. Cat’s after it as forced to move to Boulevard de Maisonneuve in 2018 because of construction.

The giant outdoor bash, the 196th edition, is an excuse to party outside among thousands of other people.

When: Sunday, March 17
Time: 12 pm
Where: Rue Fort and Ste. Catherine until rue Metcalfe and Ste. Catherine
Price: Free

The Montreal Science Centre invites guests to a “very hot immersive experience” as Volcanoes 3D takes over the IMAX screen for the sixth weekend, taking patrons where few humans dare to venture: into the heart of a volcano.

When: Sunday, March 17
Time: Various times
Where: 2 de la Commune Ouest
Price: $10.50 – $12, available online

Montreal Botanical Garden – Butterflies Go Free

Montreal Botanical Garden (alice.tsybenko/Instagram)

It may not all be butterflies and rainbows in Montreal right now, but(terfly) it will be soon.

The Montreal Botanical Garden’s annual “Butterflies Go Free” exhibit has returned for another year.

The 22nd edition of the butterfly festival features “thousands of multicoloured butterflies who will be flitting about in an exceptionally lush natural setting,” as per the Montreal Botanical Garden.

Get a chance to see butterfly’s shimmering colours up close in a humid, tropical oasis, not to mention ample gorgeous photo opportunities.

When: Saturday, March 16
Time: 9 am – 5 pm
Where: Montreal Botanical Garden, 4101 rue Sherbrooke Est
Price: $10.25 – $20.50, available online

Haunted Montreal Pub Crawl

jhof8888/Instagram

If you thought Montreal’s weather this winter was scary, you’ve got another thing coming.

After doing studies in Savannah, Georgia (dubbed “America’s most haunted city”), the paranormal research crew has jumped over to Montreal for the first-ever Haunted Pub Crawl in the city.

Led by a professional ghost storyteller, the Haunted Montreal Pub Crawl will visit four of the city’s most haunted bars, because mixing ghosts and booze is the only smart way to deal with the paranormal. The tour will start at Charlie’s American Pub on Bishop Street before heading to the recently-burned down John Doe Pub, the historic McKibbin’s Irish Pub, the mysterious Sir Winston Churchill Pub, the frequently-visited (not just by the living) Club Le Cinq and, of course, Hurley’s Irish Pub, where a ghost known as the “Burning Lady” is said to still lurk on the grounds.

When: Sunday, March 17
Time: 3 pm for English, 4 pm for French
Where: The tour starts at Charlie’s American Pub, 1204 Bishop
Price: $20.87, available online

Flogging Molly Tribute Show

The band “Seven Bags of Bricks” is playing a tribute show to the popular band, Flogging Molly, in honour of St. Paddy’s Day.

If you want to keep the Irish party going after the parade, head over to the storied Foufounes Electriques.

When: Sunday, March 17
Time: 2 pm – 12 am
Where: Foufounes Electriques, 87 Rue Sainte-Catherine Est
Price: Free admission

Barbie Expo

joshuajacobs81/instagram

The world’s largest permanent exhibit of Barbies is happening at Montreal’s Cours Mont-Royal. The upscale mall hosts over 1,000 entertainment industry Barbie dolls, all dressed by leading fashion houses.

Plus, it’s free to attend and it’s oozing with photo ops.

When: Sunday, March 17
Time: 10 am – 7 pm
Where: Cours Mont-Royal, 1445 Rue Peel
Price: Free

Putting Edge Mini-Putt

Putting Edge / Facebook

Sneak away from the herds of people and play some mini-putt (where you’re allowed drinking).

Putting Edge is an indoor mini-putt course that’s all glow in the dark. Every hole has Canadian-based trivia questions plus the venue has an arcade and alcohol. Need we say more?

When: Sunday, March 17
Time: 10 am – 1 am
Where: 1259 rue Guy
Price: $11.99

Hershey Canadian Indoor T&F Championships

The official Indoor National Championships for U16, U18 and U20 Track and Field Athletes makes its way to the Complexe Sportif Claude-Robillard on Saturday and Sunday.

When: Sunday, March 17
Time: 9 am – 5 pm
Where: Complexe Sportif Claude-Robillard
Price: Free

Bleu, Blanc et Bouge

chcfondation/Instagram

The Montreal Canadiens foundation has six outdoor, refrigerated rinks around the island. The professional-level rinks provide the opportunity for hockey players to develop their skating skills on exceptional quality ice.

The program is divided into six sessions of approximately 45 minutes each.

The rink is free to use but a simple registration is required to access the rinks.

Rinks can be found at the following spots around Montreal:

Villeray-St-Michel-Parc-Extension : François-Perrault Park
Montréal Nord : Carignan Park
Verdun : Willibrord Park
LaSalle : Hayward Park
Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce : Confederation Park
Ahuntsic-Cartierville : Mésy Park

When: Saturday, March 16
Time: Varies per rink
Where: Various locations around Montreal
Price: Free

Art Souterrain

artsouterrain/ Instagram

An underground art festival has buried itself below the ground of Montreal.

But not “underground” like a resistance group versus an existing regime — actually underground: below the surface.

The 11th edition of Art Souterrain returned to the city at the beginning of the month, highlighting exhibitions by local and international artists and mediation activities will be available to be discovered along a six-kilometre underground route.

When: From now until March 24
Time: Various times
Where: Various locations around the city, visit the website for specific details
Price: Free