Don’t look now but we’re already halfway through August. If you feel like the summer is zooming by too fast, here are a bunch of things to do in Montreal this week.
From MURAL Fest — one of Montreal’s landmark festivals, to shows, music, hot air balloons, and everything in between, there’s a lot worth checking out across the island this week.
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Just be sure to keep cool as more heat is forecasted for Montreal.
To match the forecast, here’s a bunch of hot stuff worth keeping on your radar from August 16 to 22.
MURAL Fest
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One of Montrealâs flagship summertime festivals officially returned last week.
The ninth edition of MURAL Fest kicked off in The Plateau and will hang around until Sunday.
MURAL Fest brings together world-class visual artists and musicians who collaborate for a cultural celebration in the heart of Boulevard Saint-Laurent.
After going virtual last year, MURAL Fest is returning with real-life events including live music, block parties, and of course artists covering walls, streets, and parking lots in fresh paint from internationally renowned artists.
When:Â From now until August 22
Time:Â Varies per event
Where:Â Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Price:Â Free
Walk Walk Dance
CNW Group/Daily tous les jours
Walk Walk Dance is a new musical installation that allows walkers and bikers to play music with your feet (or wheels). Designed as a temporary installation by the same company behind the famous 21 Balançoires, come try to make some music and feel like you’re from that scene in Big.
When:Â From now until September 6
Time:Â 24/7
Where:Â Place des Arts Esplanade
Price:Â Free
AURAÂ
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The Notre-Dame Basilica announced the return of AURA, one of the Old Port’s most popular events. The immersive light show is presented by Moment Factory and a few new features have been added.
The updated version of the spectacle celebrates the materials and colours of Notre-Dame. New musical accompaniment has also been added for the purpose of showing off the Basilicaâs 7,000 pipe Casavant organ, which has been in operation since 1891.
When:Â August 21 and 21
Time: 6 pm and 9 pm
Where: Notre-Dame Basilica, 110 Notre-Dame St Ouest
Price: Ranges from $21 to $32, available online
BiosphĂšre
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Montreal’s BiosphĂšre has reopened to the public for the first time since you know what.
The large dome-shaped museum dedicated to the environment was originally constructed to house the United States pavilion during Expo 67. Originally encased in an acrylic bubble, the dome caught on fire back in 1976, leaving just the steel structure intact. It has remained a unique city icon since then.
When was the last time you checked out the interior of the BiosphĂšre?
When:Â August 16 – 22
Time:Â 9 am â 5 pm
Where:Â 160 Chem. du Tour de lâisle, Parc Jean-Drapeau
Price: From $8.25 to $21.50
Ghost Walk – Haunted Downtown
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The end of summer marks the beginning of spooky season.
And Haunted Montreal has you covered with their series of paranormal tours that you can take part in across the city, every Saturday until November.
Haunted Montreal conducts weekly ghost walks which include haunted bars, abandoned graveyards, and hotels “rife with paranormal activity.”
Are you scared?
When: Saturday, August 21
Time: 8:30 pm to 10 pm
Where: Norman Bethune Square
Price: $24.50
Ciel en FĂȘte
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This weekend, look up at the sky. It wonât be a bird, nor a plane, and it wonât even be Superman. Itâll be dozens of hot air balloons.
When:Â August 21-22
Time:Â Varies per weekend and event
Where:Â Parc du Centre-de-Plein-Air-Ronald-Beauregard: 93 Rue Towner, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
Price:Â Free
Guided tours of Little Italy – Italfest
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As part of the 28th edition of italfestMTL, the National Congress of Italian-Canadians is offering historical guided tours of Little Italy.
The two and a half hour tour includes an historical introduction about the Italian community in Montreal, an exhaustive guided tour of Little Italy, with stops across delicious pastries, restos, and cafes.
Check out the rest of Italfest’s weekend programming right here.
When:Â Saturday, August 21
Time:Â 2 pm
Where:Â Casa dâItalia
Price:Â $25
Mini Fireworks
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Fireworks are usually synonymous with Montreal’s summer, but the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a bite out of the traditional summertime fest.
La Ronde is doing its best to light up the skies in some capacity, though.
Every Saturday the amusement park is working with LâInternational des Feux Loto-QuĂ©bec to bring a “mini fireworks festival” to a different borough of the island.
You have to follow a La Ronde Six Flags social media channel to find out when and where this week’s display will take place, a decent trade-off for free fireworks.
When:Â Saturday, August 21
Time:Â TBA
Where:Â TBA
Price:Â Free
Go gorilla art hunting
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Thereâs some monkey business going around in Verdun lately.
THE INFINITE
THE INFINITE is a new, groundbreaking virtual reality multi-sensory exhibition that takes guests on a journey aboard the International Space Station.
Freely explore a life-sized reproduction of the ISS in virtual reality as if you were there. Using several different mediums (VR, augmented reality, and projections), the exhibit offers âexceptional realism in an experience that lasts 60 minutes,â says the Centre PHI.
Go to space without having to leave Earth. Great deal.
When: From now until November 7
Times: Friday to Sunday, 10 am – 8 pm; Tuesday to Thursday, 10 am â 7 pm
Address: Arsenal Contemporary Art Montreal â 2020, rue William
Price: $10 â $40 (from Tuesday to Thursday), $12 â $50 (Friday to Sunday)
Aquazilla
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With the hot weather in line for this week, why not tackle some refreshing water?
Aquazilla is a 30-by-35 meters inflatable structure that’s made of slides, platforms, wiggle bridges, trampolines, monkey bars, and flip bags atop the water.
If the weather is too hot for you and you want a little more excitement than a traditional pool, give Aquazilla a try.
Aquazilla closes for the summer this Sunday.
When: Every day until August 22
Time: 11 am – 6 pm
Where: Jean Doré Beach
Price: $12 to $15
The Canadian Railway Museum (Exporail)
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Did you know the largest railway museum is just outside of Montreal?
Featuring a collection of 188 vehicles and trains, this museum in Saint-Constant will be offering free admission this weekend, as they do on the first Sunday of every month.
Alllllllll aboard!
When: August 16-22
Times: 10 am â 5 pm
Address: 110 Rue St Pierre, Saint-Constant
Price: $12.75 – $21.20, available online and on-site
Barbie Expo
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Montreal is home to the Barbie Expo, the largest permanent collection of Barbie dolls in the world.
Guests have the chance to see and snap pics of over 1,000 one-of-a-kind Barbie dolls, all dressed by the cityâs leading fashion designers.
When: Daily
Time:Â Friday, 10 am to 9 pm; Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm; Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm
Where:Â 1455 Rue Peel
Price:Â Free admission
Musee Grevin
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Musee Grevin is Montrealâs very own version of Madame Tussaudâs in London. A wax museum hidden inside Centre Eaton, Musee Grevin will have you snapping pics of all your favourite celebrities.
The museum has creepily similar figurines of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Michael Jackson, Charlie Chaplin, and so many more.
With an SQDC location easily walkable, you could turn this excursion into a real trip.
When: Daily
Time: Monday – Saturday, 10 am – 6 pm; Sunday, 11 am â 5 pm
Where: Centre Eaton de Montréal, 705 Rue Sainte-Catherine
Price:Â $13.60 â $1
Tonga Lumina
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Slumbering giants have awoken at the top of Mont Tremblant, and a mountainside tour will allow you to go search for them.
Featuring a night-time walk that’s lit up by Quebec’s Moment Factory, the tree is full of sights and sounds that will transport you to a mythical adventure.
When:Â From now until October 16
Time:Â 10 pm
Where: 1000 Chemin des Voyageurs, Mont-Tremblant
Price: Starts at $12.50, available online
CosmodĂŽme
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CosmodĂŽme is a space science museum and education centre in Laval. If you want to learn about the infinitely expanding universe, give it a go.
When:Â Daily
Time: 10 am – 5 pm
Where: 2150 Laurentian Autoroute, Lava
Price: $5 (free for children under 6)
iSaute
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iSaute is a massive venue that has over 30 giant trampolines, trampoline basketball, wall climbing, and a trampoline jungle gym. You pay by the hour and literally jump around. It’s actually a fantastic workout and a soaring good time for the kids.
It’s fun for all ages.
When:Â Daily
Time: Monday – Thursday, 9 am – 9 pm, ; Friday – Saturday, 9 am – 11 pm; Sunday, 9 am – 8 pm
Where:Â 3220 Jean Yves, Kirkland
Price:Â $18 – $25, available online and in-person
BiodĂŽme Montreal
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After being closed for more than two years for renovations (and a pandemic), the BiodÎme de Montréal is finally reopened.
Using some elements from BiodĂŽmeâs original 1976 design, guests can now observe the birds in the Tropical Rainforest from treetop level, enter a beaver lodge, and really experience what subpolar cold feels like â just like the penguins.
Walk through replicas of four ecosystems found in the Americas without even leaving the island.
When: Daily
Time:Â 9 am – 6 pm
Where: 4777 Pierre-de Coubertin Avenue
Price: $16.50 – $21.50, available online
Voiles en Voiles
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Ahoy matey!
Channel your inner Jack Sparrow and climb through giant pirate ships in Old Montreal as part of a high-flying obstacle course.
When:Â Every day until September
Time: 10 am – 6 pm
Where:Â Place des Vestiges, Old Montreal
Price: $19 to $54 per person, depending on the type of swashbuckling adventure you choose.
Parc Safari
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Lions, tigers, and bears — oh my!
Parc Safari is up and running for the spring and summer season for anyone looking to get off-island and check out a slew of exotic animals, including zebras, elephants, big cats, hyenas, deer, and more.
They also have live shows and amusement park rides.
When:Â From now until September
Time:Â 10 am – 6:30 pm
Where: 242, Rang, Roxham Road, Lacolle
Price: $16 to $41, available online
Stand Up Paddleboarding
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Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) literally puts you on top of the Saint Lawrence River. You can surf, trek down the river, do yoga or workouts, fish, and much more.
SUP is a full-body workout and a great way to soak up the summer and the refreshing river.
When:Â From now until September
Time:Â Varies per selection
Where: KSF LaSalle & KSF Parc Jean-Drapeau
Price: $45 – $70, varies per selection
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