Events

Fall fun: 17 things to do during the first official weekend of autumn in Montreal

DH Montreal Staff
DH Montreal Staff
|
Sep 22 2022, 8:56 pm
Fall fun: 17 things to do during the first official weekend of autumn in Montreal

It’s the first official weekend of fall and Montreal is bustling with sweet things to do.

There’s plenty of music, some food, fun new things, and all of the classics.

If you want to start fall off on the right foot, here are a handful of exciting things to keep on your radar this weekend.

The Killers

 

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Kick off the first official Saturday of fall with The Killers and their Imploding the Mirage tour at the Bell Centre.

When: Saturday, September 24
Where: Bell Centre
Price: Starts at $57.25, available online

MAPP_MTL

 

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“Multiple dimensions” are taking over the streets of Montreal for five days in the form of MAPP_MTL — the international projection mapping festival.

The seventh edition of the festival uses video projection to reinvent spaces and objects through a world of digital creativity.

Trippy, huh?

Montrealers will also be able to discover on-site food kiosks and a big-time block party featuring live music.

When: September 21 to 25
Time: Various times
Where: Mile End & Quartier des Spectacles
Price: Free

Carly Rae Jepsen

 

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Pop star Carly Rae Jepsen will be rockin’ out MTELUS this weekend as part of the singer’s The So Nice Tour.

When: Saturday, September 24
Time: 8 pm
Where: MTELUS
Price: $47, available online

L’Art en Soi Festival

 

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There’s a massive open-air dance festival taking part at Place des Festivals all weekend.

The L’Art en Soi Festival features giant dance floors and intro lessons for a variety of dance styles, including Latin, country, Guinean dance, disco, Samba, and much more.

Get groovin’.

When: Until September 24
Time: 6 pm
Where: Place des Festivals
Price: Free

Festival Aéronaurique Volaria Airshow

There’s a big-time aerobatics show taking place just outside of Montreal this weekend, offering high-flying planes, hot air balloons, live music, games for kids, and food trucks.

When: September 24 & 25
Time: Saturday, noon to 11 pm; Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm
Where: ICAR Mirabel — 12800, boulevard Henri-Fabre, Mirabel
Price: $36 to $70, available online

La Cuisine Privée

When it comes to autumn dining, can you really do better than being surrounded by lush maple syrup forests in Montreal-area countryside?

Come on, a full stomach AND endless photo opportunities…

This weekend, La Cuisine Privée will reopen its seasonal dining room for a little over a month, offering brunch and dinner service from Friday to Sunday during the autumn harvest seasons.

The bring-your-own wine restaurant is located inside a rustic chalet-style venue just outside the countryside town of Ormstown — just over an hour outside of Montreal.

When: September 23 to October 30
Time: Friday & Saturday, 5 to 11 pm; Sunday, 11 am to 2 pm
Where: 3240 chemin Erskin, Hinchinbrooke
Price: $40 to $54

Concerts Candlelight

Iconic music, full-band concerts, flickering candlelight, and historic Montreal churches — what else could you want?

Appropriately named Candlelight Concerts, the magical musical events take place in over 85 cities worldwide at more than 1,000 timeless venues, including historic churches here in Montreal.

This month, the concert will be highlighting covers from trending artists like Adele, Coldplay, Queen, and ABBA along with iconic classics by Tchaikovsky and Beethoven — all of which kick off this weekend.

When: September 15 to November 5
Time: Various dates
Where: Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours, l’Église Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs, CathĂ©drale Christ Church, and l’Église St-Jean-Baptiste
Price: $30 to $40, available online

Citrouilleville

 

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If you want to get in the autumn spirit, there’s a giant pumpkin village just outside Montreal that might need to make it onto your must-do radar.

Citrouilleville in Saint-Zotique is a village devoted to everything pumpkin. It has entire houses made of pumpkins, a corn maze labyrinth, fall-themed photo booths, tractor rides, and pumpkin picking. Plus, the whole site lights up at night, meaning primetime photo ops.

When: Weekends until October 31
Hours: Saturday, 9:30 am to 8:30 pm; Sunday, 9:30 am to 5 pm
Address: 560 avenue 69, Saint-Zotique
Price: $13 to $17, free for children under two

Sentier des cimes

The term “going up north” has taken on a literal meaning.

Canada’s first-ever Treetop Walk has taken over the Laurentians, giving guests a 40-metre wooden spiral staircase climb that offers breathtaking views of the northern mountain range and nearby landmarks, such as Mont-Tremblant.

The highest point of the tower hike — officially called the Sentier des cimes — is equivalent to that of a 12-storey building.

When: Year-round
Time: 9:30 am to 7 pm
Where: 737 Rue de la Pisciculture, Saint-Faustin-Lac-Carré
Price: $19 to $29

World Press Photo Montreal Exhibition

Some of the most electrifying and thought-provoking photos from across the news world will be on display in Old Montreal for over two months.

The 15th edition of the flagship of Montreal’s fall cultural calendar, the World Press Photo Montreal Exhibition, is returning to the Bonsecours Market after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

Over 55,000 people are expected to attend the large-scale international exhibition over the next 60+ days. The exhibit has been organized since 1955 by the World Press Photo Foundation, based in the Netherlands.

When: Until October 2
Time: Sundays to Wednesdays, 10 am to 10 pm; Thursdays to Saturdays, 10 am to midnight
Where: Bonsecours Market — 325 rue de la Commune
Price: $15, available on-site (no cash accepted)

Gardens of Light

Gardens of Light has returned to Montreal, along with all three cultural gardens of the Botanical Garden with light and magic for the ultimate fall spectacle.

The Chinese Garden is displaying its iconic lanterns, the First Nations Garden features a multimedia experience highlighting the Sacred Tree, and the Japanese Garden has a breathtaking illuminated path.

If it’s fall in Montreal, this is an absolute must-see.

When: Until October 31
Time: 9 am to 10 pm
Where: Botanical Garden
Price: $17 to $21

AURA 

The timeless Notre-Dame Basilica will host another wave of its breathtaking immersive light show, AURA, a sight you really don’t want to miss out on.

It’s seriously breathtaking.

When: Until November
Time: 9 am to 4:30 pm
Where: Notre-Dame Basilica — 110 Notre-Dame Street Ouest
Price: Ranges from $21 to $32, available online

Mosaïcultures Québec 2022

 

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If there’s one excursion to add to this fall’s must-do list, Quebec City’s animal kingdom garden might be the king of the jungle.

From now until October, the MosaĂŻcultures QuĂ©bec 2022 at Parc Bois-de-Coulonge in Quebec City is showcasing a dazzling display of more than six million plants and flowers that pay tribute to the “life that vibrates on our planet.”

The summer-long exhibit is marketed as a “hymn to the Earth,” and features works that are “a pleasure for the eyes but also a reminder of the fragility of life.”

When: Until October 10
Time: 10 am to sundown
Where: Parc Bois-de-Coulonge – 1215 Grande AllĂ©e O
Price: $12.50 to $60, available online

Dancing Lights That Flew up to the Universe

 

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In celebration of its 15th anniversary, the PHI Foundation for Contemporary Art is presenting Dancing Lights That Flew up to the Universe, a new exhibit from acclaimed Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.

The exhibition will introduce visitors to the “spiritual and philosophical depth of the artist’s work,” says the PHI museum, including two striking “infinity mirrored rooms.”

Both mirrored rooms will be filled with hanging light globes that alternate colours before going dark. “The viewer is absorbed into darkness for a moment before the glowing spheres slowly flicker back on, initiating again a cycle akin to life and rebirth,” says PHI.

When: Until January 15
Time: Wednesday to Friday, noon to 7 pm; Saturday to Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm
Where: PHI Centre
Price: Free, reservations required

Frida Kahlo – The Life of An Icon

Montreal has been graced with the life of Frida Kahlo in the form of an immersive and inspiring art exhibit.

The Life of An Icon offers seven different transformational spaces with VR experiences, holographic videos, and 360° projections.

The exhibition presents an arrangement of archival photos, original films, digital environments, art installations, and collectibles to music that aims to “reproduce the most relevant moments of [the artist’s] life,” says the website, offering visitors to discover the incredible story of Frida Kahlo.

When: September 10 to 30 (closed September 12, 19, 26)
Time: Wednesday and Thursday, 10 am to 7 pm; Friday and Saturday, 10 am to 9 pm; Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm
Where: Arsenal Contemporary Art – 2020 William Street
Price: $27.58 to $40.23, available online

UplÄ

 

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You can take your family adventures to new heights this weekend, thanks to North America’s biggest trampoline park which just opened outside of Montreal.

UplÄ is a labyrinth of 20-foot-high suspension bridges and trampolines that connect to a network of unique and colourful treehouses, all of which are suspended in the air at the foot of Mont-Saint-Grégoire.

What’s wild about UplĂ„ is that the park is open year-round, rain, shine, or snow. We’ll have to wait a few months to see what North America’s biggest trampoline park looks like covered in snow.

The park recommends soon-to-be trampoliners to book online to guarantee a spot.

When: Year-round
Time: 8 am to 6:30 pm
Where: 45 Chemin du Sous-Bois, Mont-Saint-Grégoire
Price: $20 to $30

VAN GOGH – Distorsion

 

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Have you wondered what it would be like to walk through a masterpiece?

The wonderfully colourful world of Vincent Van Gogh has been brought to life at OASIS, and visitors can walk freely through animated renderings of classic works like Almond Blossoms, Starry Night, and many more.

When: Every day in September except Mondays and Tuesdays
Time: 9 am to 9:40 pm
Where: OASIS immersion, 301 Saint-Antoine
Price: $24 to $32, available online

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