20 reasons to celebrate MTL’s 20th Nuit blanche

1. Over 100 activities will be offered throughout the night.  

Yep, you read that right: no less that 100 activities will be organized for this special winter celebration. Shake up your routine, my friends, because this is the night to follow your fancies, sate your culture cravings and spark your imagination!

 

2. Public transit will be running all night long.  

Seriously, you have zero excuse not to take part in the city-wide festivities since you can do it safely and all night long on public transit (metro and bus). Next stop is Nuit blanche!

 

3. Place des Festivals will be open until 2 a.m.

Place des Festivals, the ebullient Nuit blanche nexus, will be partying until 2 a.m. The excitement includes sliding, picnicking and a Ferris wheel – all under the night-bright skies.  

 

4. MTELUS is hosting an awesome party – for free!

From dusk until dawn, you can shake and shimmy at the hugely festive Nuit blanche 20th anniversary bash: Party at MTELUS. From 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., a 100% local scene will be owning the stage. On the menu: Claudia Bouvette, Valaire, Choses Sauvages, Kid Koala x Lealani as well as an impressive line-up of local DJs.

 

5. There’s music around the clock at the SAT.

A 24-music marathon awaits you at the SAT. Seventeen local and international DJs will be spinning their sets – vinyl only for the occasion. The bar will be serving alcohol for the full 24 hours, exceptionally, for this special night.

 

 

6. You can zoom around the museums at night.

Montréal’s museums will be opening their doors to welcome you for a nighttime visit. Pop-up exhibitions, creative workshops and can’t-miss performances: there’s so much to see!

 

7. You can listen to Radio-Canada live all night long.

The night crew at the Maison de Radio-Canada has a one-of-a-kind experience in a unique ambiance in store for you. From 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., you can visit the Maison de Radio-Canada and attend recordings of special programs.

 

8. You can run away with the circus (sort of).

It’s got such an amazing line-up of activities, you could spend the entire night at TOHU if you wanted. Head there for hip-hop demonstrations and workshops, music shows in an inflatable igloo, the creation of a collective work and guided snowshoeing around Parc Frédéric-Back.

 

9. You can twirl around on your skates.

Feel like getting out and grooving? Lace up your skates and head to Place Loto-Québec at Esplanade Tranquille skating rink or the Skating Loop at Place des Festivals, where seasoned DJs will be spinning sets. You can also glide along to film music at Aréna Mont-Royal or get your disco fix at Aréna Camillien-Houde.

 

10. There’s lots for improv enthusiasts to love.

Every hour, you can enjoy a new improv show at Théâtre Sainte-Catherine. The event is free, and will be switched up in French and English, of course, for total Montréal style.

11. It will be music for the ears for music lovers.

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) will be featuring films and virtual reality works.  Montréal en Histoires will present INSITU, a digital creation that draws on public participation to create this living artwork. Québec Cinéma, which is housed in the iconic 2.22 building, will be transformed into a movie theatre to celebrate film from here as part of the Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma. Movies around the clock!

 

12. You can reach for the top with rock climbing.

Let’s get vertical! Head to Horizon Roc to try rock climbing and see an aerial dance show lit by ultra-violet lights. Young and old will love it.

 

13. Got dance in your pants?

In addition to the Station DJ Rogers at Place des Festivals, you can shake your booty until the next morning in venues across the city, including Club Soda, Puerta Negra, Station Clark and the Ausgang Plaza.  

 

14. You can explore eight city hubs (including north of the city).

Eight geographical hubs city-wide will be buzzing: Quartier des spectacles, Downtown, Old Montréal, Plateau-Mont-Royal, Quartier Latin and the Village, Mile-End, Hochelaga and the North.

 

15. A special crew will be there for you.

The Brigade STM, which is made up of eight mobile teams dispatched across the city, will be there to give you information, advice on how to get around and hand out gifts (yay!).  

 

 

16. You can play with a giant interactive cube.

CONTROL NO CONTROL is a giant LED cube that reacts to every touch or movement on its surface, emitting sounds and visuals as you play with it (48 people can play with the cube at the same time).

 

17. It’s a feast for the five senses.

Nuit blanche is definitely an occasion to sate all your senses. Take part in mind-blowing sensory experiences in venues city-wide, including the PHI Centre, the Maison symphonique or Usine C.

 

18. You can lap up free comedy.

The Grande Bibliothèque and the École nationale de l’humour will be featuring a free cabaret and karaoke night that will let you take a deliriously fun dive into Québec humour.  

 

19. You can unleash your inner poet.

A poetry contest for our up-and-coming poets will be shaking down at Quai des Brumes. Calamine, Lucien Francoeur and Claudine Bertrand will be the judges.

 

20. You can get your maestro mojo on.

Thanks to the Partitura virtual reality experience at the Espace OSM, you can step onto the podium at the Maison symphonique and conduct a string orchestra of OSM musicians.