It Has Begun!!!

It's official Summer is here! Today is the longest day of the year! Today was a nice day, just warm enough, not really humid - my kind of weather!


Summer in Montreal can be busy if one chooses it to be. We have LOTS of festivals:

• last week we had "Les FrancoFolies de Montréal",
• Le Mondial SAQ - fireworks competition - this weekend Italy is up!
• Le Grand-Prix (Formula One Race) - this weekend as well!
• Fête Nationale (St-Jean Baptiste) - Québec's national day, with a parade and lots of activities throughout the province - this weekend (June 24th)
  
• Montreal International Jazz Festival (June 29th - July 9th)
• Canada Day - with a parade, etc. (July 1st)
• Just for Laughs/Festival Juste pour rire, both in French and English - this year we have tickets for Bill Cosby! (July 1st - 31st)
• Nuit d'Afrique - African music festival (July 13th-23rd)
• First World Outgames - gay sports events (July 26th - August 5th)
• Divers/Cité - Gay & Lesbian Pride days (July 30th - August 6th)
• Hot Air Balloon Festival (August 12th - 20th)
• Montreal World Film Festival (August 24th - Sept. 4th)

All these and so much more to see, do and experience!

ALSO (and it's a BIG also, I'm told, for some of you...) THE Madonna is in town! She is doing a show tonight and tomorrow night as well - both sold out - at the Bell Center without any air conditioning, as per her request... She arrived yesterday, late afternoon, and while I was stuck in traffic I heard on the radio it was Madonna's cortège that was creating the traffic jam! Unreal!!!

So, this weekend, Montreal will be the place to be! If you like crowds, that is!

Photo: Stock photography picture by Martin Girard