Laval has been long overdue for some festival love and we recently got to enjoy our first Rib Fest…read more It was great! Location was very important and it happened across the street from Montmorency Metro station, this location is easily accessibly by metro and train. Many buses come here as well. The only outstanding issue is for people like me who came by car. Simply put, parking is practically non-existent unless you walked 10 minutes. In a way, that's a good thing. You'll need to waddle a few minutes after you leave this festival filled to the rafter with yummy grub. Rib Fest held many guests of honor that are local or from very far away. I visited this festival 3 times and it was GREAT! The food is amazing, music is solid and it is quite kid friendly as well. My only qualms were the parking as well as not enough seating during their busy time. Looking forward to their next one, hopefully in Laval!

Rockfest's first years brought out horror stories, but based on my experience both the event team…read moreand the small hosting town are definitely getting the swing of things. I managed to land a last minute volunteering spot, which resulted in a lot of great freebies and some backstage access in exchange for some (oddly enjoyable) free labor. Here are some things I had heard terrible news about and how it differed with my experience. The bathroom: After hearing horror stories about the portable washrooms, I was extra glad to have access to staff sites. Once on the concert grounds however, I found the bathrooms to be incredibly abundant. Yes there might be longer lines and less TP at the ones next to the main stage, but a 3 minute walk to the Tony Sly area where there are 2x the stalls would solve that problem. The food & drink options: Being told they were incredibly expensive but I found the lines to be rather short and with 101 options from hot dogs and poutine to pizza, rotisserie chicken and more. There was even a staff manned water refill station to keep everyone hydrated without buying your 12th $3 bottle of water. Seriously though there were $3-4 slushies everywhere so I don't know who was complaining. The streets were lined with businesses selling everything from deep friend onions to sloppy joes. There was so much I wanted to stuff my face with that I couldn't have tried them all. The camping: I was in the staff camping site so I can't quite comment, but even on our site (with explicit rules to STFU) people were loud all night, ignoring the fact that some worked morning vs evening shifts. I did speak to a number of friends who were camping on different sites, and although people were in very close quarters, isn't that the atmosphere you'd expect to still be within walking distance of a festival of 200,000 people? The locals: I had read about the terrible experiences by locals who's town was "under siege" but all the locals I spoke to were actually enjoying the festival. The life guard we spoke with told of how her parents paid for her college with the money they made renting their yard to campers annually, and how every year it was the same campers who came back and she went on about how respectful they were and how they had all become friends with the family. The lines (to get in/out): The first years were understaffed and oversold, so people waited hours to get in. This year, I saw friends flow in and out with zero issues. I imagine you MUST expect a slower wait to get in and out during rush periods before and after the headliners, but anyone who can't understand the laws of supply and demand shouldn't be cramping themselves into Rockfest to begin with. They scan everyone's bracelets on the way in and the way out, so yes, at peak periods it will clearly take (slightly) longer to get where you're going. The mess: Back to the townspeople's complaints, the place would definitely look like a disaster zone post festival, but part of the planning now includes cleanup crews. More than anything I was disappointed with the mess that attendees made. There was garbage all over the street that I had to try not to trip over. Yes, the garbages were overflowing, but toss your trash next to the full garbage for the next pickup, don't just toss it anywhere. Experience as a volunteer: I hopped on board very last minute and I hadn't been to the festival before so I lacked some experience myself. It took me a bit of time to get my bearings and find out where to go to start my shift, but honestly it was a great experience. I got to get my first sight of the site while coming across the lake on shuttle boat, we were given coupons for the catering tent so that we would have access to food (within limited hours but workable), the staff we worked with were engaging, fun and on top of their duties which made it very easy to get through the weekend. In retrospect I wouldn't have brought any groceries (not worth the time/trouble if you get 1/2 catered and buy deliciously greasy snacks to run on), I also would have showed up earlier as pitching your tent in the shade is KEY (otherwise you'll wake up sweaty and too uncomfortable to sleep as of 10am). I'm really excited to return as a volunteer next year, with all that I learned this year I know it's gonna be an EPIC weekend.

Jacques Cartier Park is on the other side of the Ottawa River in Gatineau. There was parking there…read morebut it filled up quickly and we ended up parking on the street quite far down. Either get there early or be prepared to walk back. It was such a pleasure wandering through the various plant displays. There was a lot of people when we went but it was expected since it was a lovely summer day. There's everything from trains, animals (puffins, moose, dragons), Mother Earth, a self playing piano and of course quintessential Canadian displays such as mounties and hockey players and even a vegetable patch.

We've had an amazing time, last year, and so I've had no grand expectations visiting it again (it…read moreis now called Mosaiculture), but boy, was I wrong. The new tree statue is absolutely spectacular, absolutely eclipsing the lady with the waterfall, from last year. Will definitely repeat, in a year or more from now.

Great Jazz festival that happens every year late June to early July…read more Artists from all over the world come to several stages to perform for free or for a fee in some cases. This year, we saw many great artists along with thousands of other music lovers from all over. Metro Place des Arts or St Laurent for easy access.

Let it be known that you're going to Montreal in the summertime and the next thing you'll hear is…read more"Are you going for the jazz festival?" I was not. Regardless, when I realized my trip coincided with the festival I researched artists, venues, and dates only to come to the realization that a whole lot of Montreal's jazz festival takes place for free at multiple venues in a fairly concentrated area of the city. Assuming you can find the schedule (at staffed kiosks in the area) and locations and understand the program (no joke, it was a challenge), you can learn when and where everyone is playing and identify the free performances. Multiple nights on end I found myself at large outdoor spaces filled with folks there to enjoy the free offerings. Was it jazz? Let's just say that jazz is in the ear of the beholder because not once did I experience music that I consider to be jazz though that seems somewhat beside the point. Free live music is almost always enjoyable and this is no exception. The outdoor spaces are clean, the sound is good, and the large crowd is considerate even as they come and go. Were I returning to Montreal during another summer I'd most certainly plan my visit to coincide with the jazz festival and again attend several events.

BEWARE of this company FMG (Festival de montgolfieres de Gatineau)- we bought VERY expensive…read moretickets ($40 each) to see the balloons launch last weekend, and then had a family emergency where we could not attend- we were told in person that the tickets would be refunded and when I followed up the company refused. Also, I found out afterwards that you can see the balloons launch FOR FREE on the opposite side of the fence and apparently (because of the weather) the balloons didn't even leave the ground that night! Total RIP-OFF and poor customer service!

I accidentally wound up in Gatineau around the time of the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival. I…read moreremembered reading a quick blurb about it being one of the largest hot air balloon festivals in the world (if not THE largest) so my boyfriend and I trekked over from our hotel to check it out. It was fabulous! There were dozens of balloons taking flight, and not just your typical balloons. There were cats, Noah's Ark, a giant panda, and many more. The photo opportunities were infinite and I wish we could have stayed longer. The festival continues into the afternoon with food, music, and fun for everyone in attendance, but unfortunately we had to go once the last few balloons had gone up into the sky. I highly recommend trying to come out and see this, especially if you're a flight/festival fanatic! The good news for anyone who may want to visit from the US? It's always over Labor Day (or Labour Day if you prefer!) so you could easily make a long weekend of the adventure. And what an adventure it is!

I was realy impressed with the beers. My friend showed me a few breweries and the beers blew my…read moremind. I've never tasted in a row so many beers that were clearly above the rest. Usually you can kind of guess what you will have, and the experience is not that much different than going to a corner store and trying another commercial brand. Not this time! Also even though it was raining, i was suprised that there was so many people friday night. There were also a few interesting attractions like the one where you try to hammer as hard as you can on a pad. I didn't hammer hard enough to ring the bell, guess i'm too weak :(... Finaly the blacksmiths on the site where not just for show and they were working hard to create beautiful works of art. I enjoyed listening to one of the blacksmith explaining the process of forging. Very, very cool I cant wait to go there next summer :D

I hadn't been to this gathering in previous years primarily for the fact that it is hosted in Laval…read morewhich can feel like an impossible trek when you don't drive. However, a partnership with the STL and a few shuttle busses made it far more accessible. The festival is hosted on the Laval Nature Center site which I didn't even know existed. Holy cow is it beautiful! I would spend my weekends there on a regular basis if I lived in the area. It's huge, rolling mountains, man made lake with boating and tons of activities throughout the site. The Fest itself was on the southern end of the Nature Center which allowed for one big open space with accessible parking areas. There were dozens of brew houses and local companies ranging from Popcorn to Pretzels and back to Jerky and pickled goodies. The event's entry cost was only $10 at the door (even cheaper presale) and I loved that 17 and under get in free of charge to play the inflatable games and other activities.Their set up made it possible to have this Beer Festival be a family event which is a challenge all on its own! The collection of exhibitors were very well balanced with smokehouses and blacksmiths on site. What would I change? Honestly, nothing. Particularly for the fact that this was only their 3rd year, I would say the organizers have managed wonders! Hats off to the team, can't wait to return next year.

Igloofest is one of my favorite music festivals I've been to. Artists are always incredible, and…read morethe vibes are great! Love seeing everyone come together in their ski/cold weather clothing and dancing to the music. Would recommend!

Great venue, too cold and more warm places to settle in would be nice. People here are friendly…read morealthough some may get drunk typically a bit and some only speak French basically. I would not suggest going alone if possible as I had to do that. I also had to get my ticket by buying a hotel package and could not buy a ticket separately from the IF site directly. I had wanted VIP and this was not an option for me by choosing a hotel package. IF took 2-2.5 weeks to respond to my email inquiry regarding this. It seems an app was an option but I didn't know what app I could download and if it would have been compatible usage within the US. Internet coverage was included to Canada w my plan but my data roaming auto-turned off and I could not figure out how to turn it on right away. I was also driving in the evening and I could not find a comfortable place to stop for awhile. I almost did not go but decided I needed to go as I was interested in both main stage artists and had my own edm outfit that I should've done a better job showcasing. Food options were decent and alcohol was easy to get. Bathroom access was okay . I think it was so cold that they should've opened up the dining areas on the other connected island and had TVs to watch the performances from inside the dining areas of that part of the Old Dock. The safe space would have been good here too. Providing this environment and resource helps encourage and maximizes diversity with race, sexuality, religion, and minimizes bias. There are recycling bins here and the culture here seem to make best efforts to follow. Many Americans would sadly see this as another trash bin. Montreal has a ton of TooGoodToGos including mini-supermarkets. The little contributions we can do to help sustainability can only help our world, and the culture seems to reflect this too. I wore double layers and it was enough for awhile. Some of the locals didn't seem to have more than a single layer and they seemed fine. Main stage artists did not have merch available to sell and side stage had a few things that I felt were over priced on top of my lack of interest. Some great beats and covers from the side stage though I am not a big fan of covers. Igloofest has some great sponsors and I like how they support some local French hotels too and not just the American standard ones. Some of the friendly people here, I do wish we could've bonded to be even friendlier . Not being able to speak French fluently didn't help. Too cold for Google Translate to be my constant friend and my juice almost ran out near fest end too. Maybe if I had put my reversible sequin jacket on earlier and had IF on it, this would have rocked everyone's world that much more. There was a free picture booth and a chance to win a free VIP package. I tried it later in the night, and a group of people get a picture(s) for free at the end. In my first take, one of the staffers got in the pic since it was just me. I kind of wish I had asked to keep it but maybe to ask if I win, that I would win a boyfriend too, lol. Alas, it was too cold for me to really think and the idea of being in a new area and being able to speak only minimal French (Je joue les echecs.) Maybe if I make my social media public, with all these pictures and certain tags, maybe something positive could come of that. The loneliness I felt here reminded me of a person who won the same type of award I did where he told me to carry my award around everywhere. Or online where some people pretend they want to meet you and purposely don't. The struggles I took to get here on my own ( 3 car dashboard warning signals all resolved after stopping on the side 3 times), product shipped under proper protocols that could not be done in the US, appreciating some food quality, drink, and a gym, all help culminate an independence for me to attend an event and the related prep and struggles all on my own.

Small, good for families but my husband and I were able to walk through it quickly and there wasn't…read moreanything for us to do or see. We ended up a a restaurant having some nice margaritas just people watching but we could have done that anywhere.

The showcasing of Montreal musicians and new artists!…read more I used to attend many Art workshops & miss them!. It is a Montreal treasure!