Don’t miss the great summer programming at Nouveau Centre
This summer, Nouveau Centre is hosting a summer program designed to appeal to folks of all ages. Nouveau Centre (Centre Eaton de Montréal, Place Montréal Trust, Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth and Place Ville Marie) is an initiative of Ivanhoé Cambridge that energizes the downtown core with a wide variety of fun and creative experiences. Here’s a look at what’s in store.
By Sébastien Tétrault
Esplanade PVM: the heart of the action
Esplanade PVM is a huge plaza in the heart of downtown – a prime gathering place and hub for Nouveau Centre’s programming, including the Midis musicaux, presenting live music at lunchtime every Tuesday and Wednesday. The space will also host plenty of high-profile artistic events on summer evenings with the Série Hors-Festival, which will give audiences the chance to enjoy even more of their favourite festivals. Some of the more notable dates include the Francos de Montréal evening on June 12, the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal evening on June 26, the Osheaga evening on July 31, the LASSO Montréal evening in August 14 and the Fuego Fuego evening on September 4!
Midis musicaux
Amazing circus performances
For the third straight year, Nouveau Centre will also host breathtaking, highly skilled acrobats participating in the MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE festival. From July 4 to 14, under the Ring and on Esplanade PVM, the public will be treated to the premiere of GÉANTE!, the dazzling new show by local circus company Les 7 doigts de la main. There will also be smaller circus-arts performances at the Eaton Centre from July 6 to 13.
MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE
Plenty of original, crowd-pleasing activities
There’s much more to Nouveau Centre’s summer programming! Everyone is invited to the Grande Méditation from June 20 to 22 at the Eaton Centre. This calming experience is the time to peacefully celebrate the positive energy of the summer solstice and International Yoga Day. Meanwhile, the Drag Brunch, on August 3 in the Marché Artisans in the Fairmont the Queen Elizabeth, is a festive event aimed at making the art of drag accessible to the general public. Finally, everyone who wants to celebrate Pride Day (August 11) is invited to the Nacarat terrasse at the Fairmont the Queen Elizabeth, boasting an excellent view of the Pride Parade. The mass gathering, which attracts more than 10,000 people each year, starts at 1 p.m. and joyfully concludes at the Festival Fierté Montréal, the city’s annual celebration of sexual and gender diversity.
A unique art walk to see the city in pink
French artist Philippe Katerine is a prolific polymath: the singer, musician and actor is also an inspired visual artist who has even created his own artistic movement called Mignonisme, which celebrates beauty in simplicity and wonder in the everyday. Le Mignonisme by Philippe Katerine starts at Nouveau Centre and allows visitors to discover the many facets of the movement’s emblematic figure, Monsieur Rose. The monumental sculptures bring a big dose of whimsy and poetry to the Quartier des Spectacles and the wider downtown core. Explore it alone or with family and friends until September 29.
Monsieur Rose at the Esplanade PVM at Place Ville Marie, 2024