Hey people,

One of my last post about my international semester and above all one of the most interesting: the artistic life in Montreal.

First, regarding music, Montreal is well-known for its festivals of all kind. Among famous ones, we can name the Osheaga Festival which is a multi-day indie festival that takes place annualy in the summer at the Parc Jean Drapeau. It is a huge festival where artist world famous play. For example, the last year, the headlines were Snoop Dog, Justice and the Black Keys. In this year 2013, fellows could enjoy Phoenix’s performance. The famous French electro-pop band is promoting its new album Bankrupt. Moreover, Montreal also promotes street artists in the underground by dedicating some spots for them. This program is called "Etoiles du metro" and gives cheerfullness to Canadian workers every morning.

There are also other pretty famous festivals such as the Just for Laugh festival comedy, which has been the world largest international comedy festival since 1983. We can also name the Igloofest that is an annual outdoor music festival that occurs in January and February. As I already said previously in my blog, I had the opportunity to be part of this amazing experience.

Then, about cinemas, Montreal has the particularity to have French-speaking cinemas, but also some large Englis-speaking cinema. It is one of the evidence of the multiculturalism of the city. I really appreciated it to go to the cinema, because, here, films are released really earlier than in France. I preferred going to see films in their original versions but with French subtitles. I think it is a pretty good way to learn English while enjoying fully the film. There are also a lot of theatres, especially in the Latin neighbourhood at the Place des Arts, really close to my flat. But, they are really expensive, that is why I don’t have the chance to enjoy a show during my stay. Although, I would have loved to attend the show called La Verita that deals with the life of Dali and that was played in the theatre Maisonneuve at Place des Arts.

Regarding design, Montreal is really eclectic. If you are in the Old Montreal, you can observe a French colonialism design. But, on the contrary, if you are on the Downtown, there are lots of skyscrapers. The tallest one is the 1000 of the Gauchetière which has a really particular design. Indeed, it looks like a pencil. The rest of the city is pretty low and is characterized by the famous North-American triplex. We can also notice that the Old Montreal is the typical French colonial design (it is the same design in the Old Quebec City).

Last but not least, concerts, the part that I prefer. Montreal is a large North-American city, therefore most world famous bands pass by the city during their North-American tours: Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones, Swedish House Mafia… But Montreal is also a French-speaking city, that is why, a lot of French artists love to play here, for a connoisseur audience. During these 4 months, I had the opportunity to attend to several amazing gigs. I went to Jupiter, Flight Facilities, Purity Ring, Breakbot, GoldRoom, C2C, etc. Nonetheless, the most memorable show was the last one on the 24^th April: Muse at the Centre Bell. It was sold out and there were more than 25,000 people. The crowd was over-motivated; everybody was jumping up and down. One of the best shows I have ever attended!