300,000 PEOPLE EXPECTED IN DOWNTOWN MONTREAL
On July 14 and 15, downtown Montreal will pulsate to the rhythms of La Sainte-Catherine célèbre, Canada’s biggest sidewalk sale. Sainte Catherine Street West will be closed to vehicular traffic between Bleury and Saint Marc streets for two days to accommodate the huge crowds that will visit the 15th edition of this event, which has become an annual Montreal tradition. With the Just for Laughs Terra Karnaval parade taking place in the evening, it’s the perfect time to spend a fantastic weekend downtown, taking full advantage of all the stores, the terrasses and summer in Montreal. Montrealers are all invited to be a part of this festive weekend.
FASHION, ATMOSPHERE AND ENTERTAINMENT
On Saturday and Sunday, dancers, musicians and deejays will be performing at different times during the sidewalk sale to enhance the festive mood. There will be carnival performances by Terrato and exciting drumming by Zuruba. The Macadam Orchestra will charm us with its bohemian sounds, and the Funny Funky Brass Band, combining the brass band tradition with pop music, will have the crowd jumping. An exhibition of vintage automobiles will also be presented near the Guy metro station.
Stores will be displaying their merchandise outside on Saturday until 7 p.m. and on Sunday until 6 p.m., much to the delight of bargain hunters, who will enjoy savings like at no other time of year.
SATURDAY EVENING: TERRA KARNAVAL PARADE
On Saturday, starting at 8:30 p.m. following the sidewalk sale, Montreal’s biggest arts parade is back with Terra Karnaval. The patron of this year’s parade is Guy Laliberté. Eight tableaux based on children’s drawings and created in their community will feature more than 1,000 costumed participants, who will parade along Sainte Catherine sharing their view of an emerging new world, in an imaginative, symbolic depiction of an awakening planet. “It’s in the very nature of a creator to inspire and effect change. I think Terra Karnaval is a unique opportunity to invent a new world, a new environment for us to live in,” says Guy Laliberté. The colourful procession will feature spectacular set designs, magnificent costumes, amazing aerial sculptures and flamboyant makeup. It will depart from Bishop on Sainte Catherine Street West and make its way to Place des Arts. For the past five years, Karnaval de Montréal has been presented as part of the Just for Laughs Festival under different names, from the Parade blanche to the Grand Charivari. Most recently, there was the remarkable Pinkarnaval, with Jean-Paul Gauthier, in July 2011. Following the parade, Terra Karnaval will also be featured as part of other events from July 14 to 22, primarily at the Place des Festivals. For details:www.montrealkarnaval.com. Info line: 514.274.9111
DID YOU KNOW?
In Montreal, every summer, tourists from Quebec, Ontario and the United States visit Montreal and take advantage of Sainte Catherine Street Celebrates and the summer sales downtown. Why not join them?
Getting there: Metro Place-des-Arts, McGill, Peel or Guy-Concordia.
Sainte Catherine Street Celebrates is an initiative of Destination centre-ville, a non-profit organization whose members include more than 8,000 places of business located within the boundaries of Atwater and Saint Antoine, Saint Urbain and Sherbrooke streets in downtown Montreal. Among its activities is contributing to ensuring that downtown Montreal is a clean, safe and lively place where it is enjoyable to shop, work and live.
Sainte Catherine Street Celebrates is an initiative of Destination centre-ville, a non-profit organization whose members include more than 8,000 places of business located within the boundaries of Atwater and Saint Antoine, Saint Urbain and Sherbrooke streets in downtown Montreal. Among its activities is contributing to ensuring that downtown Montreal is a clean, safe and lively place where it is enjoyable to shop, work and live.
Join us and celebrate on Saturday July 14 and Sunday July 15, 2012!