After weeks of OAP, McGill Frosh, working your way through Piknic Électronik’s 2025 lineup, and filling university friends in on your summer drama over drinks, your start to September may have been drenched with alcohol. Getting back to Montreal, it can be hard to escape the pressure to enjoy the city’s liquored-up nightlife and McGill’s drinking-centric events. In case you’ve been needing a reset, The Tribune is here to offer you a list of third spaces not focused on alcohol consumption. Ordered from lowest to highest in price, these venues and activities around the city offer a refreshing alternative to drinking, for individuals and groups alike.
Page Break at De Stiil Booksellers
Every Wednesday, regulars of the Plateau’s beautifully curated English bookstore, De Stiil, find themselves eagerly lining up at the shop’s checkout counter to dispose of their cellphones. This is Page Break—hosted weekly at 7:00 p.m., though the seasoned attendee knows to get there for 6:30—a rare and precious opportunity to cuddle up with a good book, all distractions circumvented. For $5 CAD, De Stiil’s staff will confiscate your devices and point you to a corner of the store, where you can nest in cushions or a comfortable chair with your book of the moment. Once everyone is settled in with a glass of lemonade or water, the shopkeepers will lock De Stiil’s doors and turn on mellow jazz music. Page Break’s hour of total, communal immersion in your book flies by magically fast, after which you can mingle with your fellow technophobes and discuss what about your books most deeply engrossed you that evening.
Cinéma Moderne
Cinéma Moderne’s innovative, independent programming is always worth a watch. This cozy movie theatre offers a perfect escape from the gloomiest of days—both emotional and weather-wise. In any given week, the cinema’s programming will range from local and experimental films to cult classics and current fan favourites, making it hard to decide what to buy a $14 CAD ticket for first. Nevertheless, be sure to keep an eye out for the theatre’s monthly Queer Cinema Club, which hosts screenings of emerging and canonical 2SLGBTQIA+ films to spotlight and celebrate queer narratives and creators in the industry. While not the most conversation-appropriate activity, Cinéma Moderne’s Mile End location lends itself well to a post-movie snack with friends at ICONOGLACE—but don’t forget to enjoy the theatre’s popcorn sprinkled with paprika during your show.
Innocere Yoga
For a more introspective option, try a hot yoga or pilates class at Innocere. Tucked away up an unassuming staircase on the pedestrian stretch of Prince Arthur, Innocere’s beautiful space is expansive and full of sun. Their flow options range from beginner-friendly overviews of foundational yoga poses to dynamic vinyasa practice, all in a studio that grounds any level of session in high-intensity movement. After your class, lounge in Innocere’s cushioned, lamplit reception area and enjoy aromatic herbal tea while chatting with your classmates. Though typically a more expensive outing, Innocere frequently offers discounted class packages, and commonly hosts $11 CAD Community Classes taught by newer instructors—cheaper than the average Montreal cocktail.
Late-night ice skating and dim sum
A big group of friends on a Friday winter’s evening can never go wrong by heading to the Quartier des spectacles at Place des Arts. With no cover-charge, you just need to bring your own skates—or rent a pair there for $15 CAD—to enjoy the city’s largest refrigerated ice rink, alongside skaters of all ages and experience levels. With digital art illuminating its surface and hot chocolate sold right beside its locker rooms, the Esplanade Tranquille offers skaters a relaxed, social, and quintessential winter experience as they work up an appetite skating laps around the rink. Enter a post-skate dim sum date in nearby Chinatown, where many delicious restaurants stay open past the rink’s mid-evening close: Late enough that you can get into your spot of choice without requiring a promoter to get you on the guest list.
