Art drifts through Montreal like a living current, extending far beyond museums and concert halls. It spills out of the city’s hidden bars, sculptures, and cinemas, inviting anyone who dares to wander to step into its imagination. Here are four corners where Montreal’s artistic heart pulses strongest.
Step into the secret rhythms of Bootlegger
The bar Bootlegger has a discreet, almost concealed entrance meant to emulate the speakeasies of the bootlegging Prohibition era. Stepping inside, you find yourself transported back to the time of secret and illicit jazz saloons and taverns. Dim, red lighting creates an intimate and warm setting. The bar displays many decorative antique bottles of liquor; the stylized lounge area near the entrance adds to the 1920s feel. Live jazz music plays every Sunday and Wednesday, contributing to this mysterious ambiance. The music from the backstage fills every corner of the room, and there isn’t a bad seat in the house. Bootlegger is more than a bar; it is a place where music, light, and memory entwine into a world apart from time.
Take in artistic ambiance at Else’s
Located in the Plateau, Else’s is another cocktail bar and restaurant which presents an artistic environment with its theatrical decorations and quaint street corner location. The exterior is completely blue, an intriguing disruption from the classic beige and brick colouring of the surrounding houses and buildings. The inside is even more eye-catching: The walls are painted a dark green, and near the bar area lie all kinds of medieval puppets of devils and other creatures. There isn’t an inch of the place without some form of artistic display. Though at a slightly costlier price range, it is worth it for the ambiance. At Else’s, the mundane melts into the extraordinary, turning every drink into an encounter with art.
See the French-English feud immortalized in Old Port
Located in Old Montreal, one of the more noteworthy public displays of art in the city is The English Pug and the French Poodle—two opposing but interweaving statues. It features two pet owners wearing masks, comically tipping their noses up in the air at one another. Incidentally, the alternate name of the statue is The Two Snobs. This sculpture is meant to evoke humour, a joke between the French and the English. With the woman carrying a French poodle and the man holding an English bulldog, it represents the dynamic between the two cultures in Montreal, and satirizes the friction between the two.
Study the classics at Cinema du Parc
If you are in the mood for some quality entertainment, Cinema du Parc is the perfect place for film buffs, cinephiles, and casual movie-goers alike. Located on av. du Parc, not far from McGill’s downtown campus, the cinema is convenient, less expensive than other theatres, and screens both classic films and new movies. With a distinct charm, an old-fashioned feel, and smaller screens and rooms all on one level, it offers a much more traditional movie-going experience. Cinema du Parc is also one of the few theatres that celebrate prominent anniversaries of renowned films, such as its recent rescreenings of Jaws, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, and more. An independent cinema, it promotes local artists, charity organizations, and Montreal communities. Cinema du Parc is a great way to be entertained without a huge price tag.
Montreal’s art can not be contained: It lives, breathes, and whispers in every corner. If you have run out of sights to see and places to visit, these four places are a few of the many places that you must check out. They are just droplets of the city’s artistic scenery.
