Mix’Arts, the last party on the Main for the summer, takes place this weekend. At the enRoute office, we love when Boulevard Saint-Laurent shuts down for one of its street festivals. Of course, we’re a little biased, since the party happens at our doorstep, but eating lunch on a street patio while watching bargain hunters is one of the great Montreal summer pastimes. In addition to the usual vendors and terrasses, Pop Montreal will be holding free evening concerts at Parc des Amériques. 

Runs Aug 26 - Aug 29, Boulevard Saint-Laurent (from Sherbrooke to Mont-Royal), boulevardsaintlaurent.com

PHOTO: CC 

It's a wonder the idea didn't take off sooner. What could be better than Montreal plus summer plus cocktails and dinner? We'll tell you: those same things, with the addition of a boat. A boat with white leather seating, a boat with a kitchen and five-course meals, a boat with a dance floor.

Go ahead and tell yourself it's too camp, but give the Belvu a shot and you'll likely find yourself watching the sun set on the upper deck, a raspberry mojito in your hand. That doesn't sound too shabby, does it? If the thought of spending the evening on a mini-cruise appeals to you but the thought of cruise prices don't, you're in luck: they do a free happy hour ride on Fridays. Ahoy.  

15H, rue de la Commune O., 514-303-3111, belvu.ca

True to Portuguese tradition, F Bar has a healthy focus on seafood. The restaurant itself even feels a little like an aquarium. Situated in the middle of the Quartier de Spectacles, it’s a rectangular prism with glass windows. The location makes it great for people watching, inside or on the patio. F Bar is the newest venture from Carlos Ferreira, owner of Ferreira Café and Vasco da Gama. The menu features dishes that pair meat and seafood together—like the Portuguese-style grilled Cornish hen with calamari. Our favourite was the cold pea soup with ultra-thin slices of black sausage and rich goat cheese foam. The pinch of mint atop the foam gives it a fresh kick—perfect for lunch on a hot summer day.

1485 rue Jeanne-Mance, 514-289-4558, fbar.ca

Attention Montreal music nerds: the weekend starts early this week. Beginning today the Osheaga and MEG Montreal festivals will take over our fair city. The 12^th annual MEG Festival boasts the Canadian debuts of French electro groups Birdy Nam Nam and Beat Torrent. Meanwhile Osheaga’s two-day main event at Parc Jean Drapeau will see performances from Weezer, Arcade Fire, Sonic Youth and Robyn. If you’re brave enough to take on both at once, the $200 dual-festival MMOI pass gives you access to all shows—in the city, on the island and even on a cruise boat.

Runs July 29 – Aug 1, various locations, osheaga.com and megmontreal.com

PHOTO: LIVE RO

While patio season isn’t a phenomenon unique to Montreal, we take summer more seriously than most. Why wouldn’t we? Our winter seasons are the longest in the history of the entire world. Perhaps that’s stretching it, but the fact is that many of us here in Montreal often complain about the cold as if it were true. Our summers are fickle, and one never knows what’s in store. So forget using a groundhog to tell when the next season is coming, check your local terrasse for the real signal that summer has arrived. An entire city out eating and drinking on sidewalks, gardens and rooftops can’t be wrong! Not sure where to go first? Too excited to get out there to breathe? We know, we know. Take a deep breathe in, close your eyes, and point anywhere on this page. We won’t point you in the wrong direction.

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Le Petit Italien single-handedly solves the age-old brunch debate -- sweet or savoury? -- with its Dim Sum Italien brunch menu, where you pick and choose from small plates for sharing. (Not that the delicious salmon frittata, which comes out in its own cast iron skillet, is in any sense small.) We tried the potatoes with rosemary (served with fresh tomato ketchup in a mason jar), the Italian-style crispy waffle under a stack of strawberries and hulled pistachios, naughty muesli with marscapone subbing
for the yogurt and a tasty fried egg perched atop lightly sauteed green beans. Skip the somewhat odd rice-krispie coated cantaloupe and you'll be glad you didn't just settle for your usual eggs benedict.

1265 avenue Bernard O., 514-278-0888, lepetititalien.com

PHOTO: AMIELLE CLOUATRE

Just when we thought these Montreal nights couldn't get any hotter here comes the Festival International Nuits d'Afrique. The 24th edition of the festival just started. All concerts at Place Émilie-Gamelin are free and include the half-African, half-Quebecois group Kabakuwo and all-female percussion ensemble Maloukai. Prices vary for admission to other concerts. Some of the highlights include Kassav, innovators of zouk music, and Moroccan-French singer Hindi Zahra. Just because the World Cup is over doesn’t mean you have to put your vuvuzelas away yet!

Runs July 13-25, various venues, festivalnuitsdafrique.com

PHOTO: VICKY TAM

Balnea, a chic thermal spa nestled in picturesque Bromont-sur-le-lac, is getting ready to spice up the summer.  Starting this Sunday, nine of Montreal’s top chefs will create an original dish that will be served at both Balnea and each chef’s respective restaurant. The dining programme reads like a who’s who of Montreal’s gourmet scene. Chefs from Ferreira Café, Les Enfants Terribles, Tapeo, Leméac, Auguste, L’Epicier, Andiamo, Decca77, and F Bar will be competing to see who can sell the most plates. It’s kind of like an episode of Iron Chef but set at the spa’s beach club and taking place over the course of nine weeks. On Sundays, one chef will personally prepare their dish for spa-goers. The spa itself, a short 40-minute drive from Montreal, with facilities that overlook the spa’s private lake, has it all—saunas, Turkish baths, outdoor hot tubs, even a cinema you can enjoy post-treatment. Oh, and the best part? Anyone who tries a dish (at the spa or the restaurants) can enter to win a grand prize that includes a couple’s year long membership to Balnea and a culinary tour of each chef’s restaurant for two.

Runs July 4 to September 4, various locations, summerofchefs.com

PHOTO: VICKY TAM

It’s that time of year again in Montreal. No, not moving day—that’s next week. It’s time for the 31^st edition of the famed Festival International de Jazz de Montreal. This year’s installation boasts 3,000 performers from 30 countries, playing more than 650 concerts. The official opening concert on June 25 is a free one—featuring  the Brian Setzer Orchestra. Anyone else secretly dying to hear Jump, Jive and Wail? Hip-hop group The Roots will make their third appearance at the festival on June 30. Jazz legend Herbie Hancock will bring The Imagine Project, an album recorded all around the world, to Montreal on June 27.

Runs June 25 to July 6, various locations, montrealjazzfest.com

PHOTO: DENIS ALIX

Call it a party or call it a fête, either way, Quebec loves a good one, and Saint-Jean Baptiste is the mother of all of them. Quebecois artists will be performing free concerts tonight, the eve of SJB, and the actual holiday (June 24). Tonight Les Cowboys Fringants take over Parc Maisonneuve, while Fred Fortin and Ariane Moffatt will be playing over at the L’Autre Saint-Jean concert at Parc du Pélican. Tomorrow night Yann Perrau, Marie-Mai and Coeur de Pirate perform at Parc Maisonneuve.
 
June 23-24, Parc Maisonneuve & Parc du Pélican, fetenationale.qc.ca and autresaintjean.org  

PHOTO: JOHN LONDONO