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The mother of all Montreal food festivals is, finally, returning to the city: First Fridays (Premiers Vendredis) will be returning to its iconic spot below the Stade Olympique on the eastern side of the city, and it's even bigger, badder, and boozier than it has been in the past.
There have been Japanese food festivals, Sud-Ouest food festivals, Asian night market food festivals taking over Chinatown, and more—but that's not even scratching the gastronomic surface when it comes to First Fridays. Billed as the biggest pop-up terrasse in the city, and a contender for the biggest food truck festival in Canada, the food truck rally will return for the first two weekends of September and October.
Why's it so impressive? For starters, way more attention is being given to the drinking options on site, including two Portuguese wine bars, a 200-seat SAQ aperitif zone, beer bars from Archibald and Mill Street, a Beam Suntory cocktail truck, and Mexican and Vietnamese terrasses, and a relaxation café station... and that's not even diving into the reportedly 40+ food trucks that will be available, serving up their food. Several DJs are expected to set the vibe as well.
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A full list of vendors hasn't been released yet, but past editions have yielded over 30 vendors at one time, and even now, the event is continuing to take on more vendors.
People who visit can expect the environment to be more controlled, however, with routes to follows and 'tickets' being used to help keep track of those who go (admission is still free, though).
All that's left to do is to mark your calendars for the weekends of September 3, 4, and 5 and October 1, 2, and 3.
You can get all the necessary information and register your participation on the First Fridays website here. It will be open on Fridays from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 11 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 10 p.m.