Richard "Bugs" Burnett

À nous l’arc-en ciel ! Le Festival Fierté Montréal arrive : En plus des bars gais accueillants et des lieux de rencontre LGBTQ+ de la ville, Montréal offre un spectacle inoubliable. C'est quoi le Festival Fierté Montréal ? La première marche de la Fierté à Montréal a eu lieu en juin 1979 pour marquer le 10e anniversaire du soulèvement de Stonewall en 1969. Les organisateurs de La Brigade Rose à Montréal ont attiré 52 participants à la marche en 1979. Quarante ans plus tard, en 2019, la participation totale à Fierté Montréal a dépassé les 3 millions de personnes. Le festival est de retour avec des spectacles en direct en personne, des concerts et des activités sur l'Esplanade du Parc olympique ainsi que dans le Village et au centre-ville. Quand est le Festival Fierté Montréal ? La 18e édition de Fierté Montréal a également de nouvelles dates, du 1 au 11 août. RECOMMANDÉ : Vous cherchez un endroit où aller après le défilé ? Découvrez les meilleurs bars et clubs LGBTQ+ de Montréal.

Fierté Montréal Festival is the largest LGBTQ+ gathering in the Francophone world. In addition to the city’s welcoming LGBTQ+ bars and hangouts, Montreal is putting on a star-studded show. Montreal’s first Pride march was held in June 1979 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising of 1969. La Brigade Rose organizers in Montreal drew 52 marchers in 1979. Forty years later, in 2019, total attendance at Montreal Pride topped 3 million. This summer’s festival features live in-person performances, concerts and activities on the Esplanade of the Olympic Park—Montreal Pride’s main site—as well as in the LGBTQ+ Village and downtown.  When is the Fierté Montréal Festival? This 18th edition of the Fierté Montréal Festival runs from August 1 to 11, 2024. What are the festival highlights? Expect major free shows with more than 150 artists programmed. There is free admission to all events on the Esplanade of the Olympic Park. For full programming, visit fiertemtl.com. Here are some programming highlights:  RECOMMENDED: Where to go after the parade? Check out the best LGBTQ+ bars and clubs

Quebec drag and pop icon Mado Lamotte has done it all. Mado has posed for her own wax figure at the Grevin Wax Museum, hosted mega outdoor shows at Juste Pour Rire, recorded a pop music album, wrote the bestselling 2023 memoir Une Madographie, and runs the legendary Cabaret Mado drag nightclub in the Village. Famed for her sharp wit, Mado—a.k.a. former UQAM theatre student Luc Provost—is hitting the road with her new La Bitch Joyeuse Tour accompanied by her pianist Nick Burgess.  Mado recently sat down with Time Out Montreal for a candid Q&A about the world of drag and her love for Montreal.  Photograph: Martine Poulin You got your start as a shooter bitch and cigarette girl at Poodles and Club Lézard in Montreal in 1987. How has Mado changed over the years? I’ve been playing the role of Mado for 38 years. But Mado has changed and adapted with the times. Mado is not as provocative as she used to be because these days people just want to be happy and not reminded of the stupid man in the Oval office in the United States. We want to be entertained and forget about politics, forget about climate change, wars, all the drama. So I evolved with the people. I just want to make audiences happy, and that’s what we’ll be doing on this tour. What was it like to attend Wigstock with your drag sister Nana de Grèce in 1995? So many people took photos of us that we got flash burn! I was wearing a big wedding bell on my head. It was huge! And so funny. As we left our hotel I remember peopl

Shining a light on a community of many noteworthy Black figures, theatre, dance and musical concerts are among the many highlights during the 34th annual Black History Month in Montreal.  This year’s theme is “All That We Carry” (Tout ce que nous sommes), and we've rounded up some must-see 2025 Black History Month events to add to your list of the best things to do in Montreal right now. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mois de l'Histoire des Noirs / Black History Month (@moishistoiredesnoirs) 1. Queen of Rock n Roll The North American tour of TINA – The Tina Turner Musical about the extraordinary life and times of the Queen of Rock n Roll Tina Turner headlines Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts from February 4 to 9. Photograph: Manuel Harlan | TINA – The Tina Turner Musical 2. Black Theatre Workshop  Canada’s oldest professional Black theatre company, Black Theatre Workshop presents the English-language play Vierge which – with heart and humour – follows four Congolese-Canadian girls as they navigate Christianity, virginity and teenage hormones. Runs at the Segal Studio at the Segal Centre for the Performing Arts from February 12 to March 2. Photograph: Vierge 3. Nuits d’Afrique Productions Nuits d’Afrique presents several Black History Month concerts: Dalie Dandala (Congo) on February 2, Lerie Sankofa (Ivory Coast) on February 6, Jab Djab with Mello G (Trinidad and Tobago) on February 8, and Malian bluesman Samba Touré – protégé of th

One of Canada’s most beloved and revered guitarists, Steve Hill returned to his adopted hometown of Montreal to launch his new album Hanging On A String which was recorded in Los Angeles at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606. Born in Trois-Rivières in 1974, Hill began playing the bar circuit at age 16, turned pro a couple years later when he joined the legendary Bob Harrisson Blues Band before launching his award-winning solo career. Over the years, Hill has shared the stage with many of his heroes, including Ray Charles, B.B. King and Jeff Beck. Photograph: Scott Doubt Hill has released 12 albums since his 1997 solo debut, exploring everything from country and metal to jazz and the blues. Produced by 10-time Grammy winner Darrell Thorp (Foo Fighters, Radiohead, Paul McCartney), Hanging On A String features Hill’s one-man band in which he plays all the instruments at the same time. Photograph: Steve Hill Hanging On A String, released on November 1 and followed by a North American tour, included a much-anticipated Montreal “homecoming” show at the Beanfield Theatre featuring both Hill’s one-man-band and his iconic power trio. The music legend sat down with Time Out Montreal for a candid Q&A. What is the theme of your new album Hanging On A String?  If there’s a theme I think it would be perseverance. You know, the state of the music business, the state of the world, we just keep on keeping on no matter what. It’s a very personal record. You had a car accident in California last year.

Arts and culture journalist Richard “Bugs” Burnett knows Montreal like a drag queen knows a cosmetics counter. Montreal drag star Kiara is one of 12 finalists on RuPaul’s new show Canada’s Drag Race. But Kiara is not just competing to become “Canada’s First Drag Superstar” and win a $100,000 grand prize, she is also proud to represent Montreal’s LGBTQ+ BIPOC community to Drag Race fans around the world. “I discovered drag queens on RuPaul’s Drag Race before I was old enough to go into bars!” says 21-year-old Kiara, a.k.a. Dimitri Nana-Côté, born and raised in a biracial Quebec City family. “My mom is white and my dad is black, but when I was younger I didn’t have the same consciousness about being black – and queer – as I do today.” That changed when Kiara discovered Montreal. A former Concordia University film student, Kiara began performing drag full-time in 2019 and has become a regular headliner in Montreal’s Gay Village. “I’m really proud to be a black drag queen and have the full support of the drag community in Montreal,” says Kiara, who is also pleased to see the Pride movement aligning itself with Black Lives Matters. “Pride started with black women, black drag queens and trans women of colour. We need to acknowledge that. We must also acknowledge that without the black community, the queer movement would not be what it is today.” Kiara continues to deal with racism within the LGBTQ+ community. “When some (white) people hear my Québecois accent, they say stuff like,