Nuit Blanche in Montreal

Montreal at dusk

Wintertime in Montreal can be very long and very cold, and people are easily tempted to stay indoors or to hurry home from school or work to hibernate. That's why Canadian homes are very well heated and very comfortable compared to, say, homes in Europe where you freeze in winter and roast in summer. But of course, it's not very good for the local business if people stay indoors inside their cocoons, not to mention the fact that nobody wants to boost the suicide rates that are already particularly high in Nordic countries.

Montreal at night

So, in Montreal, we try to celebrate winter with special events, like culinary festivals, sport events, and something called Nuit Blanche, where all sorts of bars, galleries and cultural spaces in the downtown area are staying open from dusk till dawn on this one night (March 3rd to 4th), «offering a kaleidoscope of fare both familiar and unusual». A lot of the best stuff don’t cost a cent - the events are free. And no, we've never had any incidents with vampires.

One of the most exciting events during this year's Nuit Blanche was a Hip Hop/Breakdance battle, called Hip Hop Insomnia, that took place inside a metro station, from 1 am to 5 am. The battle was opened to everyone, and b-boys and b-girls were battling each other. And who do you think won that Battle royale? None other than B-girl Lynx, my son Forty's girlfriend and partner! She won first prize, after smoking all the other b-Boys!

Bravo B-Girl Lynx!