Merry Montreal – Place Nordique and the New Year Spectacle

Despite everything the year 2020 has thrown us, this year will see another version of the Merry Montreal event, thanks to some skilled and passionate people.

How did this special COVID-19 edition come to be? It was actually the different levels of government, which finance the 100% free for the public events (like Merry Montreal), that asked the organizers if they could reinvent it… “And so that’s what we did!” exclaims Martin Durocher, the head of Merry Montreal. So the main event of Montreal’s holiday celebrations became a possibility for this year once more!

A Spectacle Drawing Crowds

Dream together is a virtual show to celebrate the arrival of the new year, which you can watch for free on the Merry Montreal website, montrealenfetes.com, or on narcity.com. This show will be aired on December 31st, starting at 9:30 p.m.

Lasting an hour and a half, and filmed half in-studio, half in mythical Montreal locations, this event serves as a show-meeting with a dozen artists and personalities that have, in their way, made a mark during this last year. “Our programming represents the best in Quebec music in the year 2020,” Martin Durocher tells us. And the artists immediately embarked on the project of an online performance: “The Merry Montreal event has always been loved by artists. It has had a real driving effect on the community, so much so that this year, we can confirm that we are up to twelve artists presenting during this year’s show. We have pulled out all the stops to offer our festival-goers something to really celebrate about.”

The show, animated by Marina Bastarache and Gaël Comtois, has a wide following, and aims to be “an ode to us, Quebecois of all origins, an ode to the music that is made here, to our culture, and the hope of a better tomorrow. We really wanted the show to be built on a foundation of resilience and hope,” Mr. Durocher explains. During this virtual celebration, you will see singer Louis-Jean Cormier, the inimitable singer Klô Pelgag, the iconic Martha Wainwright, the talented Matt Holubowski, first discovered on The Voice, KNLO, and many more.

Whether you’re watching alone, with a partner, or as a family, you need to mark it down on your agenda tout de suite! Not free the evening of the 31st? No problem – the show will be available to view on the

montrealenfetes.com website for 48 hours after it streams.

Place Nordique – An Outdoors Gathering Not to be Missed

Since 2013, Merry Montreal has taken place in the historic neighbourhood, the perfect place to make the holidays magical!

And this year, Place Jacques-Cartier in the heart of Old Montreal is going to become Place Nordique and will welcome you from December 17th to the 27th, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, and 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Come for a family day or on a date with your significant other in this space specially arranged to help you appreciate winter and the wonder of the holidays through an audio and light experience, complemented by the urban landscape and artistic installations that will amuse and amaze. Of course, everything has been thought of and designed with governmental health safety measures in mind.

In order to avoid the hassle of parking, you can reach Place Nordique by metro; use the Champs-de-Mars or Place-d’Armes stations.

And to warm up a bit and get some sustenance during your little outing, many restaurants and cafés are located in close proximity before December 25th; come say hi to the workers here and wish them Happy Holidays! Additionally, our event organizer wanted to specifically address the Gens du Vieux, the workers and residents that help make our neighbourhood what it is and who always love to flash a greeting smile: “I want to wish you all strength, courage, and confidence in the future. We’ll need a lot of each to help get the economic success of the city we love back on track.”

Now begins the countdown to (finally) say: “Bye-bye 2020!”