Content
Skip to Main ContentAccessibility Help
Montreal·Photos

From festivals to fireworks, some scenes from this weekend in Montreal

From the inaugural weekend of the REM to the final day of the Just for Laughs festival, here are some of the best scenes from the city this weekend.

2nd weekend of construction holiday marked 1st public rides for the REM, last day of Just for Laughs

Aloysius Wong · CBC News ·
People line up in a train station.
Hundreds of people lined up at Gare Centrale to ride the Réseau express métropolitain (REM), Montreal's new automated light rail system, on Saturday. The REM was free to ride over the weekend and more than 120,000 tried it out. (Aloysius Wong/CBC)

Montrealers celebrated the inaugural weekend of the city's new light-rail transit line, the Réseau express métropolitain (REM), and gathered downtown to wrap up this year's Just for Laughs comedy festival.

Elsewhere in the city this weekend, protesters decried human rights abuses in Iran while people enjoyed a Sunday evening at the Old Port — even as the rain began to pour.

This past weekend also marked the halfway point of Quebec's annual construction holiday.

In photos, here's a brief window into life in Montreal this weekend.

People walk through a train.
People walk through a REM train during one of the automated LRT line's first trips on Saturday. (Aloysius Wong/CBC)

On Friday, the REM took its first official trip, marking a new era for public transit in the city. The transit agency reported that more than 120,000 people rode the new automated LRT line this weekend, when trips were complimentary to celebrate its launch.

A man looks outside a train window.
A man looks outside the window of a crowded REM train. (Aloysius Wong/CBC)

Elsewhere in the city, protesters gathered at Phillips Square in downtown Montreal to call out human rights abuses in Iran.

A collage of Iranian human rights activists is displayed in a public square.
Photos of activists and protesters in Iran who have been arrested, imprisoned or allegedly tortured by the Iranian government are displayed in Phillips Square. A man points at a photo of Toomaj Salehi, a rapper whose music has been critical of the regime, recently sentenced to six years in prison. (Aloysius Wong/CBC)

Harsh clouds and intermittent rains cast shadows over the final day of the Just for Laughs comedy festival on Saturday, but performers and the public ultimately had the last laugh.

A crowd watches people with rolling pins doing an activity at the Just for Laughs festival.
A performer at the Just for Laughs festival guides volunteers in an activity with rolling pins as a crowd looks on. (Aloysius Wong/CBC)

At one point in the evening, one of the comics made a dig at the giant set of teeth overlooking the stage.

A giant statue of teeth and a pair teeth behind a crowd.
A giant pair of eyes and set of teeth looks over the crowd at the final night of the Just for Laughs festival. (Aloysius Wong/CBC)

"There's nothing more terrifying than turning around and seeing that," said comedian Mike Falzone, during the LowKey comedy show hosted by Paul Elia and Dave Merheje. "It's like, how fast can I tell jokes and get outta here before my sleep paralysis demon eats me alive?"

Two comedians perform on a stage.
Paul Elia, left, and Dave Merheje, right, host the LowKey comedy show, one of the final acts of the 2023 Just for Laughs festival in Montreal. (Aloysius Wong/CBC)

At the Old Port, Montrealers were determined to enjoy their time even as the downpour began Sunday evening.

People balance across a rope course with shops nearby.
While dark clouds move over the city, Montrealers balance across a rope course at Voiles en Voiles, a pirate-themed amusement park by the Old Port. (Aloysius Wong/CBC)
People with red and white umbrellas walk across a pier.
People walk and bike across a pier on the Old Port during a rainy evening. (Aloysius Wong/CBC)

The weekend ended with a bang — several hundred of them — as Era of Rock, the United States' entry into this year's International des Feux, launched from La Ronde, lit up the Montreal night sky.

Fireworks in Montreal.
Fireworks from the United States' entry to the 2023 International des Feux Loto-Québec, "Era of Rock," light up the Montreal sky. (Daniel Thomas/Radio-Canada)
PHOTOS | See more images of Montreal from this weekend:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aloysius Wong

Journalist

Based in Toronto, Aloysius Wong is a journalist with the CBC News investigative unit. He has previously worked for CBC Radio's As It Happens, the CBC News business unit and CBC Montreal. You can reach him at aloysius.wong@cbc.ca.

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices|About CBC News
Corrections and clarifications|Submit a news tip|

Related Stories