Guide Montreal Gay

Homepage / Canada / Quebec / Montreal

The beautiful offspring of a union between European charm and North American attitude, Montréal's architecture seduces the visitors with a harmonious chorus of the ancient and the new. Montreal's Gay Village is located on Saint Catherine Street East, downtown, centred on Beaudry metro station, in the Ville-Marie borough of the city. The Village runs approximately from Berri Street to De Lorimier Street, a distance of nearly two kilometres, making it the largest in North America in terms of scope of the complete area. Formerly a poor working-class neighbourhood, part of the Centre-South area of the city, the area was occupied by the gay and lesbian community after the huge expulsion of many gay businesses from an area closer to Saint Lawrence Boulevard (or "The Main" as the locals call it).

The beautiful offspring of a union between European charm and North American attitude, Montréal's architecture seduces the visitors with a harmonious chorus of the ancient and the new. Once home the First Nations people, this island gem on the magnificent St. Lawrence River in time saw travellers from far and wide land on its shores before becoming a bustling port city. The French colonists were the first to arrive, followed by the English, The Scottish and the Irish. Later, myriad peoples from around the word settled the lush swaths stretching up to Mount Royal. Today, 80 distinct ethic communities are represented in its population of more than 3.6 million, making Montréal a veritable mosaic of cultures and traditions.

The world's second largest francophone city after Paris, it merits the moniker ‘'international'' city, a cosmopolitan centre with proud roots in the past that enthusiastically embraces the future. A world leader in such industries as aeronautics, information technology and biotechnology, the city has also made significant innovations in medicine, multimedia, the arts and urban planning. Its avant-garde spirit has not gone unnoticed: in 2006 Montréal was named a UNESCO City of Design.

Day and night, Montréal pulses with activity. Each season, it is host to an array of events, exhibitions and gatherings for the thousands of culture, nature and thrill seekers who come here to enjoy its diverse offerings. While Montréal's masterful chefs continue to elevate its reputation as a gourmet destination, creative artists and artisans draw admirers in droves to the haute couture ateliers, arts galleries and charming boutiques that line the city streets.

Getting around the city on a day-today basis is hassle-free. Its streets, vast parks, underground pedestrian network, and metro system are safe and easy to navigate. The best way to get to know the city is on foot, through any one of its many colourful and vibrant neighbourhoods which overflow markets, boutiques, restaurants and local cafés-diverse expressions of the habitants' joie de vivre . Montrealers are naturally charming and quite often multilingual, Their spontaneity and ability to welcome visitors have propelled Montréal to its current position of international host city, where some of the world's most exciting events are held annually. When one considers the urban landscape and its habitants, this resulting passion seems only natural.

Montreal's Gay Village is located on Saint Catherine Street East, downtown, centred on Beaudry metro station, in the Ville-Marie borough of the city. The Village runs approximately from Berri Street to De Lorimier Street, a distance of nearly two kilometres, making it the largest in North America in terms of scope of the complete area. Formerly a poor working-class neighbourhood, part of the Centre-South area of the city, the area was occupied by the gay and lesbian community after the huge expulsion of many gay businesses from an area closer to Saint Lawrence Boulevard (or "The Main" as the locals call it). The area has been considerably brightened up, thanks in part to recent investment from the various levels of all governments.

Indeed, despite repression as late as the early 1990s, recent government support of "Le Village" has been significant. All three levels of government are aggressively promoting the Village, and with the accepting climate of Quebec, and gay life in Montreal as a tourist attraction. In recognition of the Village's importance to the city, the borough of Ville-Marie recently hung a rainbow flag in its council chambers, and recently redecorated the entrance to the Beaudry metro station with rainbow pillars. The Village is specifically marked on official city maps as "Le Village".

Gays and lesbians live all over the highly accepting city, so their residential density in the Village is only slightly higher than elsewhere. However, the Village contains a variety of shops and services targeting the community, and so serves as an entertainment and tourism centre rather than as a gay neighbourhood strictly speaking. A wide range of local media, radio and TV stations are located in the same area as the gay community.

The Village contains a wide variety of nightlife: bars and discotheques catering to all tastes (Montréal has more gay bars and discotheques than Paris, and as many as San Francisco or New York), including three very large entertainment complexes, one of which is the largest of its kind in the world. There are also a wide range of boutiques, restaurants, cafés, bed-and-breakfasts, and major chain-style hotels.

Montréal's gay clubbers are young, sexy, and plugged in. Leading the party cry is Le Parking, where dancers of all orientations pulse to a different genre each night—save Fridays and Saturdays, which are reserved for les garçons. . Le Parking is located just off St. Catherine Street, the main artery for gay life (1296 Amherst St. Thurs.–Sun. 10 p.m.–3 a.m.). For those who don't like to dance, or who prefer to just relax in style, there's Le Drugstore, a gay-friendly entertainment complex with eight bars and a few pool tables. The city's lesbian population frequents this place on Friday nights (1366 St. Catherine St. E.; 514-524-1960; daily, 8 a.m.–3 a.m.). Cabaret Mado is a straight-up drag bar with live performances and dancing, and a happy hour between 4 and 9 (1115 St. Catherine St. E.; 514-525-7566; daily, 11 a.m.–3 a.m.). After the clubs close, head to Stereo, an enormous after-hours affair for shirtless Tom of Finland types as well as straight dancers who want to keep on beyond the break of dawn. The lineup is studded with star DJs (858 St. Catherine St. E.; 514-286-0325; Fri.–Sat., 2 a.m.–11 .m.).

The city also contains a number of gay establishments outside of the Village area, particularly in areas that are historic gay neighbourhoods (see below). The Gay Village is bordered to the west by the new Quartier des Spectacles entertainment district.