Here’s what’s good at Nuit Blanche 2017

William Shatner

Plateau

Political paintings and snacks at B Montreal

Political and culinary art come together at this café/artisan boutique/florist/hairdresser’s Nuit Blanche event OmniVart, where painter J. Sbrollini will produce a pair of canvases inspired by Quebec’s Quiet Revolution of the 1960s (wherein the province freed itself from the domination of the Catholic church and went secular), chef Martin Boisvert will cook and serve canapés inspired by the work and electronic music producer Alex Gragnani will DJ. 1207 Rachel E., 9 p.m.–1 a.m., free

Retro-futurist fun at the Geekatorium

Boutique Geekatorium invites Nuit Blanche-ers to explore 1960s-era science fiction and its visions of the future. Classic TV series will be screened all night and a multidisciplinary exhibition of new, ‘60s-sci-fi-inspired work by Montreal artist will be on display. There are also a number of bonuses on offer here: free snacks and hot beverages, a free collectible pin for the first 100 visitors, free wifi and Pokémon Go lures. 4323 St-Denis, 7 p.m.–3 a.m.

Dancersizzle at Studio Bizz

Try a danga workout, a yoga- and dance-based alternative exercise program (and “an extroverted approach to introspection”) that takes on Nuit Blanche’s Expo 67 theme in the form of “openness to the world.” 551 Mont-Royal E., 10 p.m., 11:30 p.m. and 1 a.m., $5

Retro dance party by Massimadi

The LGBTQ POC film fest Massimadi holds its closing party on Nuit Blanche, with Afro-Caribbean retro vibes on the sound system, from ’70s disco to ball culture of the ’80s and ’90s. 356 Mont-Royal E., 9 p.m., free

Shatner Is Everywhere

The Montreal Jewish Museum gets in on the late ’60s theme with a nod to one of our city’s celebrity sons, William Shatner, featuring “a visual disorder” of his work including trans-galactic images, a Star Trek-influenced soundtrack by DJs Socalled and Rhys Taylor and a cocktail inspired by T.J. Hooker. 4040 St-Laurent, 8 p.m.–1 a.m., free

Gummy Jesus and more sacrilegious pop-art MainLine Gallery
Immerse yourself in the large-scale, candy-coloured installation “40 Days & 40 Nights,” exploring the Quiet Revolution of the late ’60s through cheeky pop-art styled renditions of religious iconography. Artist Jon Cleveland has created 1,600 unique sculptures of the crucifixion out of dehydrated gelatin — literally gummy Jesus — to flank the walls of the gallery, which will also contain a confessional booth and accompanying video projections. 3905 St-Laurent, 7 p.m.–1 a.m, free

Uptown

Blind Vaysha

Audio-visual-physical freakout at Dazibao and Diagonale

The Festival du nouveau cinéma hosts its Nuit Blanche party at two Mile End galleries, presenting a screening of 10 winning short films from the latest edition (including the 2017 Oscar-nominated Blind Vaysha), preceded by a performance by dancer/choreographer Sophie Gaspard and followed by the Montreal premiere of Lisa Lipton’s multidisciplinary experimental project The Impossible Blue Rose and a three-hour DJ set by Lynn T (Lesbians on Ecstasy). 5455 de Gaspé #109 & #110, 7 p.m.–1 a.m.

Exceptional ads at Théâtre Outremont

See the best in international advertising from 2016, compiled (with English subs) by the Cannes Lion Festival. The 105-minute montage will be screening in a loop all night. 1248 Bernard W., 8 p.m.–3 a.m., free

Dome art and dancing at Artgang

Geodesic 67 pays homage to the geodesic dome on Ile Ste-Hélène (created for Expo 67, it now houses the Biosphere) with a futurist reproduction of the structure by artist (and DJ) A-Rock, a Royaltees t-shirt exhibition feat. work by 20 Montreal artists, DJ sets by Voyage Funktastique, WEFUNK Radio and the Sauce as well as visuals by LLL and Félix Félix Gourd Gourd. 6524 St-Laurent, 6 p.m.–3 a.m., free until midnight/$10 after

Sixties-flavoured installations & 21st century beats at Eastern Bloc

The Mile Ex art/event venue teams up with like-minded nearby space Never Apart to present Social Habitat, a nod to the modernist/futurist themes and aesthetics of Expo 67 and Habitat 67. The art, technology and political and social movements of the late ’60s inspired the curation of this event, which will feature installations by Kenny Wong, Nicolas Lapointe, Rob Feulner and Melissa Gagné (aka Babi Audi), performances by “trans evangelist” musician Elysia Crampton, electronic producer and aggro live act Abyss X as well as Bambii and Frankie Teardrop. 7240 Clark, 7 p.m.–4 a.m., free

Strike a pose at Soham Yoga

Take in one of six free yoga classes (with a 1967 soundtrack by an on-site vinyl DJ) and assist in the creation of a giant mandala at the studio’s Villeray location. 306 Villeray, 9 p.m.–3 a.m., free

For the complete programs for Nuit Blanche and the Montréal en Lumière festival, look here.

To see the line-up for the related Art Souterrain festival (running from March 4–26), look here.