Thursday, Oct. 19

Montreal Burlesque Festival. Photo by Ramonsss.

Art lovers have a plethora of notable vernissages to choose from this evening, including the new solo show The Cages; Between the Bars by Sandra Chevrier at Galerie C.O.A (6405 St-Laurent, 5–9 p.m., free), an expo by Zilon to launch the brand-new Golden Square Mile gallery Tommy Zen (1452 Sherbrooke W., 5–9 p.m., free), a double vernissage of the shows IBC: Dystopic Autonomy by painter Joseph Tisiga and Anima/Animus by Luc Paradis at Parisian Laundry (3550 St-Antoine W., 6–9 p.m., free) and the series Flanked by Ghosts by mixed media painter Jon Todd at Matthew Namour Gallery with music from Red Tent Group (217 St-Laurent, 6–9 p.m., free)

The general public is invited to discover the latest innovations in the world of design at the exhibition of the World Design Summit, taking place at Palais des Congrès (Oct. 16–25) and featuring nearly 100 exhibitors representing design fields such as architecture, graphic design, urban planning and green technology. 1001 Jean-Paul-Riopelle, 4–8 p.m., free

The Montreal Burlesque Festival returns with three nights of shows hosted by local performer Scarlett James. The festival begins tonight with the Mister and Miss Burlesque Montreal pageant. Club Soda (1225 St-Laurent), $30/$65/$115 Thursday, $45/$79/$129/$180 Friday/Saturday

Get slimed at tonight’s special edition of The Sketch Republic comedy show, featuring Toronto’s Jon Blair and Montreal troupes Big Mall and Box of Bees, plus hosts Lar Simms and Meander and a lot of green, gooshy, slimy surprises. 3697 St-Laurent, 8:30 p.m., $8/$6 students

Head to Casa del Popolo for a hip-hop showcase curated by CJLO’s hip-hop music director, DJ Lady Oracle featuring performances from Jai Nitai Lotus, Shem G, Tshizimba and Shaun J Miller. 4873 St-Laurent, 9 p.m., $5

For more music events, see our Event Listings. Art Listings can be found here.