Saturday, Mar. 2

Vogue night at Arsenal

It’s Nuit Blanche! The Montréal en Lumière fest has teamed up with promoters and cultural institutions all over town to light up the city for the annual art all-nighter, the festival’s climax. There are TONS of outdoor and indoor activities and events going down, the majority of them FREE — you can see the full program here. Below are our top picks, as well as a few other things happening in competition with the big night:

First we’ve got to mention the party we’re affiliated with: Phi Centre (in conjunction with us) present 2040: Year/After, “a multi-sensorial experience” featuring music, food and art for connoisseurs and party people alike. 407 St-Pierre, 9 p.m., free, 18+

At the Museum of Fine Arts, two exhibitions launch today: Couturissime, a massive collection of work by French fashion designer Thierry Mugler, and Montreal Couture, showcasing 10 local designers. 1380 Sherbrooke W., 10 a.m.–5 p.m., $24/$16 18–30, free under 17, half-price Wedesdays. For Nuit Blanche, these expos will be open late for a reduced price! 5 p.m.–12 a.m., $11.50

CCA hosts a day/night event (copresented by online radio station n10.as) called Questioning the Future: Come and Forget and Draw and Dance, featuring a live set by CFCF and DJ sets by Ambien Baby and Ouri. 1920 Baile, 3 p.m.–1 a.m., free

The Grande Bibliothèque is open just a little past its bedtime (until 10 p.m.), but they’re having a glow in the dark party! Stop by, check out the scene, and gather glowsticks for the rest of your night. 475 de Maisonneuve E., 4:30 p.m.–10 p.m., free

Arsenal Contemporary Art has a whole programme of events (beyond checking out their impressive collections). In collaboration with FNC and Massimadi, they’ll be giving vogueing lessons (!), followed by a screening of Brazilian transexuality doc Bixa Travesty and a live DJ set, interspersed by discussion sessions. 2020 William, 6 p.m.–1 a.m., free

The Montreal Symphony Orchestra opens the doors of the Maison Symphonique for Transfigured Tube, “a 24-minute work for bass clarinet, electronic instruments and generative audiovisual device.” 1600 St-Urbain, performances at 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m., free

Music Is My Sanctuary’s annual event 24 Hours of Vinyl is on at the Wilder Building. Their team of DJs will play all-vinyl nonstop from 7 until 7 with a variety of musical styles following the vibe of the crowd. 1435 Bleury, 7 p.m., free

If you’re looking for a place to take in the Nuit Blanche ambiance while wandering aimlessly, UQÀM’s downtown campus has a mix of indoor and outdoor activities, including design/art expos, interactive installations, video game stuff and architectural projections. A full schedule of campus events is available here. 405 St-Catherine E., 8 p.m., free

Modern funk, electro and hip hop reign at Ausgang Plaza’s Nuit Blanche party, where DāM-FunK will be DJing alongside Shash’U, Simahlak and Ruby Jane. 6524 St-Hubert, 10 p.m., $20/$25

Montreal band Wake Island celebrate the diversity of Arab cultures and the sophisticated socio-cultural climate of the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s with Laylit Bokra, a dance party they started down in NYC. Expect DJs, some live music and an infectious blend of modern electronic dance music and traditional “oriental” sounds. Salon Mogador (310 Beaubien E.), 10 p.m., free

And because it’s not ALL about Nuit Blanche:

Today through April 21, BBQ restaurant Diablos hosts a sugar shack every Saturday and Sunday, with three seatings per day. Call to reserve. 3619 St-Laurent, 514-564-8666

A Bowie Celebration: The David Bowie Alumni Tour brings together some of the music legend’s closest associates (including Mike Garson, Earl Slick and Charlie Sexton) for a greatest hits show in his memory. MTelus (59 Ste-Catherine E.), 8 p.m., $59–$198

Another off-Nuit activity could be checking out brand new Village venue Cabaret Berlin. Their grand opening was yesterday, and tonight, they’ve got New Wave/80s promoters REWIND putting on a party with DJs Plastik Patrik and Davidé. 1661 St-Catherine, 10 p.m., $6/$8

And for the crowd whose Saturday nights are always sleepless, Entourage has an all-nighter for you with Moonshine’s Bonbon Kojak, Poirier, Adlene and Mea Culpa. Secret Location, 11 p.m.–7 a.m., $15/$20+

For more concert recommendations, see our Music Listings and this week’s edition of Hammer of the Mods.