Montreal's St-Ambroise Fringe Festival is finally here! For nearly three weeks, be ready to watch and hear the best and weirdest of local and international culture, both in English et en français. CJLO will be covering the best of Fringe, and to launch our series of articles, here are our Fringe Team's top picks for this year's Fringe festival. 

Erica’s picks

Hosted by Patricia Petit Liang

Stories by Karl Knox and Patricia Petit Liang

Produced by Patricia Petit Liang

Montreal’s Fringe Fest has officially begun! Now is the perfect time to pick up the program and start planning which shows you want to see. But sometimes, the short descriptions of shows can be vague. When in doubt, there’s Fringe-For-All, a chance for media and spectators to get a short preview of each show. Artists are given two minutes of stage time to do whatever they want. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a scene from their show, but it’s an opportunity to introduce the themes, the overall plot or the characters. At the one-minute mark, the lights will flicker to give a warning. If the artists go beyond two-minutes, the sound will cut and the lights will go out.

The eighth edition of Montreal’s punk music extravaganza, better known as Pouzza Fest, kicked off the festival season over the Victoria Day weekend, taking place outdoor at Quartier des spectacles and indoors at several establishments centered around the area. 

This year’s fest featured some returning Pouzza alumni like MU330 and The Creepshow, while welcoming some new bands like Reel Big Fish and Face to Face. Punk music has always been known for its political message, and War on Woman and Anti-Flag made sure that fire kept burning at the outdoor stage on Saturday night. 

Hosted by Patricia Petit Liang

Stories by Karl Knox and Patricia Petit Liang

Produced by Patricia Petit Liang