Tohu - Family Sundays

La Tohu is an organization affiliated with the Cirque du Soleil to promote circus arts in Montreal. During the summer they offer 'Family Sundays' which are described as big family parties filled with theatre, music, and running around! There is face painting, circus skills demonstrations, theatre, and many interactive workshops for parents and children. It has a wide range of activities for all members of the family and best of all: it's free!

Price: free!

Location: 2345, Jarry Street East (corner of Iberville) Montreal (Quebec) H1Z 4P3

Phone #: 514 374-3522

When:

• Sundays from July 26, 2009 - August 23, 2009
• activities start at 1:30pm and show start at 3:00pm

Website: http://www.tohu.ca/en/activities/item.aspx?aid=320

Matsuri Japon - A Japanese Festival

Matsuri Japon is an annual event celebrating Japanese culture. The festival will be held on Saturday, August 1 and is organized like a traditional festival that would be held in Japan. There will be presentations of traditional Japanese dancing (Bon Odori), Taiko drummers playing Japanese music, demonstrations of martial arts, free games for children to play, commercial booths and of course food! Participants are encouraged to participate in the dancing and drumming and can even try on a traditional Yukata!



Location:

• Old Port of Montreal (Bonsecours Island)

Price: free!

When:

• Sat., Aug. 1, 2009
• 2:00pm - 9:00pm

Website: http://festivaljapon.com/index.html

affordable, aug, big kids, little kids, outdoor, teens, wheelchair

Shakespeare in the Park: "As You Like It"

Free theatre in the park from July 24, 2009 - Aug. 16, 2009. Bring your older kids and teens to see a Shakespeare play right in your own neighborhood park. This year the repercussion theatre is performing the comedy "As You Like It". It is absolutely free (although donations are accepted) but are asked to bring a non-perishable food item for the local food bank. Just bring yourself a folding chair and enjoy the show!

Location: various parks around the city

Price: free!!

Dates: July 24, 2009 - Aug. 16, 2009

Website: http://www.repercussiontheatre.com/en/
affordable, big kids, educational, aug, july, outdoor, teens, wheelchair

Italian Week Aug 7-16 2009

Italian Week is back! Various activities will take place all over Montreal. It kicks off in NDG on Saturday, August 8 with a full day of activities including soccer and bocce tournaments, inflatable games for children, concerts, car exhibits and more. Then other days there are events in Old Montreal, R.D.P., St.-Leonard, Lasalle and others. All have music, food and activities for kids. One show in particular that should be fun for children will be the Carpe Diem circus show on Saturday, Aug. 15 on St. Laurent Blvd in Little Italy.

Location: all over the city

Days:

• Aug 7 - Aug 16

Price: free!

Website: http://www.semaineitaliennedemontreal.com/index.php

affordable, aug, big kids, little kids, outdoor, teens, wheelchair

Weekends du Monde- Parc Jean Drapeau

Parc Jean Drapeau is holding cultural two weekends in July. There will be lots of different events taking place all over the park representing countries such as Cuba, Jamaica, Romania, Haiti and more. All events will be filled with music, food, games and animations and most things are absolutely free! It should be a lot of fun for the whole family and diverse enough for everyone to see something they like. Check out the website for the program because there is a lot going on!

Location:

• Parc Jean Drapeau

Price: free!

Hours:

• July 25-26
• 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

Website: Weekends du Monde

affordable, big kids, july, little kids, outdoor, teens, wheelchair

International Hot Air Balloon Festival

The International Hot Air Balloon Festival is an annual event about 30 minutes away from Montreal in St. Jean sur Richelieu. There are 115 hot air balloons, including many special shapes, major shows, and a huge site that hosts an incredible variety of animation activities. There is a fair with rides for older kids and adults as well as a designated area for toddlers. There is face painting, a petting zoo, mini putt, concerts... too many things to describe in one post. It's also a family friendly area with changing tables, breastfeeding room and stroller rentals available.

Address:

• 5, chemin de l'Aéroport, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec, J3B 7B5

Phone #:

• 450-347-9555

Price:

• 0-2: free
• 3-12: $7.00
• 13 +: $15.00
• **Family rates available
• **Nine day passes available
• Parking: $5.00

Hours:

• Aug. 8 -16
• Weekends: 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm
• Week: 3:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Website: http://www.ballooncanada.com/

animals, aug, big kids, little kids, outdoor, teens, wheelchair

Fete de la Famille- Centre de la Nature Laval

The Nature Center in Laval will be hosting a free Family Day on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009. It is a fun-filled day with street performers, musical acts for all ages, face painting, inflatable games and many other surprises.

Address:

• 901, avenue du Parc, Laval (Québec) H7E 2T7

Telephone #:

• 450 662-4942
  

Price: free!

Hours:

• Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009
• 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm
  

Website: Fete de la Famille 2009

affordable, animals, big kids, little kids, sept, outdoor, wheelchair

The Centre de la Nature - Laval

The Nature Center in Laval is a really nice place for famillies with young children to go. It has a little farm with pigs, cows, horses, donkeys... you name it! Kids can even take a pony ride for $3.00. There is also a little train that takes you around the park for $3.00/person. Aside from a lot of green space there is a lake where you can rent canoes or kayaks and two great parks with a lot of different games for kids. There are also two pools on the edge of the park (for big and little kids). It truly is a place you can spend the whole day in! Bring a picnic lunch or grab some lunch at the little restaurant.
My kids review: They had a great time! There were so many little activities for them that they couldn't get bored. We went from looking at the animals, to riding on the train, to playing in the park, to looking at fish and turtles in the lake and back to the animals... It was a busy and very fun day!

Address:

• 901, avenue du Parc, Laval (Québec) H7E 2T7

Telephone #:

• 450 662-4942

Price:

• Entrance to the park is free! $3.00 fee for pony rides and train rides.

Hours:

• Everyday from 8:00 am - 10:00 pm

Website: http://www.info.ville.laval.qc.ca/ms/centre_nature/index.html

Labyrinth in the Old Port

The Labyrinthe du Hangar 16 is a huge maze right in Old Montreal. There are lots of winding hallways to go through with obstacles to climb, slide down or figure out! Kids and parents of all ages will enjoy this adventure with a pirate theme. It takes between an hour to an hour and a half to complete it. They are open from mid-May to Halloween. Unfortunately, due to the obstacles, strollers or wheelchairs cannot go through the maze.

Location:

• The Shed 16 Labyrinth is located at Clock Tower Pier Entrance of the Old Port of Montréal, near Berri Street.

Phone #: (514) 499-0099

Price:

• 3 and under: free
• 4-12: $10.50
• 13-17:$13.00
• 18-59: $14.00
• 60 +: $13.00
• ** Coupons available on their website and the POM guide as well as family rates

Hours:

• Everyday from 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Website: http://labyrintheduhangar16.com/en/index.html

Montreal Science Center and Imax

The Montreal Science Center is located in Old Montreal. It is a museum filled a wide variety of with science related interactive games and displays to completely engage both children and adults. The science center is also the place to watch the latest IMAX 3D movies. The current movies are "Under the Sea 3D" (where you can explore the deep waters of Australia, New Guinea and other exotic South Pacific regions) or "U23D" (a live U2 concert in 3D).

Location:

• located on King Edward Pier, in the Old Port. The Pier is essentially the extension of Saint-Laurent Boulevard, south of de la Commune Street.

Phone #:

• 514 496-4724

Price:

For exhibits and Under the Sea 3D movie:

• 4-12: $15.00
• 13-17: $18.00
• 18-59: $20.00
• 60 +: $18.00
• *** other prices for only IMAX movie
• *** rebates available (info on website)

Hours:

• Mon- Sat: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
• Sun: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
• ** Check IMAX schedule online

Website: http://www.montrealsciencecentre.com/en/index.htm

Circus school

Montreal has a circus school! It offers courses for children, teens and adults but also has Sunday family workshops. From the website: "These activities allow families to have fun together in a circus ring which has been completely laid out with specialized equipment. Family workshops give both young and old an opportunity to try out 6 circus techniques such as acrobatics, trampoline, juggling, fixed trapeze, fabric, balance on balls, spools, and rola-bola as well as the tightrope. Each workshop is supervised and safety is ensured by a qualified animator." The workshops last 3 hours and children as young as 3 can participate. It only runs about 6 sundays a year so you have to check the website for the dates.

Location:

• 5190, boul. LaSalle Verdun (Québec) H4H 1N8

Phone #:

• 514 768-5812

Price:

• 3-4: free
• 5-17: $11.50
• 18 +: $13.50

Website: http://e-cirqueverdun.com/home

Skating Rink - Atrium Le 1000

Here's a great place to bring the family- an indoor skating rink in the middle of downtown! This indoor rink is open year-round and is always a lot of fun. You can rent skates for $5.50 and even children's helmets for $1.00. For beginning skaters they have supports that you can hold on to. There is lively music to skate to and plenty of restaurants around if you get hungry. There is also a special hour Saturday and Sunday mornings from 10:30 am - 11:30 am for children 12 and under and their parents.

Address: Atrium Le 1000 De La Gauchetière 1000, rue De La Gauchetière Street West

Price:

• adults (18+): $6.00
• children (12-):$4.00
• students/seniors: $5.00
• ***special family and fidelity prices

Hours:

• Mon - Fri: 11:30 am - 6:00 pm
• Sat: 11:30 am - 9:00 pm
• Sun: 11:30 - 6:00 pm

Website: http://www.le1000.com/en/atrium_intro.asp

SkyVenture Montreal

I came across this activity and I think it could be a lot of fun for older kids and teenagers. SkyVenture is an indoor free-fall simulator. This is the description from their website: "It’s an opportunity to experience the sensation of free-fall. Imagine a 14 foot cylindrical diameter vertical tube that is 45 foot tall in which the airstream is passing at a speed of 175 km per hour. Once inside the wind tunnel, you will have a real sense of what skydivers experience during the free-fall portion of their jump, which is generally done from 13 500 to 3 500 feet of altitude at a speed of 200 km an hour. All of that in an environment so secure that it is even accessible to children aged of 4 years and older."
It's quite expensive at over $60 per person but seems like a really exciting thing to do. The whole session including training should last about 2 hours and it's recommended to reserve ahead of time.

Location:

• Centropolis 2700, av. du Cosmodôme Laval (Québec) Canada H7T 2X1

Price:

• 2 flights: $65.47
• 4 flights: $114.00
• ** Different prices at off-peak times and combined with other people. Check website for details.

Hours:

• Mon - Thurs: 1:00 pm - 11:00 pm
• Fri- Sun: 9:00 am - 11:00 pm

Website: http://www.skyventuremontreal.com/en/home

La Ronde

The major theme park of Montreal, La Ronde is definently a place every family should go at least once. It has over 40 rides and attractions including quite a few rollercoasters. There is a special area designated for younger children but the park is more geared for older kids. It's quite an expensive outing but if you intend to go more than a couple of times you can buy season passes. They are selling mid-season passes right now for $53.00 if you buy it online, which is only about $19 more than a one day pass. Another way to save a little money is to bring your own picnic lunch because the snack areas are pricey.

Price:

• 2 and under: free
• Person 54'' or more: $38.98
• Less than 54'': $25.50
• After 5pm (except fireworks nights): $24.95
• Over 65: $25.50
• **** Most tickets are $5.00 less if bought online
• ****Many coupons available (details on website)

Address:

• 22 Chemin Macdonald Île Sainte-HélèneMontréal (Québec) H3C 6A3

Hours:

• Everyday: 11:00am-9:00pm (until 11:30pm on fireworks nights)

Website: http://laronde.sixflags.com/larondeen/

Hydro-Quebec tours

Bring your kids to learn all about how we get electricity. Hydro-Quebec is offering free tours of their facilities all over Quebec. In and around Montreal you can visit their head office in Montreal or the Riviere-des-Prairies Generating Station. At the generating station the tour lasts about 75 minutes and after you can even enjoy the facilities on a bike path, walking trail or even go fishing! They recommend wearing flat and closed shoes for the tour.

Price: free!

Rivieres-des-Prairies hours:

• Wed.-Sun: 9:30am, 11:00am, 12:30am, 2:00pm and 3:30pm

Website: http://www.hydroquebec.com/visit/index.html

affordable, aug, big kids, educational, indoor, july, museum, outdoor

Granby Zoo

Granby Zoo is located about 40 minutes from Montreal. It is a big zoo with over 1000 animals of 200 different species including elephants, giraffes, gorillas, lions, rhinos... all the typical zoo animals. There is also an amusement park with a lot of rides including a roller coaster and a big water park. It's a great zoo with a lot of animals but very expensive.

Address:

• 1050, boul. David-Bouchard Granby (Quebec)

Price:

• under 3: free
• 3-12: $21.49
• 13-64: $32.99
• 65+: $25.49
• 2 adult + 2 children: $99.00

Hours:

• Everyday (until Aug.30) 10 am - 7 pm

Website: http://www.zoodegranby.com/en/accueil.htm

Loblaws Cooking Classes for kids

Loblaws offers great cooking workshops for kids of different ages during the weekends. They range from as young as 3 to teens of 16. Schedules vary by store so check your local store for what's available.

Website: http://www.loblaws.ca/qcen/4630.aspx

Dollar Cinema

The Dollar Cinema is an affordable movie theater which shows slightly older movies (after other theaters but before DVD release). They also show older movies and looney toon cartoons. The entrance is $2/person and all the snacks are $1 each. It isn't as fancy as the more pricey movie theaters but a great alternative especially if you have quite a few kids to bring.

Address:

• 6900 Décarie Boulevard

Price:

• Admission: $2.00
• Snacks: $1.00

Hours:

• various schedules, check newspapers or website

Website: http://www.dollarcinema.ca/

Beach - Parc Jean Drapeau

A beach right on the island. Great especially for those without access to a car. Nice beach, clean water, volleyball courts and play structures for little kids. There are picnic areas as well as a restaurant on site.

Location:

• Parc Jean Drapeau on Ile Ste.-Helene

Price:

• 5 and under: free
• 6-13: $4.00
• 14 +: $8.00
• 65+: $7.00
• Family: $20.00

Hours:

• June 19 - Aug. 23
• 10 am - 7 pm

Website: http://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/54-The_Beach-event.html

Dragon Boat Festival

A fun event coming up is the Dragon Boat Festival on July 25 and 26. Aside from the dragon boat races which will feature over 200 teams from all over North America there will be live entertainment: Folk dancing and music groups from various cultural communities, children's drawing contests, and ethnic delicacies. It will be held at the Olympic Basin in Parc Jean Drapeau.

Location:

• Olympic Basin in Parc Jean Drapeau

Price:

• free!
• Parking: $12.00 /day
• ***free shuttle buses from 10 am - 6 pm from de la Gauchetiere St. W and St. Urbain

Hours:

• July 25 and 26
• 7 am - 6 pm

Website: http://www.montrealdragonboat.com/english/events.php

affordable, big kids, july outdoor