Especially at that time of year there are things going on every night of the week here. Friday and Saturday nights are of course the big nights, but Thursday is a big night among the university crowd, and that week is a shortened holiday week anyway (the 23rd is Victoria Day/Journee des Patriotes, which is a long weekend).

It’s hard to give you recommendations on nightlife without knowing what sort of scene you’re into. I could tell you my favourites, but it’s doubtful they’d be yours, because you probably have very different interests from me. There’s so much to do here. Are you into house/R&B? Techno or raves? Laid-back bars? Live music?

I recommend picking up a free copy of Hour (distrubuted all over town at metro stops, coffee shops, depanneurs, etc.) when you arrive for that week’s local listings. A good resource is http://www.montreal-clubs.com/, which gives a nice overview of the nightlife scene though it’s always a little outdated.

Hi segacs,
Thank you for your quick response to my post. As far as nightlife goes, I prefer places that have cater to students. As far as the type of music goes, I like places that play top 40,hip-hop, and salsa. I am not into the whole techno thing. I get a high does of live music and laid back bars where I am from. If you have any specific recommendations, that would be great.

Once again, thank you for your quick response to my e-mail.

Pranav

Montreal’s a giant student town, with 4 major universities and dozens of colleges. So it’s hard to make a shortlist of places that cater to students because there are just so many of them.

Some bars and pubs: Saint-Sulpice with its giant terrace (great if the weather’s nice), the Sainte-Elisabeth which is in an old mansion on a sketchy side-street but has a cool vibe, Hurley’s which is one of the best Irish pubs in Montreal, Brutopia which is a microbrewery next door to Hurley’s, Les Deux Pierrots which is a live music venue and singalong with traditional Quebecois folk music mostly. Just to name a few. For heaven’s sake stay away from the tourist-trap Peel Pub. Please.

If you like salsa clubs check out http://www.salsamontreal.com/ for upcoming events.

There are plenty of clubs or places with dance floors and top-40 or hip-hop music. Some, like La Boom or the Dome, cater to a younger crowd, so unless you’re 17 with a fake ID I don’t recommend them. Extreme and Vatican are also popular clubs.