Montreal: Host to the Kings and Queens of Comedy

Bloody Good:

Singing zombies and silver men populate Montreal's Just for Laughs festival.

Credit: HAHAHA.COM

Who thought that, between the rigors of eating smoked-meat sandwiches for lunch, lazy afternoons spent sipping wine and nibbling cheese, and late nights frequenting after-hours clubs, French Canadians had time to be funny? And yet Montreal, the underrated Quebecois city along the St. Lawrence River, has a lot to laugh about, or at -- think Cirque du Soleil and Celine Dion. Nevertheless, the residents take entertainment very seriously.

The city's older streets are dotted with Victorian lampposts, and the echo of horse hooves stamping across cobblestone bounces off seventeenth-century stone facades. Combine that sound with the pulse along Saint-Laurent Boulevard -- the main thoroughfare of trendy boutiques and futuristic bars -- and you'll discover a metropolis defined by its centuries-old fusion of French and English culture. It's only fitting, then, that Montreal's enormous summer comedy festival echoes this mix of ancient and alternative.

The Just for Laughs festival began twenty-two years ago with a comic, Charles Trenet, and a trio of French singers. The result? Comedy mingling with music and art. The festival is now the world's largest comedic spectacle, conjured within a landscape of court jesters, jugglers, and mimes that takes over the Latin Quarter each summer. It blends the traveling shows and street theater of sixteenth-century Europe with top stars like Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno and edgier gay, urban, and experimental acts.

This year, July 14-24, more than 2,000 artists will re-create the merriment of a medieval carnival, from clowns wearing enormous papiermache masks to tightrope walkers hovering above the intersections on St. Denis Boulevard. The main attractions are the comedy acts that headline the festival's star-studded major performances, called galas. This summer, the festival welcomes humanitarian and housewife Dame Edna Everage and Irish comic Tommy Tiernan, whose 75-minute show has sold out much of this year in Ireland. Not to be missed by the under-ten crowd: a live reading and multimedia production of SpongeBob SquarePants.

The fete culminates with La Grande Bouffe, a free outdoor buffet feast for 20,000 revelers. The festival now entertains nearly 2 million residents, visitors, and TV spectators each season, but its goal remains the same: to make people laugh and shake off the stodgy Canadian stereotype.

Credit: HAHAHA.COM

The Goods

Just for Laughs
July 14-24
www.hahaha.com [1]
888/244-3155
All street performances are free. Ticket packages range from $200 to $1,000.

More Montreal Musts
Montreal hosts dozens of festivals in June and July. Check out other events you can take in during the summer, where hot nights keep strollers out 'til the wee hours.

Montreal International Fireworks Competition
June 18-July 30
Held in the sky above the amusement park La Ronde, this celebration attracts the world's masters of pyromusical arts, who present firework and music extravaganzas.

The Festival of Lanaudiere
July 9-August 7
www.lanaudiere.org [2]
The essential destination for ensembles, soloists, and music lovers. Recitals, held in Lanaudiere's historical churches and amphitheater, can be reached by shuttle from downtown Montreal.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Pride Celebration
July 25-31
www.diverscite.org [3]
A reflection of Montreal's cultural freedom, this celebration includes art, performances, and a parade on Rene-Levesque Boulevard.