Will be travelling to Montreal during time of July 1. Can anyone give suggestions for what events surround this Holiday ie; parades and or other special events worth time spent. Also has anyone stayed at the Hotel XIX Siecle before and what did you think.


Thanks in advance

Hop on your favorite mode of transportation and go to Ottawa.

Erick is correct - Ottawa is the place to be July 1.

The replies above are all quite appropriate. Canada Day celebrations in the province of Quebec are virtually non-existant. You may find some activities in the heavily anglophone areas in the west island/west end of Montreal, but there is no real city-wide celebration. In fact, the separatist Parti Quebecois government in the 70's officially made the 1st of July moving day in the province specifically to ensure that any celebrations of the day would be minimal. If you want a big party, Ottawa is definitely your best bet.

Another vote for Ottawa - the best place to be in the entire country for Canada Day, and only an hour and a half drive down the freeway from Montreal!

I've been in Ottawa for Canada Day and I'll add another vote, but be careful what you ask for. There are people everywhere from sunrise until well after dark and there will be a line at almost every restaurant.

The day usually begins with a parade on Wellington Street, then flag raising on Parliament Hill. The big concert is in the evening and ends with fireworks at 10 pm. Check www.capcan.ca for a schedule of events toward the end of May.

Despite all the ceremonies, military bands and speeches the best part of the weekend was something completely unplanned.

During the early activities, everyone received a small flag to wave. As people left The Hill for lunch, many stopped and left their flags at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. By evening, the entire sarcophagus was covered in flags.

It was one of the most touching sights I'd ever seen.

What a lovely thought - I'm going there next week for the tulip festival and think I'll leave a flag there, too. Canada Day or not. When I was there to visit the new War Museum in the fall, thoughtless parents were letting their children play on the site.

We were in Montreal on Canada Day several years back, and there WAS a parade downtown. In fact, we were sitting on the steps of our hotel on Sherbrooke East watching the set up for the parade, and were invited to participate. We rode a 30 man bicycle, and were given Canadian and USA flags to wave - what a great experience!

Why US flags?

Because we were from the US.

First I've heard that on Canada Day, wherever you're from, they'll have your country's flag.

The site for Montreal's Canada Day - http://english.montrealplus.ca/porta...fileID=1003952