Hello. I am going to Montreal in June and one of the days I am there is the opening of the International Fireworks Competition. Should I purchase tickets in advance or can I purchase them upon arrival. Thanks for any feedback.

If the fireworks competition in Montreal is the Benson & Hedges Symphony of Fire, they're free. You don't need to pay for tickets.

Matt. <BR> <BR>You CAN purchase tickets if you like and you'll get a ringside seat of the fireworks at La Ronde amusement park. This allows you to see the fireworks from stadium-like seating. (I think the tickets are about CAN$15-$20 each.) <BR> <BR>OR you can do what most Montrealers do. See the fireworks for free. For every fireworks competition the City of Montreal closes off the Jacques Cartier bridge from traffic. Take the Metro to Papineau and get there at least half an hour before the fireworks are supposed to begin. Follow the crowds to the Jacques Cartier bridge (head north from Papineau metro)...you'll probably have a better view of the fireworks than if you went to La Ronde. It's a bit crowded but Montrealers are a civilized lot on the whole; I felt completely comfortable taking my 60-year-old mother here. Snag a spot if you can around 2/3 the way of the bridge slope but before the metal scaffolding (you'll see what I mean). <BR> <BR>Alternatively you can view the fireworks from Old Montreal or by the waterfront under the Jacques Cartier bridge or from a rooftop in an adjacent neighborhood, but you'll definitely miss the low-lying fireworks. <BR> <BR>Also, if you remember, bring a little radio. The fireworks are set to music that is played on a Montreal-area station (SRC?). If you forget though someone around you will usually bring one, so you can hear the syncopation of music and fireworks. <BR> <BR>Have a great trip! Montreal's a blast! <BR> <BR>

My recommendation would be to purchase tickets for the grandstand seats at La Ronde (which include all day admission to the park and all the amazing rides). Note that there are three price levels for tickets. Views are the same. The highest priced tickets include wine and cheese. The views from those seats are well worth the ticket price and the music is "live". There's an amazing show of fireworks at water level which can not be seen from the banks of the river. And, the Pont Jacques Cartier will be completely mobbed by mid afternoon. So, unless you want to go there early in the day and stand there until the fireworks begin, a spot along the river would be the alternative. The fireworks are, indeed, synchronized to music, but the radio broadcast isn't - there's a several second delay. You can always stand near someone with a ghetto blaster.

Hi <BR> <BR>It's been about 2-3 years since I've been, and unless things have changed dramatically, there is no need to show up hours in advance of the fireworks if going to the Jacques Cartier bridge. My friends and I would get to Papineau metro about 40 minutes before the show started (I went about 7 or 8 times when in Montreal) and we were always able to snag a decent spot on the bridge about 15-20 minutes before the show started. True, the bridge does get crowded and if you're highly claustrophobic, you may wish to go to La Ronde instead. Personally, however, I never found the bridge unmanageably crowded...I am a city person though. <BR> <BR>Enjoy whatever you decide to do. DAN