October Nightlife: Montreal, Canada

Welcome to Nightlife Insider, a new monthly feature where PlanetOut.com readers submit their Top 5 picks of cool things happening in their neck of the woods.  See bottom for details on how you can become an Nightlife Insider!

Below are Daniel's October picks for Montréal, Canada.

by Daniel Baylis

Festival

Black & Blue October 7 - 13

Call it a circuit party. Call it a rave. Call it a festival. Call it a great reason to shake your booty and visit your fave French Canadian city. Call it what you want, but Montreal's Black & Blue is nothing short of a social, cultural, sports and party event that lasts for a big gay week (October 7-13, 2009). This year's main event features Sasha, John Digweed and Dave Seaman from the UK, as well as Montréalers Franco Fabi and Stéfane Lippé. This year's theme is electro-80's meets elegant opera house. Wear black and/or blue.

Sporting Event

Gay Volleyball Tournament October 9 - 11

If you've been working on your wrist snap and your spirit kicks, then it's time you got your fab self registered for a gay volleyball tournament. In its 26th year, the Big Jump Tournament is a well-oiled machine and arguably the largest annual homo-sporting event in Canada. Register quickly. Singles invited. There are always awards, including "best costuming."

Concert

GOSSIP + MEN October 13

Their infomercial provided perspiration inspiration for countless queers. Now you can sweat to the live show in Montreal. Gossip will be playing in the heart of the Montreal Gay Village (Le National - 1220 Ste-Catherine East). The former members of Le Tigre have phoenixed into a new band called MEN, and they'll be opening the show. Suggestion: Pre-drinks at Cabaret Mado, and then head a block east for the show. I'm not missing this. Info here.

Festival

Image+Nation LGBT Film Festival October 22 - 31

Image+Nation, pronounced "imagination" (but with a sultry French accent), has been offering Montreal the best of queer cinema for the past two decades. This year's festival runs October 22 - 31, and will feature over 100 gay and lesbian films (long and short) to nourish the creative queer mind. Check out the trailer for the French-flaired opening film - Hollywood, je t'aime. Show times vary.

Holiday

Halloween Various parties

Things can get scary in Montreal, and I'm not talking about the after effects of a poorly prepared poutine. Halloween will feature a couple of hot dance parties. For the witches, bitches and she-wolves, check out the Meow Mix (October 31). There will be a mélange of gay zombies and dykie draculas at the always filthy Faggity Ass Fridays (October 30). Parking Nightclub will feature DJ Peter Rauhofer in what will surely be a sexy spooktacular. Costume suggestion: Celine Dion in a kayak.

If you think you got what it takes to play nightlife correspondent, send an email with "Nightlife Correspondent" in the subject line to letterstotheeditor@gay.com and we'll take it from there. Help make nightlife fun for all!