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šŸ¦ Vietnamese Street Eats, Night Markets, Salsa, and Witchy Pop-Ups

PlayMTL - Your Montreal Cheatsheet

Bonjour-hi to you today mon ami / amie,

Walking home from a birthday picnic turned late-night bar crawl, I spotted a couple in the distance; silhouettes walking hand in hand. Sweet, I thought. Then I noticed her strange hat.

Moments later, our Casanova let go of her hand and casually grabbed his drink. Off her head.

I still don't know whether to be impressed or appalled.

In this week’s issue…

  • City News: Quebec targets ghost diners and boosts its social economy budget.

  • Feel-Good: Quebec tops Canada’s happiness charts, and the ice stays winning.

  • Non-Profit: Native Montreal empowers Indigenous families with care and culture.

  • Food: Mastard lands a Michelin star… yes, the radish foam is worth it.

  • People of MTL: Lin Sok built an empire after four kids, no degree, and zero excuses.

  • Events: Night markets, lucha libre, witchy pop-ups, and Latin dancing await.

  • Live Music: Moon Reaper blends punk, pizzerias, and raw Montreal energy.

Edited by Eleanor R.

CITY NEWS

šŸ™ļø What's Happening Around Town

  1. Quebec's Minister for the Economy, Christopher Skeete, unveiled the 2025-2030 social economy action plan on July 11, boosting funding from $136M to $142M. The plan supports everything from home care to food services, with hopes to create 4,000 "accompaniment activities" and $565M in investments. Who knew helping others could be this profitable?

  2. Quebec restaurants can now charge $10 per person for ghost reservations—no-shows who don’t cancel. Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette says it’s time to make diners pay for their "invisible dining experiences." Ghost a date, a reservation, and your court date? That’s a hat-trick!

FEEL GOOD

šŸ’— Stories That Make Me Fall In Like With This City

Quebec has been named the happiest province in Canada, according to a LĆ©ger survey. Montreal played a big role, with young adults (18-24) seeing happiness rise from 63.1 to 68.7. Turns out, Quebec’s vibe is making everyone feel a little extra cheerful!

After two years without a grocery store, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue is celebrating the opening of "Mon MarchƩ Local" at B Factory. This locally-owned gem, once on the brink of bankruptcy, now helps the community shop local and stay resilient, talk about a grocery glow-up!

Montreal’s Ice Box Challenge is heating up! Students from Concordia and ETS are competing to keep ice frozen the longest using only their engineering skills. Running from July 10-30, 2025, this chilly showdown blends creativity, collaboration, and sustainability. Cool, right?

NON-PROFIT

🤲 A Cause Just Cause

Mission: Established in 2014, Native Montreal contributes to the holistic health, cultural strength, and success of Indigenous families in the greater Montreal area. Unlike other Indigenous organizations that focus primarily on at-risk populations, Native Montreal was created as a safe space for youth and family services.

Services: They offer summer day camps, youth and family programming including language classes, and casework for psychosocial and educational challenges. They're part of both the provincial (RCAAQ) and national (NAFC) friendship center movements, connecting them to 13 other centers in Quebec and 111 across Canada.

Community Impact: They practice Indigenous self-determination with Indigenous governance and values, while offering a wide array of services to support Montreal's diverse Indigenous community members at different life stages.

FOOD

šŸ½ļø Food & Drink Buzz

šŸ“ 1879 Rue BĆ©langer, Montreal

Ah yes, just what Montreal needed another Michelin-star restaurant tucked into a charming, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it corner of Little Italy. But Mastard actually earns the hype. Chef Simon Mathys serves up a carte blanche tasting menu so thoughtful and seasonal, you’ll start to question every ā€œchef’s specialā€ you’ve ever tolerated.

It’s the kind of place where fermented radish foam somehow makes sense, and tastes incredible. You won’t find a printed menu (of course not), but what you will find is a parade of hyper-local dishes that feel less like dinner and more like a slow, delicious TED Talk.

Mastard landed a Michelin star this year (no big deal) and ranked #40 on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants. The space? Understated, because obviously. The vibe? Minimalist Nordic cabin meets ā€œdon’t you dare ask for substitutions.ā€

Got more? Reply to this email and tell us!

PEOPLE OF MONTREAL / GENS D’ICI

šŸ§Lin Sok — You Create Your Own Destiny

Born in a Cambodian refugee camp, Lin Sok arrived in Canada as a baby and by 18 years old, much to the chagrin of her parents, became pregnant. She was battle-tested early and often. She studied hard, chased every opportunity, and found herself unexpectedly in finance after a salesperson asked, ā€œWhy don’t you do this?ā€

By her early 20s, she became a financial advisor; young, female, and hitting targets in an industry that didn’t want her. Microaggressions piled up. Eventually, she left the field in 2008 after choosing her marriage and four kids over her career. An ultimatum her then husband had given her. A year later, they separated.

With no degree, she started over—waitressing, bartending, raising four children as a single mom. Years later, her now-husband pushed her to return to finance. She booked her exams again and and re-entered the finance realm in 2014, becoming an independent advisor. In 2020, she founded Women & Money Montreal— a community that helps women thrive financially no matter their financial story. She learned what community really meant. ā€œI don’t have the most followers,ā€ she says, ā€œbut they’ll talk about me in any room.ā€

Two years ago, she grew and scaled her financial team before launching Owni—a technology platform helping people find a real estate investing partner.

Her father’s stories of escaping the Khmer Rouge’s genocide shaped everything: ā€œEven if life’s hard here, there are always ways around the roadblocks.ā€ She raised four kids. She built two businesses. She did it all in Montreal. A city she fiercely loves.

Her success? Not measured by followers, but by the loyalty of the people she’s lifted. Her story? Pure Montreal grit.

EVENTS

šŸŽŸļøšŸŽŖ Weekend Plans That Don't Suck

FRIDAY (July 18)

šŸœ Cho Dem MTL 2025 – Vietnamese Night Market
Bassin Peel | 5–10PM
Street eats, live shows, and summer vibes šŸ‡»šŸ‡³šŸ”„

šŸŽ¬ Fantasia International Film Festival 2025
North America’s top genre film fest — horror, sci-fi, fantasy & cult cinema, 18 days of wild premieres, master‑classes & industry buzz. Opens with Eddington, closes with Genndy Tartakovsky’s Fixed šŸŽ„✨

šŸŽ¤ Marie‑Mai au Grand PoutineFest – Vieux‑Port de MontrĆ©al
Rue Quai de l’Horloge | July 18Ā· opens 16 h 30, show 19 h
Poutine + pop‑queen = fun šŸŸšŸŽ¤āœØ

🌓 Salsa Bachata & Ice Cream – CrĆØmes Boboule
Promenade Wellington, Verdun – 4640 Wellington | Fridays Ā· 6–10PM (intro class at 6PM, dance floor at 7PM)
Free Latin dancing & ice cream under the stars šŸ’ƒšŸ¦āœØ

šŸŽ¶ Festival International Nuits d’Afrique 2025
Montreal (Quartier des spectacles)
13 days of global groove—700+ artists from Africa, Latin America & the Caribbean. Indoor concerts + 6 days of free outdoor music, workshops, kids’ village, Timbuktu market & more šŸŽµšŸŒšŸ„

SATURDAY (July 19)

 šŸŽ€ Maleficarum Market – Pastel Goth 2025
4000 rue St‑Ambroise, suite 278 (Boutique Inchoo Bijoux) Ā· 11h–18h Free, queer‑witchy artisan market šŸŽØšŸ–¤āœØ over 25‑vendor wonderland

šŸ•ŗ Salsa avec Espace Yambae
Place Ɖmilie‑Gamelin
Danse latino en plein air, gratuit et ouvert Ć  tous šŸŒ™šŸ’ƒšŸŽ¶

šŸŽ‰ Le Gala de Lutte
Hochelaga, MontrƩal
Combat, community & Montreal pride — the ring awaits šŸ„ŠšŸ”„

šŸŽ¶ Piste de danse Verdun x Mika Events
7000 boul. Lasalle (Parc A), Verdun | Saturday Night
Latin beats under the sky—DJ Jean Nonez & guests bring the heat šŸŒ™šŸ’ƒšŸ”„

šŸš¶ā€ā™‚ļø Summer Pedestrianization of The Well – Promenade Wellington
Promenade Wellington, Verdun – 4640 Wellington
Car‑free streets, community vibes, cool events & sunny strolls ā˜€ļøšŸ„–āœØ

SUNDAY (July 20)

šŸ›¶ Lock & Paddle 2024
Lachine Canal | 12PM
Hundreds of paddlers. One epic lock-in. Bring your kayak or SUP and float with the crew šŸš£ā€ā™€ļøšŸŒžšŸ’¦

šŸŽ¶ The RnB Room: MontrĆ©al Outdoor Terrace – YOKO LUNA
Belvu Terrace @ 1050 de la GauchetiĆØre W | 1–7 PM
Brunch beats, flowing mimosas & soulful vibes ā˜€ļøšŸŽµāœØ

šŸ“šCoin lecture – Fables de la Colombie
Place Boyer | 13h–15h
Contes et magie pour petits & grands āœØšŸ“–

šŸ˜‚ Just For Laughs MontrĆ©al 2025
Downtown MontrƩal | July 20
Biggest comedy festival in the world—galas, outdoor shows & top-tier stand-up under the sun šŸŒŸšŸŽ¤āœØ

LIVE MUSIC

Moon Reaper started as a creative itch that couldn’t be ignored, a need to make music and figure out how the hell to write a song. Throw in artists from wildly different worlds—running iconic pizzerias, saving at-risk youth, and building triple-A video games—and you get something unexpected. What began as Doorbell Bandits, then Slim Reaper (Kevin Durant must’ve not been happy with this one), eventually became Moon Reaper.

The lineup shifted until bassist Boris joined, locking in with Matt’s ferocious, bleeding-knuckle drumming and Omar’s unpredictable vocals; sometimes yelled, sometimes whispered, always felt. Rooted in Montreal’s DIY spirit, their songs range from chaotic to catchy, but always aim to move you.

Live, Moon Reaper is a force de jure… a must-see experience that hits hard and lingers long after the last note.

OUTRO

Well I had fun, did you? If you found something useful, share it with a friend. If you didn’t, share it with that one person who interrupts every damn time before you can finish your senten-until next week,

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