Last summer, as my wife and I wandered past the sparkling downtown skyscrapers on Rue Ste. Catherine into the city's Latin Quarter along the famed Rue St. Denis, we discovered that we had inadvertently come to town while the world-renowned comedy festival was in full swing.
Considering that we had had no idea the festival was taking place, we were thrilled to get tickets to one of the 32 venues where the stand-ups hardly sat down. In one evening, we saw 16 comedians including Caroline Rhea, Jim Gaffigan, Lewis Black, and Sinbad. While the familiar names were very funny, the comics who made us roar were those we had never heard of. The stylings of Irishman Ed Byrne, Australian Carl Baron, and a Canadian named Stewart Francis had us trying to catch our breath from laughing so hard.
During the festival, audiences were able to choose from an almost overwhelming variety of shows that included stand-ups like Jackie Mason, Tim Allen, Tom Arnold, John Pinette, Dom Irrera, Pauly Shore, and the Improv All-Stars with Drew Carey. The headliners were hardly the only attractions. The schedule featured an international comedy smorgasbord: Wiseguys: The Italian Stand-up Comedy Show; The Irish Comedy Show; Britcom; Late Nite Down Under; ; Queer Comics; and the Bar Mitzvah Show. A special Comedy For Kids lineup drew 42,000 children to five sold-out shows.
The festival transforms 10 summer nights into a continuous, magical Montreal street carnival. One need not buy a single ticket to enjoy the scene. The Latin Quarter is closed to traffic and opened to a captivating mix of street performers, food, and artists' wares. An outdoor stage, with from dance to country music, draws thousands for the free shows.
