"Part iconoclastic Francophone outpost in otherwise anglais-speaking North America, part skyscraping internationalist city, Montreal is also a festival town par excellence, boasting several major festivals and a number of smaller events that fill the summer months."
"Just for Laughs (Juste pour Rire) Festival promotes the idea that humor can be reinvented, with artists stretching the boundries of the form. Founded in 1983, when sixteen French-speaking comedians performed for a total crowd of 5,000, the festival has grown to host approximately 2,000 artists annually, performing for a million and a half laughers at more than thirty venues along Rue St.-Denis."
I purchases a "passport" that included ticket options to pre-selected shows. I only had 2 weekends to choose from, the festival was nearly over by the time I arrived in Montreal so choices were limited, but I did find a show to attend.
Just for the Culture, is a comedy showcase formerly known as The Ethnic Show, and features a diverse line-up of comedians from a variety of cultural backgrounds. The show this year was hosted by Alonzo Bodden and featured Zarna Garg, Gianmarco Soresi, Joyelle Nicole Johnson, Judy Gold, Arthur Simeon, and Malik Elassal. It was pretty funny even if the show was at 4:30 in the afternoon - a fact that was the punchline of several jokes throughout the show.
