Busy weekend for Montreal – Metallica concerts at Big O, Pride Parade, Tennis – use public transit city urges
Posted August 11, 2023 9:08 am.
Last Updated August 11, 2023 6:51 pm.
It will be one of the busiest weekends of the summer in Montreal, with multiple major events. The city is urging people to use public transit.
Montreal Pride parade on Sunday, two Metallica concerts (Friday and Sunday), National Bank Open tennis tournament continues with its final on Sunday, îleSoniq, and the lnternational First Peoples Festival are among the eight different major events happening – with many more smaller ones.
Nearly 200,000 people per day are expected.
The events are expected to cause heavy traffic, especially at the Olympic Park esplanade and in downtown Montreal (between René-Lévesque and Robert-Bourassa Blvds. – and for Parc Jean-Drapeau.
“We want to make sure we will ease the traffic and everything will be as smooth as possible. So we’re asking everyone to take the public transit,” says Philippe Sabourim a Spokesperson for the City of Montreal adding “We will have extra train during the weekend so there will be more frequent service. For example, on the green line of STM we will have a train every four minutes instead of eight minutes. So extra train, extra employees.”
Philippe Sabourin a spokesperson for Montreal urging the public to use other modes of transportation (Felisha Adam, CityNews image)
The new REM from the South Shore is up and running and can also be used.
With increased traffic around the Olympic Park esplanade for Metallica – 60,000 concert goers a day – several roads in the area will be blocked off and due to more people heading to Pie-IX and Viau metro, the STM says bikes will not be allowed on the green line as of 3:30 p.m. both Friday and Sunday. Montreal Pride parade will see the closure of Rene Leveques on Sunday.
For $19 a ticket, a “Metallica unlimited weekend fare” will let you travel on the bus, metro, and REM in zones A, B, C and D from 10 a.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday.
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For tennis, “wave your National Bank Open ticket proudly at the driver or station agent, and enjoy a free ride,” says the STM. “Your mobile ticket grants you free access to our services.
See more at stm.info.
For Metallica fans at a pop-up shop in Place Ville-Marie, they are trying to plan their way to the stadium ahead of time, many saying they will be leaving early, taking the Metro, but with about 60,000 people per concert making it a total of 120,000 people with the same plans, many say they may end up walking.
Metallica fans filled Place Ville-Marie to shop for merchandise ahead of the band’s long awaited concerts at the Olympic stadium. (Felisha Adam, CityNews Image)
For Charlie and Jason Hoffman Metallica means the world to the father and son duo. “They rock,”say Jason. “He raised me on Metallica.It’s my favorite band,” says Charlie.
“I love James Hetfield,” says Sonia Rideout who came to Montreal with her family, “I can’t wait…I Love all the band members. I’m just so excited.”
Metallica fans filled Place Ville-Marie to shop for merchandise ahead of the band’s long awaited concerts at the Olympic stadium. (Felisha Adam, CityNews Image)
Many showing off the merchandise they waited nearly an hour in line to get, each with their own game plan on how they are planing on getting to the concerts.
“We’re going to go up early. We don’t mind waiting. It’s all part of the experience,” says Rideout.
“It will be chaotic. It’ll be very it will be crazy, that’s for sure, we are taking the metro then we are getting out on Pie-IX,” says Mathieu Morreau who has been a long time fan of the band.
“We’re going very early,” says Lisa Smith and Leanne Knier from Toronto, adding “We got an insider tip to get off at a different subway stop than what they sort of told everybody, so we’re going to try that.”
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- Metallica fans filled Place Ville-Marie to shop for merchandise ahead of the band’s long awaited concerts at the Olympic stadium. (Felisha Adam, CityNews Image)
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- Lisa Smith pays tribute to Metallica with nail design (Felisha Adam, CityNews Image)
And if all else fails, many there say they will Uber, walk, or bike it, but come what may they will not miss the show.
Our CityNews cameraman who was on site at the Olympic Stadium around 12:30pm on Friday tried for over 40 minutes to find parking to get visuals as Metallica fans started to fill the area but was unable to find parking, this ahead of the concerts planned for Friday night and Sunday.
Metallica fans filled Place Ville-Marie to shop for merchandise ahead of the band’s long awaited concerts at the Olympic stadium. (Felisha Adam, CityNews Image)
“I think it’s going to be insane. We’re going to try to hit it pretty early,” says Kendall Ingram, who came to Montreal with his father.
“I think the worst is going to be coming out of the concert,” he added, “that’s going to be insane the amount of people coming out of there at one time and on the metro is going to be it’s going to be crazy.
