Ah summertime in Montreal… a time for amazing music festivals, patio drinks, and enjoying the awesomeness that is our city. And this year is extra special because Montreal is celebrating its 375th birthday! Here are a few of the video game related activities in which you can take part in during this wonderful season, and don’t worry, not everything involves sunshine.
Defenders of the Triforce – The Legend of Zelda Escape Room
Think you deserve to hold the wisdom third of the triforce? Here’s your chance to test your problem solving skills! Scrap, in partnership with Nintendo, are bringing Defenders of the Triforce to Montreal! Assemble a team of 6 adventurers and put on your green thinking caps to solve puzzles in all forms as you attempt to escape. Pen and paper will be mightier than the Master Sword this time, but no worries, there will be solutions at the end if you really get stuck. Bring your rupees because the website says there will be The Legend of Zelda merch to buy at the end of your adventure.
English dates: June 9 – 11
French dates: June 14 – 16
Montreal ePrix – eVillage
Alongside watching really fast electric cars zooming through our city, Formula E is organizing cool gaming related activities in their eVillage. Test out your driving skills in the eRace simulators and battle your friends for the highest score, and maybe win a prize ;). Think you have what it takes to be a pro? You might get the chance to race one! And for the gearheads, technological innovations will be on display in the ‘inspire’ section of the eZone. Here you will get to try the latest in virtual reality, see driverless cars in action and there will be a Roborace. Definitely fun for the whole family.
Dates: July 29 – 30
Mondial des jeux
Back for another year, Mondial des jeux will be taking over the Quartier des spectacles on De Maisonneuve on July 15 – 30th, 2017. This free outdoor game area is always a highlight of our summer, with games for any age. Cat and I have participated in a few Just Dance competitions there in the past, along with testing out some of the latest games coming to consoles in the fall. Programming is not officially released yet, so stay tuned to their website and social media for news!
Dates: July 15 – 30
Montreal Comiccon
This is OUR favourite weekend of the year. Montreal Comiccon always brings the fun, no matter what kind of geek you are. Past years have given us the chance to meet amazing video game actors, attend esports panels and competitions, discover gems in the indie alley, access to see upcoming games and of course, all that sweet sweet cosplay action. This year will not disappoint as most of the cast of Watch Dogs 2 is on the bill to be onsite. Get your cameras ready!
Otakuthon
Otakuthon is always a blast, and this year is setting up to be just as awesome as always. Though Otakuthon was born out of love of Japanese animation, manga and pop culture, there are always video game related things to do at the weekend long show. One of the highlights this year is A New World: Intimate Music From FINAL FANTASY concert happening Sunday, August 6th. Cosplay will be in abundance of course and TWIN cosplay will be in attendance as a guest of honor, showing off some sick Majora’s Mask inspired costumes. There will be a video game hall, tournaments, the Real Serious Retro competition (how good are your retro gaming skills??), a Montreal Pokemon League meetup and more!
Dates: August 4 – 6
Dreamhack Montreal
What a way to close out the summer! Dreamhack is back for another year, bringing all the esports goodness to Place Bonaventure. Four major esports tournaments have already been announced with prizing including CS:GO DreamHack Astro Open ($100,000), DreamHack Hearthstone Grand prix ($26,500), Starcraft II World Championship ($100,000), DreamHack Smash Championship ($20,000). As always there will be the LAN party, DreamExpo, International Esports tournaments, BYOC competitions, Cosplay, Indie Game Zone, and DreamStore.
Dates: September 8 -10
Know of any other sweet video game events happening in Montreal this summer? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Twitter: @thegirlsongames!