Events and Neighbourhood Festivals

EVENTS AND NEIGHBOURHOOD FESTIVALS IN NDG

Mobilization: A large part of our work is to empower NDG residents to become active participants in building a better community. The Council works together with residents to break down social isolation and improve access to resources. We have a large scope of outreach initiatives aimed at gathering residents and promoting events and services in the neighborhood.

EVENTS CALENDAR VOLUNTEERING DURING EVENTS LOCAL INITIATIVES LOCAL SERVICES

DECEMBER TOGETHER

"December together" tends to break the isolation during the vacations, but also to mobilize residents and partners together to develop a sense of community and solidarity. The objectives of this innovative program include ensuring food security among the most vulnerable people for a period of time, when the closure of food services and the suspension of food-related activities (group meals, Christmas meals, etc.) will be the norm. "Together" we cannot be without integrating the local economic sector, which has been hard hit by the pandemic. Thus, this program aims to support and build a partnership with local businesses in NDG. A wide range of "December together" activities are coming soon on our website ndg.ca and the Council's Facebook page; stay tuned for more information.

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Winter 101

Winter 101 was organised in collaboration with Jeunesse Benny to help NDG families discover fun winter activities. On a gorgeous February day, with the sun shining, 75 families braved the cold and came to enjoy cross-country skiing and skating. Thanks to the support of our MNA Mrs Kathleen Weil, all of the kids in attendance received hats and mittens. An inflatable castle, music and dancing, arts and crafts, and a soup and hot chocolate snack, completed this family activity day.

Lunar New Year

For the 4th consecutive year, the Community Council was proud to organize the Lunar New Year celebrations in NDG. Central to the success of the event since its inception has been the creative leadership of Jing Bai, the Council’s liaison with NDG’s growing Chinese community, as well as the contributions of a small army of committed resident volunteers from NDG’s Chinese and Korean communities. For 2019, the Year of the Pig, the Council undertook a new approach - moving away from a 1-day festival (like those in 2016-2018) and instead spreading the Lunar New Year activities over a two weeks period across multiple locations throughout the neighbourhood. In total, there were 11 events between January 20th and February 10th, reaching over 500 residents (see list in Annex 3). We were very happy with the results of this approach, as it allowed us to reach new partners and new residents

Neighborhood Parties

Each year, the Council and our partners work together to host neighbourhood festivals in the priority sectors. Residents and community partners come together to organise and enjoy free, socially-inclusive, fun events in sectors that otherwise lack community animation and engagement from residents. These events allow neighbours to meet each other, community bonds to be formed, and the most socially isolated to have a chance to feel included. In 2018, all four priority sectors held their own event: the St Raymond’s Harvest Festival, the Benny Farm Sherbrooke Forest Community BBQ, the Westhaven Neighbourhood Party, and the Fête du Quartier Fielding Walkley. A total of 362 of residents were reached throughout these events.

Jane’s Walks

Inspired by the writings of urbanist and social icon Jane Jacobs, Jane’s Walks are part of an international annual festival of free, citizen -led neighbourhood tours. These tours are done by volunteers, held in early May, and encourage people to explore their local neighbourhoods while sharing stories and uncovering overlooked aspects of city life. This year, the Council worked in partnership with residents and Prevention CDN-NDG to organize Jane’s Walks in St-Raymond and Westhaven, reaching a total of 20 residents from across Montréal. Residents and Council staff also led a tour of Benny Farm-Sherbrooke Forest which ended at the new Hands and Hand space. Walkley had it’s own Jane’s walk which was a huge success with 30 residents participating.

Park(ing) Day

Park(ing) Day is an international event designed to celebrate everyday choices for sustainable mobility and to advocate for favorable urban amenities by taking over a parking spot. Saint-Raymond, Benny and Walkley held their own eclectic version of parking day from coffee shops to hot dog stands to art and craft stations to a game of dominos! All gatherings were reflective of what residents wanted to see more of in the neighborhood. All three parking spots received a total of 150 residents in the area.

NDG Reads

Combat des Livres NDG Reads brought the tradition of CBC Reads to NDG. This event brings books to life through animated debate and competition to declare the must read Montreal novel. The inaugural Combat des Livres NDG Reads was organized by the Council with key funding coming from the Fondation du Grand Montreal.
Some Highlights

Author appearance - Heather Camlot, author of Clutch, attended the first community event that was held at REP NDG.
Author appearance - Claire Holden, Author of My October attended the last community event at the NDG Cultural Centre and was honored as the book to read
Catering – Three Sisters Catering at the Gala Soiree provided delicious traditional Indigenous food that kept the crowd socializing until every last bite was eaten.
Dance performance by the Loyola Dance Program was spellbinding.

Opening remarks by Elder Joe Jacobs from Kahnawake were inspiring and thought provoking.

Notre-Prom-de-Grâce

As a novel project this year, the Council created a unique program to collect formal gowns, accessories and suits for a ‘prom dress giveaway’, with the global objective of making high-school and college prom season less expensive and wasteful for local youth and their families. The project was inspired by a single dress donation, and while expectations were modest, the project surpassed these expectations with more than 300 dresses donated, along with shoes, handbags, jewellery, and suits. This helped over 75 young people to be able to have access to affordable, good quality outfits for prom. The Council hopes to make this program an NDG staple. We were thrilled to have the support of our neighbours and friends at Over the Rainbow Daycare in organizing this event.

Community Yard Sales

Yard sales are an opportunity for residents to make extra revenue as well as meet their NDG neighbors and reinforce social networks. In 2018, we supported resident groups in the planning of the second Benny community yard sale and the first St-Raymond one. A total of 27 families participated in the yard sales.

Intercultural Festival

Residents of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce are once again partnering with local community organizations in order to celebrate the neighbourhood’s diversity by showcasing various cultural traditions from Iran, China, Colombia, Mexico and many other countries. In partnership with the organization’s members of the NDG Intercultural Table (NDGIT), the NDG residents coming from different countries will present a part of their cultural traditions during the 8th edition of the NDG Intercultural Festival. This free family event will feature music, food, games and traditional dances from around the world. This yearly festival is a fantastic way for all residents to engage and form lasting partnerships within their community while learning about the different networks available to them.

Halloween in NDG

Halloween Decorating: A now-annual event bringing kids together to create Halloween decorations from recycled materials and decorate the Melrose Tunnel, transforming it into a haunted space. Partners – EcoQuatier, Cheap Art Collective, St. Raymond residents Association, Etoile-Filante primary school, Arrondissement CDN-NDG

Persian New Year

Les nouveaux arrivants de la communauté iranienne de notre-dame-de-grâce vous invitent à découvrir et célébrer le nouvel an perse!

LA MARCHE AUX 1000 PARAPLUIES NDG Community

MARCH OF 1,000 UMBRELLAS

Centraide is kicking off its annual campaign on October, when 20,000 people will take to the streets of downtown Montreal for Centraide’s traditional March of 1,000 Umbrellas. Join the crowd to show your commitment to the fight against poverty and social exclusion.

OTHER EVENTS IN NEIGHBORHOOD

WINTER School Holidays

Spring Break / Vacances de printemps

Cabane à Sucres NDG

PORCHFEST NDG BALCONFÊTE

PROMENADES DE JANE - JANE'S WALK

Imagine Monkland
Arts Week goes to the Monkland Village for a 3-day weekend of festivities. Imagine Monkland transforms the Monkland Village with an out-of-this-world experience around monsters and mythical creatures. Local bands, circus acts, activities for kids and a giant street sale with the Imagine Market will welcome participants for a new edition of the Monkland Street Festival in the middle of summer.

Cinema NDG | À la belle étoile

NDG Arts Week Festival

Montreal’s Italian Week Festival in St.Raymond

Halloween in NDG

Community Christmas Dinner / Dîner de Noël communautaire