There’s only 2 more weeks until spring, but winter fun ain’t over yet. Montreal en Lumiere is in full swing until March 11th. Saturday night was Nuit Blanche, and my friends and I took advantage of the free events downtown.

Our first stop was the observatory at the top of Place Ville Marie. It was free for Saturday night only. The line-up was so long, it stretched from one end of the shopping mall to the other. We waited an hour but it was worth it! The view was spectacular! In the photo of St. Catherine Street below (the brown building on the bottom left is The Bay), the intense blue light is Place des Festivals, the main site of the festival.

Below is a photo of the south side of the downtown area. The Marriott Hotel (formerly the Chateau Champlain) is in the middle. Windsor Station and the Bell Centre is to the right of the hotel.

Below is Rene-Levesque Boulevard going east.

After an hour in the observatory, we headed out into the cold and walked along St. Catherine Street towards Place des Festivals. We stopped in at Christ Church Cathedral where volunteers handed out free hot chocolate and to listen to a choir.

Back outside, we stopped at St. James United Church to watch a digital light show.

The -7 Celsius temperature doesn’t deter winter hardy Montrealers. People lined up for the zipline for up to an hour.

Place des Festivals was packed with festivities including a Ferris wheel at the end of the street.

A cement truck is turned into a mirrored disco ball.

There was a real disco inside Place Desjardins with a loud, pounding beat .

It was a fun way to spend a cold Saturday evening. If you want to see more, below is a short video of some of the street scenes.