Summer is just around the corner, what are your plans for this summer vacation? Well I am planning to stay in my hometown Montreal and enjoy the the annual summer festivals. Let me share with you (and also if I may brag) about my wonderful city and give you some ideas of what to do if you are planning a trip here.

Montreal is the second-largest city in Canada and largest city in the province of Quebec with approximately 1.6 million in population. The official language is French but majority of the people are fluent in English. Last year, Forbes Magazine ranked Montreal as the 10th cleanest city in the world. Many said that Montreal is a city of festivals due the endless celebration for the large-scale cultural and sporting events that continues during the summer. As for the weather between June and August, the temperature on average is 25 C/77 F in the high and 14 C/58 F in the low. Let’s see what this year has to offer for everyone’s enjoyment.

Mondial de la Biere - Beer Festival (May 28 - June 1, 2008). The Mondial de la Biere is the largest beer festival that takes place each year in Montreal where you can taste more than 350 beers. Stands are placed with beers from all over the world with most breweries are micro-breweries who produce their product in small quantities for regional sale and sometimes for exclusive use in restaurants. There are also larger breweries present, but in small number.

Formula One - Montreal Grand Prix (June 6 - 8, 2008). The only time of the year where you can see a lot of Ferrari cars on the streets and awesome racing cars on the tracks. This year they will celebrate the 30th anniversary at the legendary circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Located in cosmopolitan Montreal, the circuit is considered one of the most demanding tracks on the F1 calendar.

L’International Des Feux Loto-Québec Fireworks Competition (June 21-August 6, 2008). One of the most exciting fireworks competition. L’International des Feux Loto-Québec was founded in 1985 at La Ronde, Québec’s largest amusement park, which was created for Expo ‘67. Since then, it has been an annual event, gathering crowds of enthusiasts, including citizens from the greater Montréal area and numerous tourists. This year’s competition will feature fireworks from France, Italy, S. Korea, Portugal, Australia, Canada, Austria, United States of America, China and last but not least the finale by La Ronde.

Montreal International Jazz Festival (June 26 - July 6, 2008). If you love Jazz music, then this event is where you can see all the most famous Jazz artists of the world. This year mark the 29th celebration with programing that’s more exceptional and exciting than ever, covering a wide spectrum of musical styles spanning the globe, this edition promises to be chock full of emotional highs, revelations and reunions with several legends. Montreal is once again poised to the world’s mecca for jazz and all its related musical forms, reconfirming the city’s status as a capital of culture.

Festival Just for laughs (July 10-20, 2008 ). The world’s largest and most prestigious comedy event. At Just For Laughs, they take humor seriously. The Festival has become a world-renowned entertainment landmark, recognized for the quality of its content and the professionalism of its staff.

These are just some of many events that will take place in the summer. With so many great events in Montreal, I’m guaranteed to have a fantastic summer. If you are planning to visit Montreal this summer, I suggest that you reserve your accommodations well in advance. Don’t leave it to the last minute or else you won’t be able to find a good place. I found the following websites very helpful in finding the hottest hotel deals:

HotelsCombined - A unique search engine that you can use to find hotel availability and rates, and to compare prices and offers from multiple merchants. It allows you to search multiple hotel reservation websites simultaneously to find the lowest prices possible. You can search over 800,000 global hotel deals from over 30 merchants, and access over 1.5 millions consumer reviews, 3 millions hotel images, 2 millions hotel descriptions and maps. Please note that HotelsCombined is not a travel agent. They do not sell hotels nor provide reservation services.

TripAdvisor - A branded site make up the largest travel community in the world with 15 millions reviews and opinions, and cover over 300,000 hotels and attractions. The site offer real advice for real travelers.

Hotels.ca - A leading provider of worldwide accommodations to Canadians offering on-line reservation services. The website offer the widest selection of accommodations with over 12,000 properties in more than 400 cites in Canada; from traditional hotels to vacation rentals. This place is a one-stop shopping source for hotel pricing, amenities and availability, especially during sold-out periods.

I invite everyone to visit my wonderful city and I hope the info above will help you better plan your trip. :grin:

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