Montreal’s midwinter party: High Lights Festival, Feb. 18-28

Montreal’s High Lights Festival, Feb. 18-28

MONTREAL — Canada’s High Lights festival is a midwinter party that offers a way to experience four places in one.

The festival showcases a country, a city, and a region, while taking place in Montreal.

The event includes arts, wine-tasting, food and light shows, with activities for families too.

The featured country this year is Portugal and the featured city is New Orleans, while the Eastern Townships of southeastern Quebec — including Sherbrooke, Granby, Magog and Cowansville — comprise the highlighted region.

An all-night event, Nuit Blanche, will include more than 170 mostly free activities on the evening of Feb. 27, and on Feb. 20, a massive free outdoor multimedia spectacle will combine circus arts, pyrotechnics, acrobatics, music and projections.

The Sun Life Financial Performing Arts will showcase classical and contemporary music orchestras, theater and dance companies and Montreal museums. A new “Caliente” series of shows will offer Latin music, and Misia, a star of the Portuguese fado genre, will do two shows on Feb. 18 and 19. Another fado star, Ana Moura, will perform Feb. 27.

The SAQ Wine and Dine Experience will include 280 gourmet food and wine events, including cocktail parties, themed brunches, culinary tours, wine presentations and workshops. Twenty-one chefs from Portugal will take part, while chefs from New Orleans will include Michael Farrell from Le Meritage, Brian Landry from Galatoire’s, Donald Link from Cochon, Duke Locicero from Cafe Giovanni, Ian Schnoebelen from Iris, and Thomas Wolfe from Wolfe’s in the Warehouse.

Details at 888-477-9955 or www.montrealhighlights.com