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Montreal celebrating its 375th birthday today

Click to play video: 'What you don’t know about Montreal’s 375-year history of inventions'
What you don’t know about Montreal’s 375-year history of inventions
What do peanut butter, the Wonderbra, and Trivial Pursuit have to do with Montreal? Mike Armstrong has the surprising answer, as the city celebrates its 375th birthday – May 17, 2017

Montreal is celebrating its 375th birthday.

Over the past year, the city has been hosting events to celebrate the milestone anniversary.

READ MORE: Montreal’s 375th anniversary celebrations on May 17th

The festivities kick into high gear Wednesday with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Philippe Couillard meeting Mayor Denis Coderre.

Trudeau told reporters at city hall he is proud to be a Montrealer even though he was born in Ottawa.

The prime minister says his birthday wish for Montreal is another 375 years of diversity, pride and openness.

WATCH: 375 Montreal: Is starting celebrations with a mass reflective of Montrealers? — Sarah Volstad reports.

Click to play video: '375 Montreal: Is starting celebrations with a mass reflective of Montrealers?'
375 Montreal: Is starting celebrations with a mass reflective of Montrealers?

Montreal was known as Ville-Marie when it was founded on May 17, 1642.

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Here are the events planned for today’s festivities around the city:

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7:35 a.m. –  Arrival of Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard at city hall.

7:45 a.m. – Arrival of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau at city hall.

8:00 a.m. – A 375th-anniversary mass and a tribute to the city’s founders will be held at the Notre-Dame Basilica.

8:00 a.m. – Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre and his wife, Chantale Renaud, along with Couillard, Trudeau and Grégoire-Trudeau arrival at Notre-Dame Basilica.

11:30 a.m. – Tribute breakfast for Canada’s indigenous people with Coderre and the Grand Chiefs of the Mohawk Nation at the city hall terrasse.

2:15 p.m. – Coderre and Bernard Voyer from the Ordre de Montréal to present Ordre de Montréal medallions to 17 citizens honoured as commanders and officers in its inaugural annual ceremony.

5:30 p.m. – Coderre receives invited guests to the Montreal Science Centre for a red carpet event.

8:30 p.m. – Premier of the multimedia show, Montréal Avudo in the Old Port.

9:45 p.m. – Lighting of the Jacques Cartier Bridge.

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More details of the day’s festivities are at the official 375 MTL website.

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