Back for a 23rd year is the Pointe-à-Callière Museum’s 18th century market in the Old Port.
Montrealers and tourists who make their way on Aug. 27 and 28 will not only get a chance to eat, drink, and listen to music from New France, but they will also have a chance to interact with actors in full costume who will reenact typical scenes from the market.
For Pointe-à-Callière’s cultural coordinator Francine Labrosse, the market is a great way to show everyone what life in New France was like outside of an academic setting.
“We want to remind people that the city was founded here [at Pointe-à-Callière],” said Labrosse. “And we want to remind the people the ways of the 18th century and of the beginning of Montreal.”
Pointe-à-Callière’s 18th-century market did not just show off the European lifestyle, it also paid tribute to the Aboriginal cultures who often found themselves trading with French settlers.
The organizer of the Aboriginal exhibit, Sylvain Rivard, is pleased that he can explain to passersby the presences of tribes like the Iroquois, Algonquin, and the Abenaki in the markets.
“What I am trying to do is to educate people with the way we are dressed, the stuff we are making, so it’s no Pow-Wow touristy thing, we are ourselves in the 18th century,” Rivard said, as he braided sweetgrass.
For the complete schedule of activities, consult the Pointe-à-Callière Museum’s website.