Montreal’s Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood turned Monkland Avenue into a living celebration of its past and present Saturday, as residents and visitors gathered to mark 150 years of NDG at Patrimoine en fête.
The free event brought the neighbourhood’s history, architecture and community stories into the street, alongside music, dance and activities for all ages.
Held as part of the four-day pedestrianization of Monkland Avenue, the celebration featured nearly 20 activities between Wilson and Melrose avenues, including hands-on workshops, guided tours, heritage displays and demonstrations.
But the anniversary was about more than looking back. Across the street, residents were invited to share memories, create art and help preserve the stories they want future generations to remember.
Patrimoine en fête is Montreal’s annual heritage event, moving to a different neighbourhood each year to highlight the city’s built and living heritage.
This year, NDG’s 150th anniversary gave the event a particularly local focus, bringing together community organizations, artists and residents to explore how the neighbourhood has changed — and what continues to make it home.
“Patrimoine en fête is a special opportunity to celebrate what brings us together and shapes our collective identity. By marking the 150th anniversary of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, we invite the public to discover or rediscover the history, places and traditions that contribute to the richness of Montreal’s heritage,” said Stephanie Valenzuela, mayor of the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough.
Among the organizations taking part was the Société d’histoire de Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, which displayed photographs, objects and anecdotes from the neighbourhood’s past.
Héritage Montréal offered activities centred on NDG’s architecture and heritage, while the City’s Heritage Division highlighted its work preserving and promoting Montreal’s historic places.
Other projects asked residents to become part of the record themselves.
Bienvenue à NDG invited the community to create a time capsule to be opened in 25 years, when the neighbourhood marks its 175th anniversary.
The NDG Art Hive’s “NDG Memories” project invited residents to contribute personal memories that will be transformed into artwork for an exhibition and digital book.
For Andréanne Moreau, the City of Montreal’s executive committee member responsible for culture, heritage, design and the French language, that connection between past and present is central to the event.
“Patrimoine, in fact, is an event that’s traveling from one borough to another every year. This year, we’re in NDG because of the 150th anniversary, of course. So it’s a way to connect people with the history of every borough. So the event changes a little bit every year.”
She said heritage is not limited to buildings that are centuries old.
“I think it’s very important, especially in Montreal. We have a lot of newcomers. So every year, thousands of people come from everywhere in the world. And it’s very important to preserve the history of the city, what made it become what it is today.”
“And it’s also a way to have every community leave its trace, because we see it here in NDG. It’s not just hundreds of years ago. Heritage can also be 50 years ago, 40 years ago. So everyone can leave its trace.”
For Alexandre Teodoresco, city councillor for the Loyola district, NDG’s heritage is inseparable from its diversity.
He said the neighbourhood’s landmarks include Villa Maria, the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce church and the Empress Theatre, but heritage extends beyond the physical structures.
“The heritage is something that goes beyond just the gray stone and preserving the past. It’s about building the future and building this dialogue between generations and different cultures from different parts of the world.”
“And I think this diversity is what makes NDG very special and inclusive. And we’re very, very proud of this variety of cultures and points of views and perspectives from around the world.”
That idea of heritage as something lived — rather than simply preserved — was reflected throughout the day.
Music and dance performances by Boubé, Frictions, Raíz Viva and Avatarium – Ample Man Danse brought contemporary culture into the celebration.
Héritage Montréal also led two guided walks exploring NDG’s architecture, one in English and one in French.
For some residents, the 150th anniversary was personal history.
One woman attending the celebration said her grandparents moved to NDG in 1954, and that several generations of her family have remained in the neighbourhood.
“My grandparents moved here in 1954, and the family has been living here ever since. All the generations. So this is like the third and fourth generations living here. So it’s really important to us. It’s really important that, you know, we continue the tradition of the area, of supporting everybody.”
Another attendee had a different connection to the neighbourhood. She no longer lives in NDG but returned to the celebration because she grew up there.
“I used to live here when I was a kid, and now I don’t live here anymore, but it’s always nice to come back where I grew up.”
For families who still call NDG home, the event offered a chance to pass that connection on.
One mother said she brought her son to discover activities in the neighbourhood and support the local community.
“I think it’s meeting new people, getting him engaged in the activities and what NDG has to offer, particularly in Monkland. It’s a great neighborhood.”
Children took part in art and woodworking activities, while the pedestrianized avenue filled with music, food and families.
Teodoresco said creating opportunities for people to gather is particularly important at a time when communities can feel increasingly divided.
“We unfortunately live in a world where we have a lot of anxiety and reasons to be concerned about the divisiveness,” he said. “When we have a chance to come together physically, we realize that we have way more many reasons to be together than to be separate and to be divided.”
By the end of the day, the anniversary had become less about counting the years than celebrating the people who filled them.
“It brings the whole community together even closer,” one attendee said. “We have like such a beautiful day. Music is playing. Kids are having a good time. So much good food. It’s honestly the best.”
