And another festival has just started in Montreal. This time, its about laughter. Juste pour rire is an international comedy festival that brings brings together hundreds of acts in Montreal for a two-week run.

I had a bit of a lazy and slow day, as I caught some stomach bug or had eaten something bad, but when my friend Ralph texted me about a show of Montréal’s famous Drag Queen Mado at the festival, I was up for it, of course. How could I miss that??

The festival takes place in the middle of the place des Arts, where the Jazz festival was held, too. Several bigger and smaller stages, fun for the kids, many food trucks (from the food truck festival ‘Bouffons Montréal‘…(!) make sure you won’t get bored, thirsty or hungry.

The hostess, Mado Lamotte, is a Montreal institution, her drag show runs every Tuesday in her little bar in rue Sainte-Catherine.

This time, she took it to the big stage with a show aptly entitled: Mado’s got talent. Presenting a number of acts, both in drag as well as other artists like jugglers, magicians, fire artists and singers, they re-enacted a fun talent show, including Lady Gaga, Adele, Celine Dion….

Internationally renowned personalities acted as judges, namely Cher, Queen Elizabeth II herself (mostly not amused) as well as Pauline Marois, the first female prime minister of Quebec.

The highlight for me was an amazing, Opera-style rendition of a mash-up of Lady Gaga’s smash hits, the fire-eaters, and the real life Quebecois rock singer Marjo that made a surprise appearance on stage and stunned the drag queen impersonating her.

I thoroughly enjoyed the show, and even understood most of it, as luckily Mado toned down her Quebecois for the visiting tourists. My friend Ralph also explained some of the Quebec jokes, mostly about Pauline Marois, who had just resigned after a crushing defeat in the elections some weeks ago.

I can’t believe the number of cultural activities happening in the summer in Montréal. It’s a near-overdose. The Fantasia Festival is up next, screening a number of fantastic, horror or sci-fi movies over the next days.

I really wonder what the cultural budget of Montréal must look like, all those festivals, the stages, the infrastructure and the people who make it all happen… I’m thoroughly impressed.