Here are some of the best places to party in Montreal during Grand Prix week

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Yes, of course there is a car race, but Grand Prix weekend in Montreal — June 6-9 — is also about all kinds of live entertainment in the city core.

The weekend is basically the unofficial start of the summer entertainment scene in the city.

The Crescent Street Grand Prix Festival draws around 600,000 people each year. The downtown strip will be featuring loads of free music from Thursday through Sunday again this year.

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“It’s huge, it’s fun, it’s festive,” said Jean-Paul Mouradian, the co-promoter of the Crescent Street Grand Prix Festival and the Maxim Grand Prix party at Windsor Station on Saturday. “It helps the economy of Montreal, the hotels, the restaurants.”

The Crescent Street bash features a slew of DJs and bands, including the Freddie James Project (Saturday at 9 p.m.) and Jordyn Sugar (Sunday at 5 p.m.). The Maxim Party’s lineup includes Moroccan-American rapper French Montana and Australian DJ duo Nervo (twin sisters Olivia and Miriam Nervo).

Peel is also the site of a major street party, Formula Peel, organized by the Peel Street Merchants Association. There’s another street bash in Little Italy, with the first edition of the Grand Prix des Saveurs.

St-Laurent Blvd. will be closed to cars from Friday to Sunday between Beaubien and Jean-Talon Sts. and there will be a bunch of free shows on two stages, one at the corner of St-Zotique St., the other at Jean-Talon. Artists performing include Zoo Baby, the solo project of Gazoline singer Xavier Dufour-Thériault, singer-songwriter Hanorah and blues/folk/country band Mon Doux Saigneur.

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The event will feature sports cars parked on the street, salsa dancing and shows for young kids Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. at Place Delacroix.

Plenty of restaurants, bars and clubs are joining in the Grand Prix action. One of the hotter spots for that will be L’Auberge Saint-Gabriel in Old Montreal. For the weekend, it rebrands itself as ABGE and more or less becomes one huge nightclub for the duration. There are star DJs every night from Thursday through Sunday, including many Montreal tune-spinners, notably Del Arte on Thursday.

Anne-Marie Hinse, director of operations at L’Auberge Saint-Gabriel, said it’s their biggest weekend of the year.

“It’s a very important weekend for us,” Hinse said. “We really need it. It makes a big difference for our entire year. We really know how to do this. L’Auberge is really a festive restaurant. And there’s no denying the Grand Prix brings lots of people and lots of money to Montreal. And we’re happy to entertain them. We put lots of energy into creating a real show. We’re very creative in the way we throw a party. We see it like a huge play about the F1. Everyone is in a good mood from Thursday to Sunday.”

There’s also a full weekend of DJ bashes at New City Gas, including sets headlined by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté Thursday and star Dutch DJ Don Diablo Sunday night.

As usual, one of the go-to parties will be the Ritz-Carlton Grand Prix Party Friday. This year, the Ritz shindig will have a ’50s theme as the hotel will be transformed into one big homage to the era of Elvis, Chuck Berry and Little Richard. Artists performing include DJ YO-C,  Fafa Khan, Shaharah, and REPLAY The Beatles Tribute.

bkelly@postmedia.com

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