by MARK SLUTSKY

Divers/Cité is back in its 11th edition, and it's no surprise that this year's schedule is just as packed as ever, with movie screenings, concerts, dances, art shows, community events and more to keep you amazed and entertained. And, of course, the parade, the colourful apex of Pride celebrations in this city.

Opening entertainment

Things get started in grand style, as usual, with the always-popular Mado au Casino, on opening day, Monday, July 28. Drag eminence Mado Lamotte hosts this mostly-French night of laffs and cabaret; it almost always sells out, so get your tix early! At Cabaret du Casino, 8 p.m., $34.99. Also that night, and considerably cheaper - that is, free - is the outdoor Cinema in the Park event, featuring Jane Anderson's movie Normal, about a Midwestern man who decides he wants a sex change operation. Tom Wilkinson and Jessica Lange star. The film starts at 9 p.m. at Divers/Cité hub Place Émilie-Gamelin.

Also starting on the 28th is the outdoor art show Exuberance!, an exhibit of photos from Nova Scotia group Young Gay America, who tour around the continent snapping shots of gay, bisexual and transgendered youth. It runs at Place Émilie-Gamelin through the last day of the festival, August 3.

Get this party started

The first really big party of Divers/Cité goes down the next night, on Tuesday, July 29. That'd be 1, boulevard des Rêves. Hosted by Marleen Ménard, the show features a ton of performers, including Martha Walsh (of C & C Music Factory fame), Nanette Workman, Dawn Sierra, Sylvie Desgroseillers, and many, many more. That's at (where else?) Place Émilie-Gamelin, and the fun starts at 7:30 p.m.

Take a break from dancing and watch some other people do it for a change at Flexx, a great big dance show taking place the next night, Wednesday, July 30. Expect performances by the likes of Serge Takri, Roger Sinha, Le Jeune Ballet du Québec, Nikolas Dixon, George Stamos and more. Things get Terpsichorean at 8 p.m., at none other than Place Émilie-Gamelin.

Same time, same place, one day later is Cachondo, Divers/Cité's tribute to this town's Latin community. Musicians on the bill include Michael Laucke, Mandinga, Esencia del Péru, and Gaïjà. When you're done there head down the street to Siga Cachondo at Sky Club, which features Latin House in one room (spun by DJ Omar "Cito" Perez) and more traditional Latin music in the other, courtesy of DJ Ismail Magana. Plus there's a drag show by Montreal's own La Pepa! That goes from 10 p.m.–3 a.m., and costs $6.

Working for the weekend

Two parties compete for your attention the next night, Friday Aug. 1, but you can probably catch 'em both if you have the endurance and you want to kick off the weekend in style. Starting at 5 p.m. is New Society, which this year is focused more on live bands than DJs. Over 50 musicians will be performing at the six-hour event; names include El Colectivo, Dobacaracol, Batucada of Kum'pania, Dibondoko and Z'Wa. Surrender to the rhythm at Place Émilie-Gamelin. Next stop is Homorama at Sky Club, orchestrated by DJ Frigid. On the menu is electro, alternative, and other fun darkish stuff. If you want to cast off the cloak of darkness for a little bit you can always wander into the next room, where DJ Patrick Guay will be spinning sexy house music. That all starts at 10 p.m., and $10 will get you in.

The next day features a nice preamble to the parade, the annual Community Day on Ste-Catherine between St-Denis and St-Hubert, and Berri between René-Lévesque and de Maisonneuve. Get ready for kiosks from organizations of all kinds, with lots of youth groups reppin' this year. When your brain is sufficiently stuffed with info you can go and relax at Concerto l'après-midi, a classical and jazz concert in Place Émilie-Gamelin from 1 p.m.–5 p.m.

Saturday night's all right for dancing

From there you've got a few options - it is Saturday night, after all. If drag's your bag, head on over to the corner of Berri and Ontario at 8 p.m. for the always-entertaining Mascara: La Nuit des drags, an all-star super-show directed and hosted by who else but Mado Lamotte. Over 80 drag artists are expected to perform. If you feel more like dancing, though, the Sunset Party is where you want to be. DJs Angel Moraes and Jester take command of this T-dance at (guess!) Place Émilie-Gamelin, from 5 p.m.–11 p.m. Expect some foam.

And that's just the beginning. Sheena Hershey hosts the Pride Party at Sky 10 p.m.–3 a.m., $15, where you'll find the smooth stylings of DJs Gilles Jr. and Sylvain Girard, as well as a show at midnight. A little further uptown is Lesbomonde, where the ladies rule supreme. DJ Karmelina brings the party alongside DJs Maryse and Pascale. There's lots to entertain here with film projections, a chill-out room and even a non-smoking area. And don't forget that performance by Sylvie Desgroseillers! At Musée Juste pour rire, 9:30 p.m.–3 a.m., $20–$25.

The big day (and night)

Have fun on Saturday night, but make sure you don't sleep in and miss the biggest event of them all, the Parade. Taking over René-Lévesque between Guy and St-Denis, and starting at noon, this is definitely the one spectacle nobody should miss. Make sure you pack lots of water and suntan lotion, and be aware of the minute of silence at 1:30 p.m.

From there, things just get crazy, on the most action-packed day of the festival. At the star-studded Scène du Parc, at Place Émilie-Gamelin, Canada's most notorious fiddler, Ashley MacIsaac, will be performing, as well as Les Tubes, Charles Papasoff, Nancy Martinez, Michelle Sweeney, and others. 3 p.m.–11 p.m.

La Grande Danse is exactly what it sounds like: Alain Vinet and Nicola T rock the party, with a dance show choreographed by Jean-Marc St-Yves and lots more. That's at the corner of Berri and Ontario, and it runs from 1:31 p.m.–11 p.m.

If rock and electro are more your line, head on over to the Sex Garage stage on de Maisonneuve between Berri and St-Denis, from 1:31 p.m.–11 p.m. The estimable Mr. Plastik Patrik has put together one heck of a show, with performances by the Cherry Persuasion, Montreal's newest dyke dance destroyers Lesbians on Ecstasy, Lederhosen Lucil, Kelly Clipperton & the Kelly Girls, as well as tunes from DJs Tök, Zilon, Rico Cocono, and Frigid.

Maybe disco's more your thing. In that case, don't miss Discoville, on Ste-Catherine between Berri and St-Denis, 1:31 p.m.–11 p.m., where DJs Mado, Mario Bros and Mario Léonard spin your faves from the '70s and '80s. All that plus a 90-minute show from Vnus, billed as "Montreal's own Madonna."

Finally, there's the three big nighttime parties. Biggest of them all is certainly Pride Ball, at Aria, from 11 p.m.–10 a.m., $35–$40. The mega-closing party, it features Angel Moraes, DJs Sylvain Roy, Serge Duchesne, Stéfane Lippé, Norm Roberts and many others. La Sala Rossa is, as usual, home to Meow Mix, for "bent girls and their buddies," with DJs mim, Gaylord, and Lynne T., plus performances by Alexis O'Hara, Skidmore and Berlin drag artist Bridge Markland. That's 9:30 p.m.–3 a.m., $7. Finally, billed as the "au revoir party," French Kiss at Sky, 10 p.m.–3 a.m., $10, features tunes from Alain Vinet and a show by Nikola T.

For more info on Divers/CitÉhappenings, check www.diverscite.org

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