What’s up: My Favourite Monster, BPM, Strumbellas, Montreal party, Dead of Winter

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/11/2025 (304 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

My Favourite Monster

• By Kathleen Shellrude
• The Edge Gallery & Ceramic Studio, 611 Main St
• Until Nov. 28; Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 5 p.m;, Sunday and Monday by appointment only
• Free

Ceramicist and mixed-media artist Kathleen Shellrude’s bevy of hand built-creatures, each with its own distinctive personality and appearance, are a sight to behold when grouped together.

Every one of Shellrude’s clay companions holds a small truth about her; each character began as a fragment of a story, shaped from memory, emotion and imagination.

“A monster can be both frightening and funny, broken and joyful, clumsy and wise. In the studio, they remind me that healing isn’t about becoming polished or perfect. It’s about letting all the awkward, glittering, impossible parts co-exist,” the artist says.

Shellrude started work on her monsters a year ago and in the last 12 months has created 162 creatures for the show. Monster sizes range from between 2.5 centimetres to 45 cm, with the majority around 20 to 23 cm tall.

All monsters are available for purchase and each one comes with its own adoption papers.

— AV Kitching

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BPM X WAG-QUAMAJUQ

• With Adiyo, DXXN and DJ Saint
• WAG-Quamajuq, 300 Memorial Blvd.
• Friday, 7 p.m.
• Free

There are few musical events in Winnipeg as cutting-edge as BPM.

Against a backdrop of colourfully lit Tyndall limestone and paintings, the quarterly event’s performers fill WAG-Qaumajuq’s Main Hall with the sounds of hip hop, Afrobeats and R&B.

Facilitated by Tomiwa Omolayo (also known by his musical moniker, Tommyphyll), BPM is a collaboration between WAG- Qaumajuq and Manitoba Music. It supports Black artists and music entrepreneurs by bringing them together to share ideas, mix and perform.

Those artists include Adiyo, a Congolese-Canadian singer-songwriter blending Soukous and Afrobeat, and DXXN, who melds the more pop-oriented Afrobeats with traditional Nigerian music such as apala and fuji music. With DJ Saint, they are the event’s featured performers.

BPM features food by AVF Kitchen and, as usual, is free.

— Conrad Sweatman

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The Strumbellas

• Burton Cummings Theatre, 364 Smith St.
• Wednesday, Nov. 26, 8 p.m.
• Tickets $48-$149 at Ticketmaster

Rootsy harmonies and high-energy arena folk-rock are set to fill the intimate setting of the Burt on Wednesday.

The Strumbellas, a five-piece from Lindsay, Ont., is touring Canada in support of its new EP, Burning Bridges Into Dust, which follows the group’s 2024 release, Part Time Believer.

The band’s most recent Winnipeg headlining performance was at Festival du Voyageur in 2024.

It’s a busy week at Burton Cummings Theatre, with heavy metal band Trivium performing Friday, hardcore band Silverstein celebrating its 25th anniversary on Sunday, followed by some lighter rock via Sloan on Tuesday, Nov. 25. Tickets for all shows are on sale at Ticketmaster.

— Eva Wasney

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Another Day in Paradise

• Kilter Brewing Co., 450 Rue Deschambault
• Friday and Saturday
• Free

Mon dieu, time flies — this weekend Kilter Brewing Co. once again says “Bienvenue à Montreal” right here in Winnipeg as it throws its eighth Another Day in Paradise event, a two-day party celebrating all things Montreal through beer, food and music.

Taking place Friday and Saturday, Another Day in Paradise will feature a trio of new brews, maple whisky sours, West Island slushies, Montreal-inspired eats and a range of activities for guests. DJs will be spinning tunes from 7 to 11 p.m. both evenings.

The all-ages event is free.

— Ben Sigurdson

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Wintersing!

• Dead of Winter
• With Musica Singers
• Crescent Arts Centre, 525 Wardlaw Ave.
• Sunday, 3 p.m.
• Free

Local choral group Dead of Winter’s annual holiday concert is a collaboration with Oscar Pantaleon and Musica Singers, a community ensemble of Filipino singers established in 2023 dedicated to fostering appreciation for choral music.

As always, the musical lineup is eclectic and will feature ethnic and holiday music, works by Filipino Winnipegger Philip Lapatha, Dead of Winter’s artistic director Andrew Balfour and conductor Mel Braun, plus spirited singalongs — some in Tagalog.

Curated and led by Vic Pankratz, this concert is a warm way to prepare for the chill of winter that will soon be upon us.

The show is free, but donations to Dead of Winter as you reserve your ticket (at deadofwinter.ca) and a tin for the bin for Harvest Manitoba are encouraged.

— Jill Wilson

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