Article content

A version of this article was initially published in June 2016 and updated in 2017 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Grand Prix racing in Canada.

The official website of Formula One racing publishes a destination guide for each of the events held around the world, in such far-flung and exotic venues as Monaco, Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Montreal's Grand Prix romance: It's complicated Back to video

“Few places,” it says, “embrace their Grand Prix as enthusiastically as Montreal.”

Tell us about it.

Everyone knows Grand Prix weekend marks the unofficial start of summer in this city, when the sun-deprived shake off their winter blahs and layers of clothing to hit downtown streets and terrasses.

Knowledge of racing is optional. If there’s a party, Montrealers are there, enjoying the sights and sounds on Crescent and Peel Sts., or in Little Italy — wherever they spot the live bands, displays of sleek cars and parade of beautiful people.

Meanwhile, jammed bars, restaurants and hotels rake in the jet-set tourist dollars.

Of course, it’s mostly about the Grand Prix, on Île Notre-Dame. This year’s event takes place June 9-11, covering Friday practice, Saturday qualifying and the race on Sunday. It’s the seventh stop of 20 in the planet’s premier racing series.