Tam - Tams - wikipedia Tam - Tams This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( February 2016 ) Coordinates : 45 ° 30 ′ 51 '' N 73 ° 35 ′ 07 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 45.514226 ° N 73.585262 ° W ﻿ / 45.514226 ; - 73.585262 Tam - Tams with Cartier monument in background. The Tam - Tams is the informal name of a weekly free festival around the George - Étienne Cartier Monument in Mount Royal Park in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Its name is onomatopoetic, referring to the drum circle that forms the focal point of the gathering. Contents 1 Events 2 History 3 Present day 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Events Thousands of drum players, dancers, vendors and visitors come together every Sunday afternoon throughout the temperate months, occupying much of the open space on the eastern edge of Mount Royal Park ( also known as Fletcher 's Field ). Jeanne - Mance Park, located directly across Avenue du Parc from where the Tam - Tams take place, serves as the city 's main outdoor sporting ground. As such, the entire area is generally quite popular on Sundays in the summertime, drawing an exceptionally diverse crowd to myriad activities. The Tam - Tams typically start around 10 : 30am and continue until sunset. It is not an officially sanctioned nor sponsored event, simply a regular if technically spontaneous event. As such, it 's difficult to pinpoint when it started or what motivated the first drum circle. History Drummers near base of the Cartier monument. Spending Sundays in Mount Royal Park has been popular since the park was inaugurated in 1876, and the nature and design of Fletcher 's Field has always made it a popular spot for picnics and sunbathers. Musical performances have been a staple since time immemorial, as brass bands, military and marching bands were popular entertainment until around the time of the Second World War. Moreover, the location of the Tam - Tams is n't too far from where Montreal 's first permanent exposition hall, the Crystal Palace, was located. As such the location of the Tam - Tams is well rooted in the history of Montreal public life and festivities. Anecdotal evidence suggests the first people to begin regular drumming at the base of the Cartier monument back in the mid-1960s. A group of students from the West Indies who lived in the area arranged to meet at the monument and practice in a public place to avoid disturbing their neighbours. However, alternate anecdotal evidence suggests more recent beginnings. Quoted from an Ottawa - based musician and educator : ``... 1992, it started with four ceremonial guard guys ( me included ) meeting up to buy pot from some guys we met at Steve 's music store. They were buying djembes and we had just attended a clinic with Memo Ascevedo, and bought traditional go - go bells, tambime ( not tambourine ), clave, talking drum, etc. He had a Cuban buddy who played bongos, and we met at the statue to exchange rhythmic ideas. We shared an apartment on l'esplanade with 6 other army guys, all drummers. 3 of us were on leave at alternate times, 6 days of work, 3 days off. So there was always someone at the house. We agreed to meet every Sunday at the park, get high, and jam. Other guys started coming, it watered down the quality of the jam, but it got bigger and bigger... '' But it would be many years before the Tam - Tams became an element of the Montreal counter-culture scene. In this respect, anecdotal evidence suggests the Tam - Tams ' origins date back to Saint Jean Baptiste Day 1976 when the City of Montreal located festivities related to the day entirely within the ' mountain domain '. In this case the mountain became a playground for the city 's youth and counter-culture, with music throughout the day and many bonfires throughout the night. Damage to the park was so extreme the city would never again use the mountain for large - scale organized festivities. Present day Today 's Tam - Tams are still centred on the drum circle, but have evolved to also include artisanal vendors, DJs, performance artists, exhibitionists and a battle - royal for fantasy role players. Because of the ' laissez - faire ' attitude that characterizes the festivities, drug dealing, drug use and public drinking are tolerated to a degree. The Tam - Tams is strongly associated with cannabis culture, and though Montreal police are generally present they tend to disregard consumption of alcohol and cannabis. The general rule observed by Montrealers and respected by the police is discretion, moderation and not consuming in view of children. See also Hand drum References Jump up ^ `` Cartier returns ''. Montreal Gazette. May 23, 2008. Retrieved 31 March 2010. External links Online documentary Tam Tam Montreal : Sunday in the Park, CITIZENShift Tam Tams ! - A short film Landmarks of Montreal Museums Château Ramezay Centre d'histoire de Montréal Biodome Maison Saint - Gabriel Museum Montreal Biosphère Canadian Centre for Architecture McCord Museum Montreal Insectarium Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Musée d'art contemporain Pointe - à - Callière Museum Redpath Museum Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium The Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site Montreal Science Centre Sir George - Étienne Cartier National Historic Site Fort de l'Île Sainte - Hélène Just for Laughs Museum ( closed ) Churches Christ Church Cathedral Church of St. Michael and St. Anthony Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral Notre - Dame Basilica Saint James United Church Saint Joseph 's Oratory Skyscrapers 1000 de La Gauchetière 1250 René - Lévesque 1501 McGill College Tour de la Bourse Place Ville Marie Tour CIBC Sun Life Building Complexe Desjardins Westmount Square Maison Radio - Canada Other structures Atwater Market Bell Centre Big Orange Bonsecours Market Château Dufresne Montreal Casino Mount Royal Chalet Grande Bibliothèque Habitat 67 Hurtubise House Jean - Talon Market Montreal City Hall Montreal Clock Tower Montreal Forum Mount Royal Cross Olympic Stadium Palais des congrès de Montréal Place Bonaventure Place des Arts Windsor Station Montreal World Trade Centre Underground City Nature and parks Angrignon Park Bois - de-l'Île - Bizard Nature Park Bois - de-Liesse Nature Park Cap - Saint - Jacques Nature Park Jarry Park Parc Jean - Drapeau Jeanne - Mance Park Lachine Canal La Fontaine Park L'Anse - à - l'Orme Nature Park Maisonneuve Park Montreal Botanical Garden Mount Royal George - Étienne Cartier Monument Old Port Olympic Park Oxford Park Pointe - aux - Prairies Nature Park Ruisseau - De Montigny Nature Park Squares Cabot Square Champ de Mars Dorchester Square Phillips Square Place d'Armes Place du Canada Place Émilie - Gamelin Place Jacques - Cartier Place Jean - Paul Riopelle Saint - Louis Square Victoria Square Place d'Youville Islands Île Bizard Île de la Visitation Island of Montreal Notre Dame Island Nuns ' Island Saint Helen 's Island Transportation Central Station Montreal Metro Société de transport de Montréal Réseau de transport métropolitain Gare d'autocars de Montreal Trudeau Airport Events Canadian Grand Prix Divers / Cité Fantasia Festival Festival du Nouveau Cinéma Les FrancoFolies Just for Laughs L'International des Feux Loto - Québec Montreal International Jazz Festival Montreal World Film Festival Tam - Tams Cemeteries Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery Establishments Fairmount Bagel La Ronde Moishes Steakhouse Montreal Pool Room Schwartz 's St - Viateur Bagel Wilensky 's Belmont Park ( closed ) Ben 's ( closed ) Related National Historic Sites in Montreal Historic places in Montreal Category : Montreal Portal : Montreal WikiProject : Montreal Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tam - tams du mont Royal. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tam-Tams&oldid=801801556 '' Categories : Mount Royal Music of Montreal Drumming 1978 establishments in Quebec Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from February 2016 All articles needing additional references Coordinates on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Français Edit links This page was last edited on 21 September 2017, at 23 : 20. About Wikipedia

Question: what time do tam tams start in montreal
Answer: around 10:30am; 10:30am; Tam-Tams typically start around 10:30am; 10:30am