Life here during the summer is always lots of
fun. (Scroll down for the
calendar) RETURN TO
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FRANCAIS
Every summer I’m able to attend over
45 different festivals (plus other activities & sports events) from June
till September in many different cities (most in Montréal & Québec
City). From early June till mid August
I’m usually out almost every evening at a festival, sometimes enjoying up to 5
festivals the same day. Starting
around midAugust things slow down a bit with festivals mostly on the weekends
(Thursday or Friday till Sunday).
There are also plenty of other
festivals that I don’t even have time to enjoy. The festivals that
are farther away or I haven’t been to are not noted in the calendar below but I
do list many of those festivals & their dates lower on this page. If you know of a festival you would like me
to add let me know.
I rarely have a night in the summer
where nothing is planned. If you don’t
live in Montreal examine the calendar below then pick a few days or a week
& come visit. It might even be so much fun you will want to move here
(like I did).
As in the regular festival schedules 2023, 2024 & 2025 the
more stars placed before the name of the festival the more fun that festival
is. Festivals like Osheaga, Ile Sonic & Lasso are not included in the
Calendar part because they are more like a show at the Bell Centre but with
many artists in festival form but with the price expensive like a show at the
Bell Centre would be. The dates of
those festivals are included below the calendar section. FEQ (Festival d’été de Québec) is included
in the main calendar because the passport for 11 nights of music (12 in 2023)
is a great price. $152 presale/$165
regular sale for 11 nights compared to a single day ($175) at Osheaga with many
artists/groups at FEQ even better than what you would see at Osheaga.
For details of other
recent summers - Summer Calendar 2024 Summer Calendar 2023 Summer Calendar 2022
A green
star *
notes my presence in 2025. A black
star * notes my presence in 2024. In
the calendar below a red star * after the name of the festival means that I (Dean) was
present at least once (& usually more, often every year) since 2007.
When I note the name of a group at a
festival in green, it’s not the only group at the festival but I note the most
popular artists normally free (if free & paid shows) or with festival
passport (like in 2023 at the Festival d’été where they
probably had the best programming in the history of the festival. There are festivals & events that I will
also add during the summer. R = rest night & catch up on things
like cooking, watching PVR & updating Bison tuque & Squirrel Gallagher
photos ? means that the date
is not yet confirmed There are also
dates & festivals to be added.
There are activities (beach,
waterslides, camping, La Ronde, blood donation, Cirque du Soleil, Capitales
baseball à Québec, FC Montreal soccer, Alouettes football games) that I do not
note with a red star * in
the 2023 calendar because the days that I participate each year vary from year
to year. In the case of a non-festival
concert (Green Day, Blink182, Paul McCartney, etc) the group only comes once
every few years.
The schedule below is colour
co-ordinated with festivals in black
- Montréal, Blue – Quebec City,
marine blue –
Beauce, brown – elsewhere ( Ste-Perpétue,Qc / St-Hyacinthe,Qc / Toronto, Ont /
Kingston,Ont & Grindstone Island,NY,USA / St-Tite,Qc, etc. ), Purple - St-Jean sur Richelieu. Red – Sports game,
event or festival.
Full moon - 
. For dates from Oct 2024 to Dec 2025 click here for the regular festival
schedule
There are also the
dates of dozens of other festivals farther from Montreal or Quebec city
&/or smaller or expensive under this calendar.
There
are also various museums for free the first Sunday of
every month .
At some point there are the Finals of the Quebec games (each year its in a different city). The festival Culture Days (Fri Sept 26 – Sun 28) ends the
season of almost non-stop festivals. There’s also the Montreal Canadiens blood drive & sometimes they also have a Fanfest (normally in November).
Toronto festivals Ottawa/Gatineau
festivals
DATES BELOW ARE NOT YET UP TO DATE
There are hundreds of festivals which are evidently not noted in my
calendar nor in my schedule. If I put all the festivals & free shows
all over Québec, (festivals far from Montreal, small festivals, etc) the
calendar would lose its simplicity. I put the best festivals which
are near Montréal & Québec city
& either free or very inexpensive for what is offered.
Another link to verify for free shows in Montreal – La Vitrine
Including the St-Hyacinthe
Expo (noted below) there are many trade
shows & fairs across the province of Quebec –
Expo Québec – was
cancelled in 2016 but is now the Grande Foire de Quebec & in 2023 the date is not yet announced but in 2022 it was at the
end of August.
Dates for most other festivals in
2024 are noted below. If it says ??? the date is not yet confirmed. DATES ARE TO COME FOR 2024
Many other things to do in Montreal
Many streets in Montréal will be pedestrian only all summer - Quartier des spectacles
sur Ste-Catherine Ouest entre Bleury & St-Laurent, le Village sur
Ste-Catherine entre St-Hubert & Papineau, le Quartier Latin sur St-Denis
entre de Maisonneuve & Sherbrooke, dans Verdun – Wellington entre Regina
& 6e Rue, Plateau MontRoyal, Village, @ Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
sur Ontario entre Pie-IX & Darling,
etc…
Le quartier des spectacles – many activities during spring/summer
including Jardins Gamelin May 30 – Sept 15 (shows most evenings, Saturdays -Salsafolie, Sundays
–games during the day, evening - Quiz, shows, etc 7 days a week)
Downtown shopping centre events
Events in the Hochelaga area – various events during the
summer including shows, movies , triporteur races & sidewalk sales
Théatre de Verdure @ Lafontaine Park ( End June
– end Aug )
Les Concerts Campbell (free music concerts at
various parks all around Montreal all summer from end June to early Sept)
Urban cinema under the stars ( dates to come - free films outside @ la Place de la paix on St
Laurent between Ste Cath & Rene Lvsq )
Cinema under the stars ( Wed June 26 – Wed Aug
28 ) the best social & political documentaries outside free with
discussions in various Montreal parks )
Radio
Canada guided visits every weekend
Piknic Electronik @ Parc Jean-Drapeau (Sundays
from May 19 – Oct 6)
Festival
Fuego Fuego @ Olympic Park Esplanade ( Sat May 25-
Sun 26 )
Festival
TransAmériques (dance & theatre festival - Wed
May 22 – Wed June 5)
Fringe Festival (Mon
May 27 – Sun June 16)
Wellington sidewalk sale ( Fri June 7
– Sun 9 )
Festival sur le Canal near Atwater Market (Fri June 14 - Sun 16)
Poutinefest @ Old Port ( Wed July 17 – Sun July 28)
Zoofest
& Off-JFL ( cancelled in 2024 – normally mid to end July at the same
time as the Just for Laughs festival )
Fantasia (Thurs July 18 – Sun Aug 9)
Italfest @ Little
Italy Fri Aug 2 – Sun 4 & Esplanade Tranquille @ Place des Arts Fri Aug 9-
Sun 11
Osheaga - expensive music festival @ Parc Jean-Drapeau (Fri Aug 2 - Sun 4)
Orientalys - shows & expositions from different parts of the
Orient (Thu Aug 8 - Sun 11)
Presence
Autochtone @ Place des festivals & nearby (Tues Aug 6 – Thurs
15)
Festival Ile Soniq @ Parc Jean-Drapeau (Fri Aug 9 – Sun
11)
Lasso
Country music festival @ Parc Jean-Drapeau (Thurs Aug 15 –
Sat 17)
Diner en blanc a dinner where everyone wear white ( usually in
August )
Mutek @ Place des Arts ( Tues Aug 20 – Sun 25 ) International Festival of
digital creativity & electronic music
Marionettes plein la rue Marionette
festival in Verdun ( Fri Aug 23 – Sun 25 )
Festival Trad ( Thurs Aug 29 – Sun Sept 1 )
World Film Festival ( cancelled in 2019 ) I took the filmfest off my regular calendar
because for the past few years year the free outdoor films have been cancelled
& in 2019 the festival is completely cancelled. Hundreds of people used to go see classic movies outside at
Place des Arts & it was a lot of fun.
In 2018 they even talk about going into bankruptcy. The festival apparently is so badly run I’d
be surprised if it isn’t cancelled for good sometime in the next year or two
unless someone else takes it over.
Montreal Erotic Art
Festival ( ? end Aug ? )
Mile
Ex End (
music festival near Metro Rosement – cancelled since covid-normally Labour Day
weekend)
Montreal Fetish weekend ( Th Aug 29 –
Mon Spt 2 - Labour day weekend)
Portes ouvertes – Change d’air
( ? Sept ) discover Montreal sports & leisure
Festival Quartiers danses
( Th Sept 5 – Sat 14 )
Festival Jackalope
(Fri Sept 13 – Sun 15) - action sports festival @ Olympic Esplanade
Ste-Catherine sidewalk sale ( early Sept )
Festival MAPP (Mar 24 Spt –
Sam 28)
Pop Montreal ( Wed Spt 25 - Sun 29 )
Fright Fest & Kids
pumpkin fest @ La Ronde - weekends (Sat Oct 5 – Sun 27)
Elsewhere in the
province of Quebec--------- Most dates have been announced
The Canadian tulip festival
in Ottawa (Fri May 10 - Mon 20)
Fishing festival @
St-Jean des Piles (Wed May 29 - Sun June 2)
Cheese Fridays at Warwick (Fridays all summer
from May 21 till Sept 27)
Festival au
Lac Granby (Thurs June 6 - Sun 8)
Festival de la Chanson de Tadoussac
(Thurs June 13 - Sun 16)
Festival L’Outaouais
en fête (@ Aylmer) (Fri June 21 – Lun
24)
Mosaiculture au Québec ( not sure when it will be returning to our province) awesome
sculptures made out of 6 million flowers & plants
Festivoix de Trois Rivières (Thurs
June 27 - Sun July 7)
Soif de musique
in Cowansville (Wed July 3 – Sun 7)
Sherblues & Folk (Thurs
July 4 – Sat 6)
Festival du Gros gras@
Chute Saint-Philippe (Fri July 5 – Sat 7)
Ottawa Blues Fest (Thurs July 4 - Sun 14)
Festirame in Alma, Lac St-Jean
(Fri July 5 – Sat July 13)
Mondial des Cultures @
Drummondville (cancelled in 2018 & forever it seems)
Valleyfield Regatta @
Valleyfield (Fri, Sat July 5-6, & Thurs 11 - Sun 14)
Mont Tremblant International Blues Festival (Wed July 10 – Sun 14)
Gibfest @ Sorel-Tracy (Thurs July 11 - Sun 21)
Fête du Lac des Nations @
Sherbrooke (Tues July 16 - Sun 21)
Granby Mascot Festival (cancelled the past few
years, usually midJuly)
Lanaudière Mémoire & Racines (Tues July 23 – Sun 28 @ St-Charles Borromée)
Festival Hommes Fort (Victoriaville
in 2023) ( Tues July 23 – Sun 28 )
Artefact festival @ Vaudreuil Dorion ( Fri
July 26 – Sat 27 )
Expo de Saint-Hyacinthe (Thu July 25 - Sat Aug 3)
Quebec Opera Festival @ Quebec city (Wed July 24 – Sun Aug 4)
Fireworks
Competition on the water between
Quebec city & Levis (Aug 1- 24)
Les Grandes
fêtes @ Rimouski (Tues Aug 1 – Sat 4)
Osisko en Lumière
@ Rouyn Noranda ( Wed Aug 7 – Sat 10 )
Festival International de la Chanson de Granby
(Thurs Aug 8 - Sat 18)
ComediHa! @ Québec City - comedy festival (Thu Aug 1 -
Sat 24)
Pro-Am SunLife ( Wed Aug 14 – hockey game in Quebec city Videotron Centre - NHL players
vs Quebec amateurs)
Rock la Cauze @ Victoriaville (Thurs Aug 8 – Sat 10)
Le
show de la rentrée d’Actonvale (Thurs Aug 15 – Sat 17)
Festibière @ Québec (beer festival @ Docks of the space 400th – Thurs Aug 15 –
Sun 18)
Super Franco Fête @ Québec – Music festival @ Quebec port Agora (Thurs Aug 15 – Sun 31)
Big Quebec fair ( Wed Aug 23 – Sun 27 ) – rides, etc (It replaces Expo Quebec which was
cancelled since 2016)
Festival de la Poutine de Drummondville (Thurs Aug 22 - Sat 24)
Festival Country Lotbinière (Thurs Aug 22 - Sat 24)
Garlic
festival
@ Ste-Anne de Bellevue ( Sat Aug 24 )
Gatineau hot air balloon festival (Thurs Aug 29 – Mon Sept 2)
Emerging Music Festival @ Rouyn Noranda ( Thurs Aug 29 – Sun Sept 1- Labour day weekend )
Festival Bières et saveurs de
Chambly ( Fri Aug 30 – Mon Sept 2 –
Labour day weekend)
Fête de la Musique Tremblant
(Fri Aug 30 – Mon Sept 2)
Bordeaux wine festival in Quebec city ( @ Bordeaux in 2025 – every few years it’s in Quebec
city )
Oktoberfest de
Repentigny beer festival with
musical shows ( Fri Sept 6 – Sun 8 )
Festival CHAPO @ Old Mascouche – International busker festival ( Fri Sept 13 –
Sun 15 )
Quebec city Magic Festival ( Thurs Sept 19 – Sun 22 )
Festitook @ Québec
- bazar & musique ( Ven 20 – Dim 22 Sept )
There are also festivals that don’t exist anymore like Montreal Outdoors Festival (cancelled
since 2014 – end May), Pointe à Callières Cultural Feast (cancelled since 2014 endMay),
Opéra sous les Étoiles , National Environment Salon – cancelled from
2011 to 2014, Vans
Warped Tour- cancelled in Montreal since 2015, Fête des enfants (childrens
festival)- cancelled since 2015 but Weekends du Monde
has a family celebration to replace it), Festiblues-
cancelled since 2017, In town without my car! (cancelled since 2014) . There were also lots of activities for Montreal’s 375th anniversary of
Montréal during the year 2017 including Avudo (free all summer – immense projection of the history
of Montreal – in Old Port) & La Grande Tournée (19 festivities in 19 sectors of Montreal from midMay
to midSept).
Other cancelled festivals in
Montreal –……..
Opera under the Stars ( ? cancelled the past few years)
NASCAR race & festival on Crescent - cancelled since 2013
Festival Montreal Gourmand (cancelled since 2015 – now YUL Eat festival)
Montreal International Reggae
Festival (cancelled in 2018 normally Fri Aug 17 - Sun 19) @ Old
Montreal
Festival
Experience Montreal ( ?cancelled in 2016- 2
weekends near end Aug )
Cancelled festivals
elsewhere in Quebec –
Bacon Festival @ Sherbrooke (?cancelled
since 2017 - mi Mai )
World Choir Festival in Laval
(?cancelled since 2015
– It was end June)
Le Fou Rire de
Tremblant (?cancelled since 2015 –normally endJune)
Festival Musique en
Vue Cowansville (?cancelled since 2015 - http://www.journalleguide.com/Culture/2015-05-07/article-4138713/Pas-de-Musique-en-Vue-cette-annee/1
normally midJuly)
Echofête à Trois Pistoles (cancelled since 2015 - http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/est-quebec/2015/06/17/001-echofete-sabbatique-2015.shtml
- normally early Aug)
Comiqu’Art
de Trois Rivières (cancelled since 2014)
Estrie de Rire @ Sherbrooke ( ?cancelled since 2017 )
Fastival – previously
called Festibeach de Shawinigan (? Cancelled since 2018)
Festival de la Blague @ Drummondville ( cancelled since 2023 )
Maximum Blues de Carlton in the
Gaspesie region (cancelled
after 20 great years – it was the 1st 3 weeks in August & had a
great reputation)
Expo
Québec, (normally mid to end August – rides, expositions &
music shows )
Quebec city international festival
of Military Bands (?CANCELLED since 2014 – normally end Aug)
Also of course in Montreal there are Impact soccer games, Alouettes
football games, National Bank Open Tennis professional tennis with
a rotation every year (with Toronto) between the men’s (2022 @ Mtl) & women’s tournament (2023 @ Mtl)
Fri Aug 5 – Sun Aug 14, Boot Camp (60 NHL players in a mini tournament @
Québec city (Fri Aug 9 – Sat 10) & the Coupe Banque
Nationale (formerly Challenge Bell) tournament in Quebec City normally in early September is
cancelled this year & to be replaced by another event in the coming years.
Davis Cup & Fed Cup tennis is
occasionally in Montréal & Quebec city. There is also the Montreal Dragon Boat Challenge (Sat July 6 - Sun 7). In September there are preseason hockey
games of the Montreal Canadiens .
Montreal lost its junior hockey team but
Quebec City has the Remparts
with the season starting in midSeptember. And Laval now has the Canadiens’ farm club
in the AHL with preseason games in September.
The Expos moved to Washington in 2004 so there is no more professional
baseball in Montreal but Youppi! is
with the Montreal Canadiens & Quebec
City had the semi-pro champions for 5 straight
years, les Capitales (2009 – 2013
& again in 2017 Can-Am league champions) who are always at or near the top
of the league. There are also Expos Nation events & Montreal Baseball Project events. Montreal Blog suggests where to go with your parents when they visit - https://www.mtlblog.com/parents-visit-montreal-tourism
When university begins in September there are free outdoor concerts
also.
OTHER THINGS TO
DO
Old
Montreal ( very romantic & full of ambiance &
life – also boat cruises-P,
Pedalboats-P
& Quadricycles-P etc.
), Mosaicultures
Internationales Montréal
may be back one summer, Grévin wax museum, various
streets such as St. Denis, St. Laurent,
Ste. Catherine St
& the
underground city, MontRoyal
( great
view of the city & “tamtams” on Sundays & free musical shows some
Sundays @ the chalet on MontRoyal), Botanical
gardens-P (free concerts every Sunday afternoon all summer till Aug
28), Biodome-P,
Olympic
Park-P, the bike
paths & parks (including free BIXI the last Sunday of
every month, free
shows in Lafontaine
Park, La Ronde Amusement Park-P,
the
casino & the beaches (Montreal-P,
Oka,
Plattsburgh
).
Great restaurants & nice, friendly, fun people everywhere.
Great nightlife -
bars, clubs & terraces - Le “LOFT” (closed
since early 2010-best club in Montreal –terrace on roof & awesome Thurs
nts),
Foufounes
Électriques, Saint-Sulpice,
Deux Pierrots (
Old Mtl ), Café Campus (Sun),
Bourbon Street North (Mon).
Don’t forget the Passport Vacances coupon book
- click on the link for many discounts on summer activities.
The -P
noted above after various activities notes that a coupon is available on the
website for a discount on that
activity.
ALSO ONLINE SEE -
www.tourism-montreal.org
& www.bonjourquebec.com
PHOTO ALBUM Festivals 2001-2022