Your guide to Montréal’s amazing fall festivals

Gardens of Light (until November 2, 2025)

Hundreds of colourful silk lanterns create evenings of pure enchantment during this extremely popular annual fall spectacle at the Jardin Botanique. Much more than an illuminated path, Gardens of Light is an authentic gateway into three inspiring cultures (Chinese, Indigenous and Japanese).

Montreal Ukrainian Festival (September 6, 2025)

The Montreal Ukrainian Festival features performances by Ukrainian, Canadian and local Québec artists, singers, dancers, comedians and choirs. The festival also keeps festival-goers busy with a variety of kiosks featuring Ukrainian cuisine, folk art and crafts, local businesses and information booths. To keep the young ones entertained, the festival offers a supervised children’s area with games, face painting and other fun activities.

Martinique Gourmande Festival (September 9 to 21, 2025)

Indulge your Caribbean dreams at the Martinique Gourmande Festival, which unites chefs, mixologists, caterers and artisans from Martinique and Québec for a rich, multi-sensory culinary and cultural experience celebrating the flavours of the island.

Festival Shérif (September 19 to 21, 2025)

Festival Shérif offers total immersion in Southern U.S. cuisine including smoked meats, Cajun-style shrimp, crispy fried chicken, grilled corn, spicy chili and, of course, loads of BBQ. Attendees can enjoy live country music and DJs, themed games, giant inflatables, a mechanical bull and line dancing lessons.

MAPP_MTL (September 24 to 27, 2025)

Montréal’s international projection mapping festival, MAPP_MTL, takes mapping (a projection technique in which video is mapped onto surfaces such as buildings) to a whole new level. The fest functions as an open laboratory that showcases local talent and invites festivalgoers to take an active part in the mapping at a series of mostly free indoor and outdoor events. 

POP Montréal International Music Festival (September 24 to 28, 2025)

The last major music fest before the cold weather rolls in, the POP Montréal International Music Festival is a wide-ranging exploration of indie rock, folk, electro, hip-hop, punk, R&B and new music that defies genres. With venues ranging from classic theatres to intimate local bars, and from rooftops to after-hours haunts, the festival, which features more than 400 artists, traverses the city and its multiple music scenes.

Montreal International Black Film Festival (September 24 to 28, 2025)

North America’s only bilingual Black cinema festival, the Montreal International Black Film Festival is Canada's largest film event dedicated entirely to Black cinema. It offers a fresh new look at Black cinema from all four corners of the globe, and showcases many of the world’s finest film productions.

Festival international de la littérature (FIL) (September 24 to October 4, 2025)

Nearly 200 authors and artists from all disciplines and from all around the world gather in Montréal every year for the Festival international de la littérature (FIL). The jam-packed annual festival includes readings, dance performances, musical events, roundtable discussions and art exhibitions.

Journées de la Culture (September 26 to 28, 2025)

Over the course of three days, an incredible range of artists, artisans and cultural workers invite you to more than 2,000 free activities throughout the province of Québec at the annual Journées de la Culture. Discover a fascinating array of arts and culture through experimentation, observation and exchange.

Phénomena (October 1 to 24, 2025)

Phénomena is a no-holds-barred interdisciplinary and bilingual festival created to give voice to unclassifiable, innovative and atypical artists. The fest hosts cabarets, theatrical and whimsical performances, puppeteering, artistic happenings, dance, installation art and more by both emerging and established artists.

Festival du Nouveau Cinéma (October 8 to 19, 2025)

Lively, bold and innovative are just a few of the words that describe this very popular annual event that has been giving cinephiles an eyeful for going on 54 years now. Every year, the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma screens over 200 works from 60 different countries, treating audiences to works of diversity and originality by emerging and major filmmakers.

Montréal Burlesque Festival (October 10 and 11, 2025)

Bringing back the glitz and glam of bygone, Prohibition-era cabarets, the Montréal Burlesque Festival features two days and nights of razzle-dazzle sensuality, sugar and spice at the downtown Club Soda in the Quartier des Spectacles. A roster of top performers from around the world take you on a bedazzled journey of romance and seduction, showing off their best assets along the way.

Ramen Ramen Fes (October 13 to 26, 2025)

If you guessed that Ramen Ramen Fes is a festival dedicated to celebrating this iconic noodle dish from Japan, you’d be correct! During the growing, flavour-filled event, ramen shops and pop-ups will be invited to showcase their own original ramen creations, and festivalgoers as well as a professional jury can vote for their favourites.

MTL connect (October 28 to 31, 2025)

Innovative ideas are in full bloom during this showcase of digital installations, exhibitions and trends. MTL connect together industry players who want to understand the challenges and issues of the digital revolution, while presenting the opportunities and providing solutions to take advantage of them. It’s also an opportunity for entrepreneurs, researchers, industry players and artists to expand their networks and collaborate. 

CINEMANIA Francophone Film Festival (November 4 to 16, 2025)

Go crazy for French film at CINEMANIA. This must-attend event screens the best of this year’s francophone cinema complete with English subtitles. Each edition includes feature fiction films, several documentaries, short films, masterclasses, conferences and special events.

La Grande Dégustation de Montréal (November 6 to 8, 2025)

It’s tippling time! This three-day tasting event is a unique gathering where wine producers, distillers and brewers come together to share their passion with wine, beer and spirit lovers and connoisseurs. La Grande Dégustation de Montréal offers a rare opportunity to meet producers from all around the world and discover a vast array of great products.

Festival International Bach Montréal (November 15 to December 7, 2025)

Lose yourself in the works of this musical giant in some of Montréal’s most prestigious venues when the Bach Festival presents a dozen concerts, a choir night and concerts for children over a three-week period, attracting more than 20,000 local and international festival-goers.

Mundial Montréal (November 18 to 21, 2025)

The world is your (musical) oyster at the annual Mundial Montréal, which showcases the best in new global music. Known as North America's World Music Summit, the annual music industry gathering features one-of-a-kind concerts, public rehearsals, a conference and networking events while shining a spotlight on dozens of gifted musicians from every corner of the world.

Salon du Livre de Montréal (November 19 to 23, 2025)

A real page-turner, Montréal’s literary event calendar reaches its climactic conclusion with the Salon du Livre, which presents the largest collection of French-language books in North America. Come and meet your favourite authors and discover new ones during the salon’s many events, including roundtable discussions, literary debates and public readings.

image + nation (November 20 to 30, 2025)

Canada’s first LGBT2SQ+ film festival is an annual celebration of international LGBT2SQ+ cinema, image + nation that unveils big hits and hidden gems while striving to encourage connection and reflection, nurture queer storytellers and promote queer culture both locally and internationally.

Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) (November 20 to 30, 2025)

One of North America’s leading documentary film festivals, the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) presents over 100 Canadian and international documentaries that illuminate every corner of our world, pose thoughtful questions and mine reality’s emotional depths. The program is for filmmakers and audiences alike, featuring groundbreaking films, retrospectives, discussions, new technologies and special events.