Montréal cultural calendar

POP MUSIC

Some highlights of upcoming national and international tours:

May

Welsh heavy metal band Bullet For My Valentine with Trivium (May 3), Canadian classic rockers Bachman-Turner Overdrive (May 5), English rock band Bush (May 7), Nigerian Afrobeats rapper Rema (May 10), Hip Hop icons Cypress Hill (May 20), and Atlanta singer-songwriter Teddy Swims (May 24), all at Place Bell.

Canadian pop princess Alessia Cara (May 14), Chicago industrial metal band Ministry (May 17), English post-punk legends Peter Hook and The Light (May 22), all at MTELUS. 

The Chaos & Carnage 2025 tour features co-headliners Dying Fetus and Cradle Of Filth alongside openers Fleshgod Apocalypse, Ne Obliviscaris, Undeath, Vomit Forth, and Corpse Pile at the Olympia (May 6); French chansonier and Joe’s son Julien Dassin Sings Joe Dassin at Théâtre Maisonneuve (May 7), Norwegian progressive metal band Leprous at the Beanfield Theatre (May 7), American death metal band Obituary at Club Soda (May 9).

The Montréal Gospel Choir’s season finale concert at Salle Désilets (May 10), Montréal ska legends The Planet Smashers at the Beanfield Theatre (May 10); Montréal punk rock legends Ripcordz headline Blue Dog (May 22), and Montréal ska-jazz-rocksteady 8-piece Skatton Club headlines Quai des brumes (May 28). 

Australian music producer and DJ Dom Dolla will perform on the Esplanade Viau at the Olympic Park on May 17, and Colombian superstar Shakira headlines the Bell Centre on May 20. Then showbiz icon Barry Manilow brings his farewell tour to the Bell Centre on May 30.

June

British rapper Central Cee (June 1 and 2), American indie folk band The Head And The Heart (June 3), Australian singer-songwriter Ziggy Alberts (June 5), American rock band Clutch (June 6), Aussie cultural phenom Dope Lemon (June 7), and American industrial metal band Static-X (June 10), all at MTELUS.

Japanese rock band One Ok Rock (June 3),  French electronic music duo Justice (June 6), American outlaw country music singer-songwriter Cody Jinks, British soft-rock heartthrob James Blunt (June 13), co-headlining rock bands Volbeat and Three Days Grace (June 16), Croatian cellist Hauser (June 18), Rock Hall  of Famers ZZ TOP with opening act The Wallflowers (June 25), and Japanese metal band BABYMETAL with opening acts Black Veil Brides and Bloodywood (June 30), all at Place Bell.

Lane 8 brings his Childish tour to Parc Jean-Drapeau on June 6; up-and-coming American RnB crooner Kyle Dion headlines L’Escogriffe Bar Spectacle (June 10); Billy Corgan and The Machines of God headline the Beanfield Theatre on June 13;and legendary Scottish New Wave rock band Simple Minds headline the Bell Centre with opening acts Modern English and Soft Cell on June 17.

Local soul, jazz and hip hop

For those looking for dinner and a show under one roof, the city’s top soul and RnB musicians headline Le Balcon music hall and restaurant year-round. Regular headliners include Montréal music legends Freddie James, Kim Richardson, Dawn Tyler Watson and Michelle Sweeney.

Montréal’s premiere musicians and entertainers also headline live-music nightclubs Diese Onze and Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill, both ranked by DownBeat magazine as two of the top jazz nightclubs on the planet. Montréal’s top jazz, soul and blues divas headline both venues which also have dinner menus.

Le Cypher X organizes the city’s premiere hip hop concerts every Thursday at O Patro Vys while GrowveMTL presents jams featuring the city’s top musicians playing everything from disco to hip hop each Wednesday at Turbo Haüs.

Hillbilly Night each Monday at the legendary Wheel Club in NDG is the longest-running open mic night in Montréal. The live-music venue presents all genres, including the superbElton Songs tribute to pop icon Elton John on June 6.

CITY OF FESTIVALS

Montréal hosts dozens of festivals each spring and summer. Some star-studded highlights:

The 30th edition of the multi-disciplinary arts Festival Accès Asie celebrates Asian Heritage Month at various venues from May 1 to 30. Click here for full programming.

Presented by POP Montréal, the 21st edition of PUCES Pop brings together artisans selling locally-made clothing, jewelry, bodycare products, art, ceramics and prints, children’s items, gourmandises and more at Église Saint-Denis from May 9 to 11.

Discover local musicians performing on neighbourhood front porches at the Balconfête NDG Porchfest on May 17 and 18. Click here for showtimes and map.

Thousands gather each Sunday at two stages in Parc Jean-Drapeau for Piknic Électronik which kicks off May 23 with Berlin DJ Marlon Hoffstadt.

The 14th Edition of the Montreal Comic Arts Festival presents 320 creators, 170 exhibitors and 60 free activities on its outdoor site on Saint-Denis Street between Gilford and Roy, from May 23 to 25. This year’s theme is “Back to the Future.”

The 19^th edition of Festival TransAmériques runs May 22 to June 5. More in the theatre section below.

The Fuego Fuego Festival is the largest Latin music festival in Canada. Headliners this year include Nicky Jam, Peso Pluma, Wisin, Danny Ocean, El Alfa and Sech. Runs May 24 to 25 on the Olympic Park Esplanade.

The St-Ambroise Montréal Fringe Festival runs from May 26 to June 16. More in the theatre section.

The St-Ambroise Montréal Fringe Festival runs from May 26 to June 16. More in the theatre section.

The Concours musical international de Montréal brings together some of the most outstanding classical singers of the new generation, at Salle Bourgie and Maison symphonique at Place des Arts from May 25 to June 6.

Founded by cellist Denis Brott, the 30th edition of the internationally-acclaimed Montréal Chamber Music Festival presents 13 concerts from June 7 to 22 at Bourgie Hall, and at the Cinquième Salle and Maison symphonique.

The Francos de Montréal presents more than 250 performances by French-language musicians from around the world. Highlights include a big free outdoor concert by African roots-reggae superstar Tiken Jah Fakoly on June 18. Runs June 13 to 21.

The MURAL Festival presents some of the world’s top graffiti artists reimagining city walls from June 5 to 15.

The Formula One Canadian Grand Prix runs at Parc Jean-Drapeau from June 13 to 15, same dates as the Crescent Street Grand Prix Festival.

The 45^th edition of the famed Festival International de Jazz de Montréal presents 3,000 performers from around the world performing more than 350 ticketed indoor concerts and free shows on several outdoor stages from June 26 to July 5.  Headliners include Wynton Marsalis (June 25), Samara Joy (June 28), Branford Marsalis (July 1), George Thorogood & the Destroyers (July 3), Montréal’s very own Kid Koala (June 26 to 29) and The Brooks (June 29), as well as the hotly-anticipated all-star Oscar Peterson Centennial Gala: Canadiana Suite (July 4). Click here for full program. 

Click here for your full spring and summer Montréal festival guide.

THEATRE

Montréal’s two big English-language theatres – the venerable Centaur Theatre Company in Old Montréal, and the Sylvan Adams Theatre at the Segal Centre for the Performing Arts in the west end – offer varied programming.

Closing the Centaur season is the return of Michel Tremblay’s For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again, starring Canadian national treasure Ellen David and Emmanuel Schwartz. Directed by Alice Ronfard, this heartfelt tribute to Tremblay’s mother is the first production to be staged in Centaur’s newly renovated proscenium theatre, featuring state-of-the-art fly-tower technology. Runs May 13 to June 1.

The Segal presents the slapstick comedy Clue: On Stage, based on the cult classic 1985 film and inspired by the iconic Hasbro board game. Step into a world of mystery as murder and blackmail unfold over a sinister dinner party at Boddy Manor. This slapstick whodunit keeps you guessing: Was it Miss Scarlet in the library with the rope? Or Colonel Mustard in the kitchen with the knife? Runs June 8 to 29.

Click here for more English theatre in Montréal. 

Festival TransAmériques 

A festival of contemporary dance and theatre, the star-studded 19^th edition of the Festival TransAmériques presents some 25 shows from May 22 to June 5. 

Highlights include Taverna Miresia – Mario Bella Anastasia, an unsettling, dreamlike wordless play directed by the rising star of Greek theatre, Mario Banushi, at Théâtre Jean-Duceppe (May 29 to 31); and Argentina’s Tiziano Cruz returns with Wayqeycuna, the final instalment of his trilogy that weaves together family history and a critique of neoliberal power structures, at the Théâtre Rouge du Conservatoire (May 31 to June 3). 

Dance icon Louise Lecavalier presents the North American premiere of her new solo show danses vagabondes at the FTA from May 31 to June 4.

Another FTA highlight is Norwegian-Jamaican performer and choreographer Harald Beharie’s Batty Bwoy which reappropriates the Jamaican term “Batty Bwoy” (literally, butt boy), slang for a queer person. Runs from May 28 to 31.

Click here for full festival programming.

Montréal Fringe Festival

After a record-breaking 2024 edition, the bilingual St-Ambroise Montréal Fringe Festival returns May 26 to June 15 when 500 artists from some 90 producing companies present more than 800 indoor performances at this year’s 35^th edition. The OFF Fringe runs from May 28 to June 15.

Outdoor programming at the hugely popular Fringe Park – located at Parc des Ameriques, corner Rachel and St-Laurent – will feature live bands, as well as the festival’s marquee event Drag Race on June 14 featuring professional drag stars versus a bevy of Fringe fest beauties in a knock-down Battle Royale of skill-testing obstacles!

Click here for more Montréal English-language theatre this spring.

DANCE

The prestigious Danse Danse series presents the best dance shows from around the world.

The new darling of the European dance scene, Portuguese choreographer Marco da Silva Ferreira presents his most ambitious work CARCAÇA from April 30 to May 3 at Théâtre Maisonneuve.

Dance icon Louise Lecavalier presents the North American premiere of her new solo show danses vagabondes at the Festival TransAmériques from May 31 to June 4.

Another FTA highlight is Norwegian-Jamaican performer and choreographer Harald Beharie’s Batty Bwoy which reappropriates the Jamaican term “Batty Bwoy” (literally, butt boy), slang for a queer person. Runs from May 28 to 31.

Located in The Wilder Building, Agora de la danse highlights this season include Tout s’effondre with 10 performers revealing the poetry of cycles of collapse and rebirth, in a show where humanity constantly reinvents itself (May 7 to 9); and the DNA – Danse Non Altérée street dance event which is part battle, improvisation and creation featuring youth up to 17-years-old (June 7). 

Click here for their full schedule.

The Wilder is also home to Tangente which since its foundation in 1980 has championed emerging choreographers and offers contemporary dance programming through May. Highlights include the Samantha Sutherland + Charo Foo Tai Wei double bill (May 3 to 5). Click here for Tangente’s full schedule.

Les Grands Ballets Canadiens present the classical ballet Don Quixote at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier from May 29 to June 7. 

CLASSICAL STAGE

Under the artistic direction of Maestro Rafael Payare, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal presents ; Ravel’s Brilliant Piano Concerto with Benjamin Grosvenor, magician of the piano (May 1 and 4); rising piano star Marie-Ange Nguci makes her OSM debut in The OSM Performs Rachmaninoff and Amy Beach (May 8); Montréal band Half Moon Run reunites with the OSM (May 13 to 15); and Mahler’s Song of the Earth With Rafael Payare closes the season (May 28 to 30).

As part of their Prestige & Patrimoine series, GSI Musique and Oziko present their Ferland symphonique tribute to Québec pop icon Jean-Pierre Ferland. The symphonic arrangements of Blair Thomson will be performed by the OSM under the baton of conductor Alain Trudel (June 2 to 5).

The Orchestre Métropolitain presents Slavic Sceneries (May 2); and Adventure Awaits with Grammy-winning conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin (June 15).

All concerts at the Maison Symphonique.

Looking ahead, the OM presents the hotly-anticipated Beck with Orchestre Métropolitain at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier on July 16. 

Winner of the 2024 JUNO Award for Classical Album of the Year, the Orchestre Classique de Montréal presents Maestro Bernstein Benefit Evening honouring composer Leonard Bernstein who reshaped the musical scene in the second half of the 20^th Century, at Pierre-Mercure Hall (May 2); then to close the OCM’s 85^th season, Ode To Joy: Beethoven’s 9^th at the Maison Symphonique (May 31). 

Soprano Marie-Josée Lord sings Québécois chansons at the Outremont Theatre on May 17.

L’Opera de Montréal winds down their season with Puccini’s La Bohème, arguably  the greatest love story ever sung, at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier (May 10 to 20). Young Montréal conductor Simon Rivard conducts the Orchestre Métropolitain in his Opéra de Montréal debut.

The Concours musical international de Montréal brings together some of the most outstanding classical singers of the new generation, at Salle Bourgie and Maison symphonique at Place des Arts from May 25 to June 6.

Founded by cellist Denis Brott, the 30th edition of the internationally-acclaimed Montréal Chamber Music Festival presents 13 concerts from June 7 to 22 at Bourgie Hall, and at the Cinquième Salle and Maison symphonique.

The 14th season of Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts features some 90 concerts, with half of its programming showcasing Québec and Canadian artists. Highlights this spring include Schubert’s Famous “Trout” Quintet featuring Musicians of the OSM (May 9); Marianne Trudel plays Antônio Carlos Jobim (May 15), pianist Maxim Bernard’s Chopin Matinee (June 5), and to conclude the season, Symphony in the French Manner with Les Violons du Roy (June 6).

Click here for the full program.

MUSEUMS

The PHI in Old Montréal presents the hotly-anticipated exhibition Jean-Marc Vallée: Mixtape, a multimedia and sound journey into the memory and work of the famed Montréal film director for whom mixtapes were an essential part of his creative process. With the participation of Marc-André Grondin, Evelyne Brochu, Denis Villeneuve, Reese Witherspoon, Vanessa Paradis, Laura Dern and others. Runs to July 6. Free admission but reservations required. 

Embark on the Life Chronicles immersive expedition exploring our planet’s major evolutionary phases covering 3.5 billion years of the Earth’s history and the living organisms that inhabit it, including dinosaurs and the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex. Equipped with a virtual reality headset, visitors experience the past brought to life with stunning visuals and sounds grounded in meticulous scientific accuracy.

Life Chronicles is located in the Old Port next door to the Montréal Science Centre. Children under 8 not admitted. The 45-minute immersive experience runs to October 13.

The Montréal Museum of Fine Arts in the Golden Square Mile presents the Berthe Weill, Art Dealer of the Parisian Avant-garde exhibition displaying more 100 works and archival documents, including paintings and sculptures by major figures of Modern art ranging from Pablo Picasso to Suzanne Valadon. It is the first large-scale exhibition dedicated to the career and artistic vision of Berthe Weill who opened her Paris gallery in 1901 in the neighbourhood of Montmartre and played a seminal role in the development of Avant-garde movements in France in the first half of the 20^th century. Runs May 10 to September 7.

Click here for more Montréal museum exhibitions.

FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT

Children of all ages can discover new worlds at Montréal Espace pour la vie, the largest natural-sciences museum complex in Canada which comprises the Jardin botanique, Planetarium, Biosphere, famed Biodôme and Insectarium. Purchasing fixed-time tickets online is highly recommended. 

The children-friendly permanent exhibitions at the Montréal Science Centre are all open, including the blockbuster exhibition T. Rex: The Ultimate Predator (May 1 to September 7). Their IMAX cinema screens films for all ages, including T-Rex 3D: Greatest of all Tyrants.

CIRCUS ARTS

Le Monastère presents Le Jardin, a relaxing outdoor oasis in the heart of the city, with free evening shows (June 1 to September 30). Le Monastère also presents the cream of local contemporary circus artists in their Cabaret du Jugement Dernier, a circus competition showcasing acrobatics, juggling and aerial acrobatics (July 4 to 12).

Cirque du Soleil presents the return of LUZIA under the Big Top in the Old Port from May 15 to August 24.

CINÉMA

Beyond Reality: Surrealism in Cinéma is a series of screenings at the Cinéma du Musée as part of the exhibition Worlds of Wonder: The Surreal Journey of Alan Glass at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts in the Golden Square Mile. Films being screened are Belle de Jour (May 3 and 6), Daisies (May 17 and 20), Alice (May 31 and June 3), Possession (June 14 and 17), Mulholland Drive by David Lynch (June 28 and July 1), and Spellbound by Alfred Hitchcock (July 12 and 14). Click here for screening times. 

The Society for Arts and Technology – known colloquially as “The SAT” by locals – presents Entwined Memories, a compilation of five immersive short films by Taiwanese and international artists exploring collective memory, curated in collaboration with the Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab, from May 13 to June 7.

The PARC AT MIDNIGHT cycle at the Cinéma du Parc offers nocturnal screenings in the great tradition of the famous rep-house “midnight movies” of the 70s. Click here for programming.

The Montreal Cinéclub Film Society screens classic movies at various venues every second week. Click here for the full program.

The IMAX cinema at the Montréal Science Centre screens films for all ages, including T-Rex 3D: Greatest of all Tyrants.

LITERATURE

Montréal author Norman Nawrocki launches his new book Squat The City! How To Use The Arts For Housing Justice, at the Bar Milton Parc Coop on May 15.

The Atwater Library Book Club is led by renowned author Mary Soderstrom. Upcoming events: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz (May 14), and Do You Remember Being Born? by Sean Michaels (June 11).

The Violet Hour Book Club, a reading group moderated by renowned author Christopher DiRaddo, is devoted to classic and contemporary works of LGBTQ literature. Up next: Leg: The Story of a Limb and the Boy Who Grew from It by Greg Marshall (May 10), and Daughters of the Deer by Danielle Daniel (June 7). 

Lectures LOGOS Readings is a series of monthly multicultural readings hosted by award-winning author H. Nigel Thomas and renowned human rights advocate Maguy Métellus at the UNIA Hall in Little Burgundy.

DRAG SHOWS

Solid Pink Disco with DJ Trixie (a.k.a. Trixie Mattel) at MTELUS on May 2.

Montréal drag legend Manny and the House of Manny present the fifth edition of SLAYsians at Cabaret Mado on May 8.

Montréal drag superstar Rita Baga hosts Le Rita Baga Supperclub au Caf’Conc’ with a variety of all-star guests, at the iconic Caf’Conc’ (short for Café Concert) located at the Montréal Marriott Chateau Champlain Hotel, on May 8 and 22.

RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17 drag powerhouse Sam Star headlines two shows at Cabaret Mado on May 21, with a ticketed meet-and-greet after the second show.

Montréal’s Jimmy Moore impersonates Lady Gaga at Le Studio TD on May 24 and 30.

Comic potty-mouthed global drag icon Lady Bunny headlines the Comedy Nest on May 28 with her Don’t Bring The Kids Tour.

The St-Ambroise Montréal Fringe Festival presents their marquee Drag Race on June 14, featuring professional drag stars versus a bevy of Fringe fest beauties in a knock-down Battle Royale of skill-testing obstacles!

Hosted by drag icon Mado Lamotte since its launch 25 years ago in 2000, this year’s edition is actually No. 22, thanks to COVID and inclement weather. After Canada’s Drag Race season 5 contestant Uma Gahd hosted in 2023, Mado may return for one more show: “I found it exhausting because after Drag Race I’d go to work at Cabaret Mado. I’m not a young girl anymore. But I may come back to host one last show for the 25^th anniversary edition.”  

The Fringe Fest Drag Race happens June 14 at the Fringe Park located at Parc des Ameriques, corner Rachel and St-Laurent.

Montréal is one of the drag capitals of the world. Located in The Village, drag icon Mado Lamotte’s Cabaret Mado and Michel Dorion’s classic Bar Le Cocktail both book the best drag performers in the city nightly. Both venues are also two of the most popular nightclubs in The Village.

COMEDY

Montréal’s local comedy scene is enjoying a renaissance with flourishing comedy nights in clubs throughout the city, and touring national and international comedians selling out large venues.

Finish comedian Ismo headlines the Beanfield Theatre on May 1.

American stand-up comedian Stavros Halkias at the Olympia on May 3 with shows at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Canadian stand-up comic Gerry Dee at the Beanfield Theatre on May 8.

American stand-up comedian Nikki Glaser at the Olympia on May 9 with shows at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Canadian comedian Katherine Ryan at the Rialto Theatre on May 16.

American stand-up comic Michael Rapaport at the Olympia on May 24.

A regular on the Fox sketch comedy series Mad TV, stand-up comic and impressionist Aries Spears headlines the Olympia on May 27.

Haitian-Canadian French-language comedic performer Tai TL (a.k.a. Tailaire Laguerre) headlines Place Bell on May 31.

Canadian-Iranian comedian Neema Naz brings his My Estupid Life Comedy Tour to the Olympia on June 21.

English comedian Paul Taylor at MTELUS on June 25.

Check out English-language stand-up comics at Comedyville located behind the Deli Planet in Central Train Station, with shows Thursday to Saturday. Click here for show descriptions.

Some of the city’s best stand-up comics perform at Double’s Comedy Club, a bilingual comedy night held the last Wednesday of each month at 9 p.m., at Double’s Late Night, a contemporary dive bar in the heart of Montréal’s Mile-End. 

The Montréal Comedy House downtown presents local and national comics.

Support local, national and international comics at Montréal’s venerable The Comedy Nest nightclub located in the historic Montréal Forum. Click here for full programming.