Montréal cultural calendar

POP MUSIC

Some highlights of upcoming national and international tours:

Montréal hosts many star-studded festivals each summer:

This year’s 40th edition of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique runs July 7 to 19. Ivorian reggae icon Tiken Jah Fakoly will close the fest on July 19 at 10 p.m. with a free outdoor concert on the Parterre du Quartier des Spectacles as he did in 2000 when he was bedridden in a Montréal hotel room recuperating from malaria for three days before he “willed” himself onstage. “That concert is the one that has most marked my career,” Fakoly told me. 

The Taste of the Caribbean Festival takes over the Old Port of Montréal’s Clock Tower Quay from July 9 to 12. The entire Festival site is open and free to the public from noon to 11 p.m. Ticketed entrance to the all-new RISE Concert Zone: Creole Night with Black Parents from Haiti (July 9), Latin Night with DJ Camilo from Colombia (July 10), Reggae Night with Duane Stephenson from Jamaica (July 11), and Soca Night with superstar Alison Hinds from Barbados (July 12). 

Dedicated to celebrating Soul, R&B, Gospel, Funk and Disco, the third edition of SOULFEST MTL runs July 9 to 12 on the forecourt of St. James United Church in the Quartier des Spectacles with a free outdoor program, while indoor ticketed events at Le Balcon feature Dawn Tyler Watson performing Motown and soul classics (July 9), Freddie James paying tribute to soul legends (July 10), Disco Chic Ultime under the musical direction of R&B legend Leslie 'Snooksta' Alston (July 11), and soul diva Kim Richardson closes the fest (July 12).

Some of the biggest names in entertainment headline the 44th edition of Just For Laughs Montréal, the largest comedy festival in the world, which runs from July 15 to 26 at various venues.

Headliners Twenty One Pilots (July 31), Tate McRae and Sombr (August 1), and Lorde (August 2) co-headline the 19th edition of the OSHEAGA music festival at Parc Jean-Drapeau. Also performing on August 1 is legendary Montréal indie-rock band Wolf Parade whose 2005 hit “I’ll Believe in Anything” was featured prominently in the hit Crave TV series and global cultural phenomenon Heated Rivalry.

The 20th edition of the Fierté Montréal Festival runs from July 31 to August 9. Their LGBTQ Pride parade is on Sunday, August 9, beginning at 1 p.m. Official Pride parties include BIMBO: ALTER EGO with special guests NYC nightlife icon Amanda Lepore and Crystal Methyd of RuPaul’s Drag Race, August 7 at Studio Notre-Dame. Click here for full parade and festival details.

The 11th edition of the îLESONIQ electronic music and DJ festival at Parc Jean-Drapeau has booked A-list talent, including Deadmau5 and Dom Dolla. Runs August 8 and 9.

Montréal’s first music festival dedicated entirely to soul and R&B for emerging local artists, the inaugural edition of Soul of the City runs August 12 to 16 at Casa del Popolo, La Sala Rossa, and La Sotterenea in the Plateau. Headliners include Clerel (August 12), Janette King (August 13), Avery Jane (August 13), Le Cypher X (August 14), Nora x Hanorah (August 14), Olivia Khoury (August 15), and Nyota Parker (August 15). 

The LASSO Montréal music festival presents headliners Thomas Rhett (August 15) and Mumford & Sons (August 16) at Parc Jean-Drapeau.

The 26th edition of the M.A.D. Festival presents fashion shows and discussions featuring influential figures from the fashion industry. Runs August 20 to 23 in the Quartier des Spectacles.

Dedicated to the promotion of electronic music and the digital arts, the 27th edition of MUTEK runs from August 25 to 30, featuring 120+ artists including Jeff Mills, Rival Consoles, Voices from the Lake and A Guy Called Gerald at various indoor and outdoor venues in the Quartier des Spectacles.

Piknic Électronik runs at Parc Jean-Drapeau to October 18. The outdoor festival books the world’s top house and techno DJs all summer long. Upcoming headliners include Worakls (August 23), Danny Tenaglia (August 30), Mistress Barbara (September 6) and Eris Drew (October 4). Of note: drag icon RuPaul will spin an OfF Piknic DJ set at Parc Jean-Drapeau on September 19.

The POP Montreal International Music Festival’s 25th edition runs September 23 to 27 in various venues. Also, Heated Rivalry fans will love the special POP Montreal show Heated “POP” Rivalry with Philippe B, La Bronze, Night Lunch, Dumas (LIVE), plus Peter Peter Q&A. On September 28 at the Rialto Theatre, includes a copy of the Heated Rivalry hardcover special edition (in English) with a signed bookplate.

Click here for a full listing of Montréal summer festivals.

The Hudson Village Theatre presents the Québec premiere of The Rules of Playing Risk by acclaimed Canadian playwright Kristen Da Silva. Produced and directed by Trevor Barrette, this heartfelt and humorous intergenerational comedy explores family, forgiveness, and the courage it takes to reconnect across generations. Runs July 8 to 19.

evenko and Broadway Across Canada present Disney’s THE LION KINGfor 24 performances at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier. Runs August 19 to September 6.

The French-language version of legendary musical Les Misérables continues at Théatre St-Denis at Espace St-Denis to July 25. 

The French-language version of the hilarious Broadway jukebox musical TITANÍQUE featuring the music of Celine Dion headlines the Studio St-Denis at Espace St-Denis to August 23. 

Click here for more French-language theatre in Montréal.

Click here for more English-language theatre in Montréal.

Shakespeare in the Park

Repercussion Theatre’s annual Shakespeare-in-the-Park summer tour presents Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale brought to life by UnCanon Theatre’s all-Black-and-brown cast, designers and director in a Nubian-futuristic world, where Afrofuturism allows audiences to imagine beyond the urgency of the now. The tour runs from July 21 to August 15 with stops in the Eastern Townships, the West Island, and in the Montreal area, including Parc Jarry (July 22), Mount Royal Cemetery in Outremont (July 24), Parc Georges Saint-Pierre in NDG (August 5), Parc Strathearn in Montreal West (August 9), McGill University (August 11), and four presentations in Westmount Park (August 12 to 15). Running time: 120 minutes plus intermission. Showtime: 7 p.m. nightly. Free admission.

The free outdoor summer program of the 2,000-seat Théatre de Verdure in Parc Lafontaine presents film screenings, live music, circus, theatre and dance, including Manifesto by contemporary dance troupe Andrea Peña & Artists (August 13). 

Inspired by the famous novel by Alexandre Dumas fils, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens presents the neoclassical ballet The Lady of the Camellias by Canadian choreographer Peter Quanz at Théatre Masonneuve from September 23 to 27.

Conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Orchestre Métropolitain presents the 11th edition of their free concert The OM at the Foot of Mount Royal on August 5. The concert also features the premiere of Montréal Cirque, a new commission by Ana Sokolović.

Under the baton of Rafael Payare, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and its choir celebrate the Olympic Park’s 50th anniversary with their free OSM at the Olympic Park Esplanade concert at the Olympic Park on August 12. The concert will revisit the iconic sporting triumphs and legendary shows that once rocked the Stadium, alongside beloved works from the classical repertoire.

Over at Bourgie Hall, their new 2026-2027 season presents over 100 ticketed concerts, including legendary French concert pianist Michel Dalberto who performs gems from the French piano repertoire, as well as works by Franz Liszt that blend opera, mysticism and heroics (September 29).

Click here for the full Bourgie Hall program.

The superb exhibition Richard Avedon: Immortal. Portraits of Aging, 1951-2004 at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts presents some 100 portraits of public figures like Duke Ellington, Patti Smith, Jean Renoir, and William Burroughs, that capture the universal experience of aging. Avedon highlighted our infirmities, wrinkles, crow’s feet, folds of skin, liver spots — visible markers of what he called “the avalanche of age.” While no celebrity eludes Avedon’s unsparing eye, his empathy for his subjects in these B&W photos is palpable. None of us escape age. Runs to August 9.

The Torlonia Collection: Masterpieces of Roman Sculpture exhibition at the MMFA displays 58 life-like marble sculptures: Roman statues, busts, and sarcophagi; stunning bas-reliefs; mythological creatures; and striking portraits of gods and goddesses, emperors – including Marcus Aurelius, Hadrian and Commodus – and their wives. Runs to July 19.

The blockbuster exhibition Heroes of Greece. The Age of Troy explores one of the greatest adventures of all time: the Trojan War. Guided by the Iliad, the legendary epic featuring heroes and powerful gods and goddesses, this major exhibition explores the origin and legacy of this seminal work attributed to the poet Homer. At the crossroads of myth and reality, the exhibition immerses visitors in history, showcasing nearly 400 authentic objects—treasures of Greece—from 28 Greek museums and archaeological sites. Several works are being presented on display for the first time in North America. Runs to March 7, 2027.

Over at Concordia University’s downtown Webster Library, the Québec Gay Archives presents the free exhibition GÉNÉRATION XEROX which explores self-publication by the LGBTQ communities, in particular the medium of zines. Runs to September 30.

Click here for more Montréal museum exhibitions.

Click here for Montréal immersive exhibitions.

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 Montréal Science Centre’s IMAX cinema screens films for all ages. Fans of space travel will enjoy the Artemis II screening that relives the April 2026 NASA mission’s highlights from liftoff to splashdown. Screens until August 31.

Specializing in contemporary circus, La TOHU presents St.art, a tribute to sport and the art of movement. Performed by real athletes, including a Czech trampoline champion, the show explores universal emotions — euphoria, triumph, and pushing beyond one’s limits — by drawing parallels between the journeys of athletes and artists. Runs July 7 to 12 as part of the MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE festival.

After its record-breaking Montréal run drew more than 300,000 spectators in 2023, Cirque du Soleil brings back ECHO under the Big Top at the Old Port of Montréal until August 16. Click here for tickets.

The Cirque Éloize presents the acclaimed circus show Serge Fiori — Seul ensemble, a musical and visual journey where the soul of the late lead vocalist and guitarist for iconic Québécois folk rock band Harmonium continues to resonate. Runs August 29 to September 18 at Théâtre St-Denis in the Espace St-Denis.

Drag superstars Monét X Change and Bob The Drag Queen headline their comedic show Sibling Rivalry Live based on their hit podcast, at the Olympia Theatre on July 22 at 9:30 p.m.

The 20th edition of the Fierté Montréal Festival presents Soirée 100% Drag, the world’s largest free drag show hosted by Barbada and Rita Baga, featuring local drag royalty alongside drag artists from various RuPaul’s Drag Race franchises. On the TD Stage at the Olympic Park Esplanade, August 7 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Free admission. 

The acclaimed all-drag cast of Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue spoofs the iconic sitcom at Théâtre St-Denis on August 9. This all-new show for adult audiences finds Sophia out on bail after being busted by the DEA for running a drug ring at Shady Pines. Blanche and Rose have founded CreakN, a thriving sex app for seniors. And Dorothy is trying to hold it all together, with help from her much younger, sex-crazed love interest. 

Celebrated Montréal female impersonator Jimmy Moore stars in Céline Dion personnifiée par Jimmy Moore at the Studio St-Denis in Espace St-Denis on September 11. Looking ahead, Moore stars in Jimmy Moore personnifie Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour at Le Studio TD on October 23 and 24.

Drag star Rainbow celebrates her 15th anniversary in the drag biz with her special 15 ans de reflux show at the Studio St-Denis in Espace St-Denis on September 12.

Montréal drag star Rita Baga hosts her Cabaret Caf’Conc’ variety show at the iconic Caf’Conc’ (short for Café Concert) at the Montréal Marriott Chateau Champlain Hotel. Click here for upcoming shows.

Montréal is one of the drag capitals of the world. Located in The Village, drag icon Mado Lamotte’s Cabaret Mado and the 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.