Montréal cultural calendar
Leisure activities Culture, arts and heritage The city
Blockbuster museum exhibitions, live music concerts, theatre and comedy are among the many live entertainment choices in Montréal this Winter 2026.
POP MUSIC
Some highlights of upcoming national and international tours:
March
Filipino singer-songwriter Clinton Kane at Bar le "Ritz" PDB (March 1), Mariah the Scientist at MTELUS (March 3), TWICE at Bell Centre (March 3), American country music star Charley Crockett at MTELUS (March 5), American melodic hardcore band Rise Against at the Olympia Theatre (March 5 and 6), Halifax rock legends Sloan at Le Studio TD (March 6), classic Canadian 80s rock band Honeymoon Suite at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal (March 6), Bad Omens at Place Bell (March 8).
+LIVE+ bring their Like a Rollin’ Thunder Tour to Place Bell with opening acts Big Wreck and The Damn Truth (March 10), MAMMOTH at the Olympia Theatre (March 10), Journey at the Bell Centre (March 11), Vulgaires Machins headline two nights at Théâtre Beanfield (March 12 and 13), beloved Canadian idol Alan Doyle at the Olympia Theatre (March 13, American electronic music producer and DJ Ray Volpe at MTELUS (March 14).
French rapper Josman at Place Bell (March 14), LAMB OF GOD at Bell Centre (March 19), Houston RnB singer-songwriter Bryant Barnes at Le Belmont (March 22), New Wave icon Gary Numan (March 23), Emperor (March 28) and Black Label Society (March 31), all at MTELUS.
Concerts of note: Iconic Montréal favourite Chris de Burgh celebrates his 50th career anniversary at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier on March 24 and 25.
BAT OUT OF HELL
Musical events of note: The Disco Isn't Dead project takes over Yoka Luna – formerly Montréal’s iconic 1970s disco 1234 nightclub – with a classic disco soundtrack on Saturday, March 21, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Perfect daytime hours for dancefloor divas who survived the 70s! Also, the West End musical featuring the timeless music of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf, Bat Out of Hell: The Musical headlines Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier on March 23.
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.
CITY OF FESTIVALS
Montréal hosts many star-studded festivals each winter:
One of the largest winter festivals in the world, MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE comes alive to the rhythm of the festival’s three signature components: gastronomy, concerts and winter activities from February 20 to March 7. The outdoor site in the Quartier des Spectacles features the Loto-Québec Skating Loop, the Intuit TurboTax Ferris Wheel and the LUMINO winter light festival. This year’s edition of Nuit Blanche all-nighter is on February 28.
The 4th edition of La Semaine du Neuf welcomes dozens of artists from around the world. Shaped by its 2026 theme “Music & Movement”, the new-music festival offers concerts, multi-disciplinary performances, an immersive installation, professional gatherings, and a youth program from February 27 to March 15.
The Montréal International Children’s Film Festival (FIFEM) uses cinema as a tool to stimulate young people’s curiosity, promote critical thinking and informed dialogue. FIFEM screens international, North American and Canadian premieres from February 28 to March 8.
The 44th edition of the International Festival of Films on Art (Le FIFA) is dedicated to the international promotion and distribution of films on art and media arts. Runs March 12 to 22 at various venues.
THEATRE
Goblin: Macbeth
Centaur Theatre Company in Old Montréal presents Goblin: Macbeth about three goblins – Kragva, Moog and Wug – who stumble across Shakespeare, take over a theatre and stage their own wild, hilarious and chaotic version of Macbeth. A one-of-a-kind blend of comedy, tragedy and improvisation. Runs March 4 to 22.
An Infinithéâtre world premiere, Whalefall runs at La Chapelle Scènes Contemporaines from February 23 to March 7, as part of La Chapelle’s bilingual 36th interdisciplinary season.
BAT OUT OF HELL
The West End musical Bat Out of Hell: The Musical headlines Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier on March 23.
Broadway Across Canada and evenko present smash hit touring productions at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier. Their new 2026 Broadway season includes Montréal’s first-ever presentation of & Juliet (March 17 to 22). Looking ahead: Moulin Rouge! The Musical (June 9 to 14) and the triumphant return of Disney’s THE LION KING for a whopping 24 performances (August 19 to September 6).
Click here for more English theatre in Montréal.
Click here for French-language theatre in Montréal.
DANCE
Sol Invictus
The prestigious Danse Danse series presents the best dance companies from around the world. Highlights this winter include the (LA)HORDE collective and Ballet national de Marseille in Age of Consent at Théatre Maisonneuve (February 27 to March 7); and Tout ce qu'il reste by choreographers Diana Léon and Paco Ziel – both artists with Vías which won the 2024 Prix Révélation by the Prix de la danse de Montréal – headlines Salle Bourgie (March 28 and 29).
Founded in 1999 in the Plateau-Mont-Royal, the multi-disciplinary programming of “The MAI” (Montréal, arts interculturels) promotes hybrid and innovative practices in dance, theatre, visual arts, speech arts, performance. Dance-related highlights include the street-dance theatre of Beat Matched by the cross-disciplinary artist group Catch Step (March 11 to 14).
Agora de la danse
Agora de la danse winter programming includes Holding Present which brings together choreographer Ula Sickle and the Brussels-based contemporary music ensemble Ictus (March 13 and 14). Click here for all Agora de la danse programming in the Wilder Building.
CLASSICAL STAGE
Some Orchestre symphonique de Montréal highlights this winter:
The Music of Harry Potter presents melodies composed by John Williams (March 3 and 4), The Enchanting Firebird by Stravinsky with Canadian pianist sensation Jaeden Izik-Dzurko (March 5), Maestro Rafael Payare conducts the OSM in From Bartók to Mozart: Flute, Improvisation, and Symphony (March 11 and 12) and in The Marriage of Figaro (March 18 and 20), and Grammy-winning OSM Conductor Emeritus Kent Nagano headlines “A German Requiem” by Kent Nagano (April 3 and 4).
All OSM concerts presented at the Maison Symphonique at Place des Arts in the Quartier des Spectacles.
The Orchestre Métropolitain presents Echoes of the Forest with Grammy-winning OM Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin (March 31). All OM concerts presented at the Maison Symphonique at Place des Arts in the Quartier des Spectacles.
Founded in 1939, Canada’s renowned Orchestre Classique de Montréal presents From Chopin to Weinberg: A Polish Classical Evening (March 12) at Salle Pierre-Mercure.
Charles Richard-Hamelin & Marc-André Hamelin
The 15th season of Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts features more than 100 concerts, with half of its programming showcasing Québec and Canadian artists.
Highlights include About Don Quixote with Les Violons du Roy (March 6), and the much-anticipated Marc-André Hamelin and Charles Richard-Hamelin in Duet (March 30 and April 1 to 2), the first-ever joint recital in Montréal by the internationally-acclaimed piano virtuosos.
Click here for the full Bourgie Hall program.
MUSEUMS
The blockbuster Kent Monkman: History Is Painted by the Victors exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts features 40 iconic and monumental paintings by the famed Canadian artist and member of ocêkwi sîpiy (Fisher River Cree Nation). Runs to March 8.
The MMFA blockbuster Richard Avedon: Immortal. Portraits of Aging, 1951-2004 exhibition presents some 100 portraits that dramatize the universal experience of aging and how people confront the relentless advance of mortality. One of most influential photographers of the 20th century, Avedon sought to represent advancing age in the faces of artists, writers, politicians and performers — including Chet Baker, Samuel Beckett, Toni Morrison, Truman Capote, Duke Ellington, Patti Smith and Jean Renoir. Runs to August 9.
Click here for more Montréal museum exhibitions.
Montréal’s Studio Shaman presents the virtual reality experience ROME, In Caesar’s footsteps at the Palais des congrès de Montréal, transporting audiences back 2,000 years to the assassination of Julius Caesar. A free-roam VR adventure, visitors explore a meticulously reconstructed Rome: Caesar’s private gardens, the Forum Romanum, the Curia of Pompey where the Senate vote takes place, military camps in Gaul, and the Circus Maximus. With hand-tracking motion capture, participants interact naturally with scenes—voting by raising their hands, handling objects, and influencing key moments. Two different endings are possible depending on the choices made along the journey.
Click here for more Montréal immersive exhibitions.
FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT
DISNEY ON ICE: Jump In! at the Bell Centre from March 5 to 8.
Stars on Ice at Place Bell on April 30.
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.
CIRCUS ARTS
Specializing in contemporary circus, La TOHU presents Kintsugi by Machine de Cirque from February 19 to 22. Their 2 p.m. matinee performance on February 21 will feature live audio description for blind and partially-sighted people. Limited seating. RSVP at 514 525-3595 by February 9.
Seasoned improviser, master of slapstick, and accomplished juggler Philippe Trépanier's solo show Clip! returns after nearly 300 performances around the world. Runs March 3 to 7.
WOW: World of Words explores the transmission of knowledge, the meeting of cultures, and the magic of mutual respect. Runs March 26 to 29.
Looking ahead: after its record-breaking Montréal run drew more than 300,000 spectators in 2023, Cirque du Soleil is bringing back ECHO under the Big Top at the Old Port of Montréal next summer, from May 23 to June 28. Click here for tickets.
CINÉMA
The Montréal International Children’s Film Festival (FIFEM) uses cinema as a tool to stimulate young people's curiosity, promote critical thinking and informed dialogue. FIFEM screens international, North American and Canadian premieres from February 28 to March 8.
The 44th edition of the International Festival of Films on Art (Le FIFA) is dedicated to the international promotion and distribution of films on art and media arts. Runs March 12 to 28 at various cinemas.
In collaboration with Le FIFA, the SAT and Hubblo present a double bill of immersive films dedicated to two exceptional painters: Soul Symphony: The Art of Alex Janvier, premiering, followed by Hurtubise: Orchestrating Chaos. Runs March 11 to 20 at the SAT.
SAT Fest stands out as one of the few festivals in the world entirely dedicated to fulldome cinema in all its dimensions. SAT Fest 2026 takes over the Satosphere from March 24 to 28, screening 52 immersive short films from 14 countries.
The FILMharmonique Orchestra presents Star Wars: A New Hope - In Concert at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier on April 10 and 11 (English with French subtitles).
Created with the blessing of the iconic rock band, Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon screens under the starry dome of the Planétarium on Fridays and Saturdays until June 21. This show merges the original musical score with spectacular visuals of the solar system and immersive effects in a surround-sound environment.
The Cinéma du Musée presents Surrealist Saturdays from February 21 to July 7. The series features cult classics and essential films of the genre such as Blue Velvet (July 4 and 7). Click here for the full line-up.
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. Upcoming films include The Rocky Horror Picture Show (February 27 to March 1),
Night of the Living Dead by George A. Romero (March 13-15), Eraserhead by David Lynch (March 20-22), Harold and Maude by Hal Ashby (March 27-29), Pink Flamingos by John Waters and starring drag icon Divine (April 3-5), and the 1972 Jamaican classic The Harder They Come starring Jimmy Cliff (April 10-12).
The Montreal Cinéclub Film Society screens classic movies at various venues every second week. Click here for the full program.
L’AMOUR À MINUIT is a non-profit Cinéma L’Amour screening series of cult classics that raises funds to restore and maintain the iconic century-old theatre that was built in 1914. Click here for the full program.
Queer Cinema Club Montréal presents monthly screenings at the Cinéma du Parc.
The IMAX cinema at the Montréal Science Centre in the Old Port screens films for all ages.
Looking ahead, the 42nd edition of the Festival international de cinéma Vues d’Afrique runs from April 2 to 11. The festival screens international features, documentaries and shorts by filmmakers from across Africa and the African diaspora.
LITERATURE
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.
Spend An Evening With David Sedaris – America’s pre-eminent humourist and master storyteller – at Théâtre Maisonneuve on April 7.
Looking ahead, the 2026 edition of the Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival runs from April 23 to 26 at the Hotel 10. Their online edition begins on April 13. Guest authors and panels TBA.
DRAG SHOWS
A constellation of drag stars from RuPaul’s Drag Race and Canada’s Drag Race perform at WAR On The Catwalk at Théâtre St-Denis on March 13. Hosted by Alyssa Edwards, guest performers include Jewels Sparkles, Suzie Toot, Lexi, Bosco, Lydia B. Kollins and Daya Betty.
Montréal drag superstar Mona de Grenoble headlines her French-language touring show De la poudre aux yeux at Studio-Cabaret on April 22 and 23.
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.
Hosted by Shosho Abotouk, Crochet & Comedy: The Yarn Ball welcomes guest comics Serag Meletian, Sadie Moland, Ray Resvick and Walter Lyng, at the iconic Café Cleopatra on The Main, on February 28.
The 14th edition of Canada’s only all-Black comedy tour, The Underground Comedy Railroad Tour, headlines The Comedy Nest on March 1 with co-headliners Tamara Shevon, Daniel Woodrow, Keesha Brownie, and Montréal’s very own Rodney Ramsey.
Comedy legend Alonzo Bodden with jazz bassist Christian McBride perform together for two live tapings of Comedy and All That Jazz Vol. 4 at the Phi Centre on March 5 at 6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
Canadian stand-up comedian, writer, actor, and filmmaker Breanne Williamson will be bringing her Best Case Scenario tour to La Sala Rossa on March 17
The Kids in the Hall comedy icon Bruce McCulloch at Théâtre Beanfield (March 8).
Emmy-winning comedy superstar John Mulaney headlines Théâtre St-Denis on March 28.
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.
Support local, national and international comics at Montréal’s legendary The Comedy Nest nightclub located in the historic Montréal Forum. Click here for full programming.
Richard Burnett
Richard “Bugs” Burnett is a Canadian freelance writer, editor, journalist, blogger and columnist for alt-weeklies, mainstream and LGBTQ+ publications. Bugs also knows Montréal like a drag queen knows a cosmetics counter.