Things to do in Montréal this September 2026
Autumn Summer The city
Summer weather and major festivals meet fall coziness and seasonal flavours in Montréal in September. Let loose on Labour Day Weekend, when entertainment fills public spaces. Stroll and see the leaves change colour in the parks or take an evening cruise on the river. Discover delicious culinary creations, cheer the athletes at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships and Jackalope — or give a standing ovation for opera, dance and live music. September in Montréal is a cultural cornucopia.
Welcome to Montréal!
To enjoy the best the city has to offer during your stay in September, please don't think of yourself as a tourist, but as one of us. Whether you're here for a few days, a few weeks or a few years, we're counting on you to enjoy Montréal in a spirit of respect, responsibility and celebration!
September festivals and unmissable events
Montréal’s famed festivals continue to entertain and delight throughout September, from the Labour Day weekend to the beginning of autumn. The world’s eyes are trained on the city this month for the cycling bonanza, the 2026 UCI Road World Championships, the most significant sports event in the city since the 1976 Summer Olympic Games. They’ll be held in Montréal from September 20 to 27, in a free event on an unprecedented scale: 13 separate time trials and road races that are open to the general public. Look for the fan zones along the race route, packed with family-friendly activities.
Throughout the city, car-free pedestrian streets are the place to be for outdoor festivals, shopping, socializing and dining — keep your eye out for gourmet food trucks, especially at the First Fridays gathering at the Olympic Stadium every first Friday of the month!
Explore the many free things to do this fall, which range from outdoor performances to cultural festivals. See incredible street dance performances at the JOAT Festival international de street dance from September 1 to 7 in the Quartier des Spectacles.
See incredible contemporary dance performances during Festival Quartiers Danses, from September 10 to 20 at Place des Arts.
Get out on the open-air dancefloor yourself with professional dance instructors during TEMPÉO, Dance and Music Festival, on the Esplanade of Place des Arts from September 16 to 20.
Literary festival Le Festival international de la littérature (FIL) features readings, workshops, exhibitions and more from September 23 and to October 3 at Théâtre Outremont. Catch short, family-friendly alleyway performances during Le FAR Festival des arts de ruelle until September 13. And get the scoop on new fashion trends and runway looks at Montréal Fashion Week in September too, with runway shows, shopping events, workshops and more.
All kinds of exceptionally great music, from indie-pop to classic soul, fills the city’s venues during POP Montréal International Music Festival, along with panel discussions, free kids activities, art shows, film screenings and more fun from September 23 to 27.
MAPP_MTL, Montréal’s international projection mapping festival, presents lively, light-filled digital projections and musical performances from September 22 to 26.
The Montreal International Black Film Festival screens features and shorts from Québec, Canada and around the world, from September 30 to October 4.
From September 19 to 21, immerse yourself in the atmosphere of a real Western village in the heart of the Old Port at Festival Shériff, as you enjoy an authentic Southern culinary experience plus line dancing, country music, inflatables and a mechanical bull.
Electronic dance music takes over Parc Jean-Drapeau every weekend during the warm months at Piknic Éléctronik, when the whole family can spend the day dancing, eating from food trucks and generally basking in the sun.
TO GET AROUND TOWN
To get where you’re going hassle-free, public transportation is the way to go. The STM has special offers on fares and a handy tool to plan your trip quickly and efficiently. You can also download the Transit and Chrono apps for up-to-the minute bus schedules.
Fall attractions and tours
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The easiest way to visit dozens of Montréal attractions, museums and more at a discount is by getting your own key to the city: Passeport MTL, whose special fall edition will help you experience the best of this beautiful season.
We hope you make yourself at home in Montréal’s incredible hotels — there’s an accommodation option for everyone, from landmark hotels to family friendly hotels and boutique hotels galore.
In Old Montréal, walk the cobblestone streets to the St. Lawrence River and visit the iconic Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal — see the gorgeous multimedia AURA Experience, a wonderful way to feel the grandeur of this landmark.
Downtown holds one of the city’s most lovely churches, the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, where you can admire the beautiful stained glass during services or during the regular organ concerts.
In the Old Port of Montréal, after shooting a selfie at the glimmering BONJOUR structure, see views of the city and the river from the Grand Quay of the Port of Montréal, where you’ll find a cruise ship dock, marine history displays, green spaces and a stunning attraction: the Port of Montréal Tower. Nearby, treat yourself to bird’s-eye views on La Grande Roue de Montréal observation wheel.
Visit the esplanade of Place Ville Marie, where the massive art installation The Ring glints overhead. Or take a break for entertainment and a snack at the Esplanade Tranquille café at the corner of Clark and Sainte-Catherine Street.
One of the best ways to discover the city is with expert guides on Montréal tours: set your own agenda with private walking tours at your own pace, or join pros and let yourself be guided. See the city like a local with MTL Detours, take a day trip outside the city with N-tours or call upon the experts at Guidatour. For an unparalleled taste of the city, savour one of the expert two- or three-hour walking tours given by Local Montréal Food Tours — they range from Mile End to Old Montréal. New this season at Montréal on Wheels, take 3 hour treasure-hunt bike tours around neighbourhoods including the Plateau, Old Montréal, the Lachine Canal and more, or 2.5 hour tours specially adapted to families.
If you’re wondering why Montréal has so many colourful murals, hear more about them and their artists on a street art tour with Spade & Palacio, including the murals from the last MURAL Festival. For an electric bike tour of the murals (weather permitting), look to Fitz Montréal — their tours cover anything from downtown Montréal to Jean-Talon Market. To enjoy Montréal after dark (also weather permitting), head out on the Montréal by Night Loop on GrayLine’s double decker bus! Enjoy the ambiance and watch as the city’s most vibrant districts come to life after dusk.
You can also devise your own self-guided art tour (or follow one of their expertly curated ones) thanks to Art Public Montréal, a fountain of information on Montréal’s hundreds of public artworks that are viewable for free year-round. Explore their selection of podcasts, too, for the inside scoop.
Passeport MTL
The easiest way to visit dozens of Montréal attractions, museums and more at a discount is by getting your own key to the city: Passeport MTL, whose special fall edition will help you experience the best of this colourful season.
September’s foodie adventures
Get the last days out of the warm days and evenings at the city’s pop-up spaces, with urban oases like the Old Port’s Marché des Éclusiers restaurant and farmer’s market and major events like First Fridays, a food truck at the Esplanade at the Olympic Park.
This month is a great chance to enjoy outdoor dining, be it on a sidewalk terrace (aka prime people-watching spots), a rooftop terrace, a hidden terrace or a green terrace. We challenge you to compare-and-contrast them all.
To fill up on fresh produce and local goods, explore the city’s beautiful public markets, including Jean-Talon Market in Little Italy and Atwater Market in Saint-Henri. Montréal’s smallest market, the Public Market of Lachine, in the southwest, also offers a great selection of products year-round to go with its quaint design.
Le vin dans les voiles is a natural, organic and biodynamic wine agency based in Montréal that offers fascinating wine tasting and educational events. Peruse the calendar here. The workshops happen in French, but hey — wine is a universal language!
Indulge in incredible food at Montréal’s variety of restaurants all month long. Explore superb restaurants and cafés along Beaubien Street in the Rosemont-La-Petit-Patrie neighbourhood (also where you’ll find Little Italy).
Discover Montréal’s newest restaurants and buvettes, and don’t miss a classic Montréal brunch, whether you’re looking for elegance or comfort food. For some crowdsourced favourites, try Montréalers’ favourite lunch restaurants, from Old Montréal and downtown to Villeray or the South-West. Get a taste of long-time Quebec classics like smoked meat, poutine and Montréal bagels and keep on ticking the boxes on your must-eat list with these other musts for foodies in Montréal.
Get an incredible bird’s eye view on Quartier des Spectacles from the terrasse of Bivouac, where you can taste the best of the terroir under the stars (and falling snow), or of Old Montréal and beyond from Terrasse William Gray. At Montréal’s oldest and longest-running restaurant, Auberge Saint-Gabriel, in the heart of the Old Port.
The new year also an excellent time to have dinner and see a show at the Casino de Montréal: live music and cabaret shows will entertain while you enjoy incredible steaks and more on the grill at Le Montréal, a gourmet buffet at Pavillon 67, and quick delicious eats at L’Instant.
Downtown, explore the wide variety of excellent meals at gourmet food halls including Time Out Market, Marché Artisans, Le Cathcart and LE CENTRAL — or venture out to the de la Savane metro station to explore Le Fou Fou in the huge and tawny Royalmount mall.
Get your caffeine fix at Montréal’s indie coffee shops — and fresh doughnuts to go with it! Add more sweetness to your life at Montréal’s best bakeries and pastry shops, best chocolate shops and candy shops.
Eat plant-based with our ultimate guide to vegetarian and vegan eating in Montréal or join the debate over who makes the best pizza in Montréal — or the best tacos. Warm up with authentic Japanese ramen and Vietnamese pho. By night, discover the city’s 34 top cocktail bars, inventive Montréal microbreweries and late-night eats. Or mix Montrealesque cocktails at home with gin, vodka, rum and more specialty spirits from these Montréal specialty alcohol and spirit makers.
Spring sports and relaxation
From September 20 to 27, cycling fans will be watching the FREE event, 2026 UCI Road World Championships, the most significant sports event in the city since the 1976 Summer Olympic Games. Enjoy the 13 separate time trials and road races, open to the general public for free, and stop into the fan zones along the race route.
A little earlier in the month, get warmed up by watching some of the world’s best cyclists compete in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal on September 13 in Mount Royal Park, and stop by the fans village in Parc Jeanne-Mance at the foot of Mount Royal.
Canada’s biggest action sports festival is returning from September 11 to 13 at the Jacques Cartier Pier in the Old Port. JACKALOPE is the epitome of sports festivals, uniting a whole cultural scene every year to celebrate and amaze at the world’s most iconic athletes in a feverish mix of skateboarding, bouldering, BMX, breakdancing and more.
If boats are more your jam, don’t miss the Salon du Bateau à Flots de Montréal boat show in September too in the Old Port.
For skateboarders, the Vans Skatepark on the Olympic Park Esplanade is the place to be — it’s also where you can try rock climbing at Nomad Bloc, and kids can play on the inflatable games of Îlots76. And, not quite a sport but definitely an adrenaline booster, La Ronde amusement park is open for another season of roller-coaster thrills under the sun.
You’ve got until September 7 to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Olympic Games in Montréal at the McCord Stewart Museum, which is presenting an exhibition that celebrates this landmark event in the history of the city.
Catch the Montréal Canadiens and the Montréal Vicitoire after the summer break as the NHL pre-season kicks off at the Bell Centre! Cheer on the CF Montréal soccer team at home at the Saputo Stadium throughout the month, the Roses de Montréal female soccer team at various locations, the Montréal Alliance basketball team at various locations and the Montréal Alouettes football team at the Percival Molson Memorial Stadium.
If you can’t make the games in person, watch all the hockey, soccer, football, basketball, MMA and more at Montréal’s sports bars.
Get swinging with a foray into the circus arts (since Montréal is a bona fide capital of circus) at the Montréal Circus Academy, where you can learn flying trapeze, pole fitness, exotic pole dance, aerial silks, aerial hammock, straps, handstands, flexibility and more.
Wanna play? The Grand Chelem Baseball Centre, located downtown, invites you to step up to the plate. Whether you’re an elite player or a casual hitter, Grand Chelem offers baseball and softball training for all levels and any age.
Head to the Centre Eaton de Montréal where the PLAYBOX Centre has a game for everyone, from internationally renowned crane games to arcade games, skill games and VR attractions. Super Super at DIX30 in Brossard is another super lively, family-friendly option, while Royalmount has a very fun arcade at The Rec Room, next to the Cineplex cinema, where you can duke it out in VR games and more before munching burgers or nachos (with accompanying cocktails, for parents) at the onsite eateries. Head to the Casino de Montréal to play on life-size arcade games at their ARcade by Moment Factory gaming experience: a fusion of multimedia and video game technology in two play areas that pits teams against each other in six interactive games. Each game combines motion-detection, projection technologies and videogame mechanics. Montréal loves exploring the retro side of play with its selection of arcades.
Montréal Bowling is the perfect spot downtown to play a few rounds of bowling, play some pool, watch some sports, play some arcade games and grab some great snacks and cocktails.
If you’re feeling more artsy, Art Chaos is a fantastic family- or group-friendly activity in Mile End, where you can paint crazy creations on rapidly spinning canvases, for a truly interactive experience.
The West Island’s Ecomuseum Zoo is a wonderful place to glimpse local wildlife in their natural outdoor habitats and even have breakfast with some of them throughout the month.
Explore the many outdoor activities the city has in store, including the list of free things to do this season, see incredible city views from Mount Royal Park: head for a walk through the park and up the stairs to the lookout, or bus or drive up to Beaver Lake. Stroll (or cross-country ski, or skate) around Parc La Fontaine, go to Saint-Michel neighbourhood’s Parc Frédéric-Back, or cross the river to Parc Jean-Drapeau for a riverside walk and a different view of the city. While there, visit the Espace pour la vie Biosphère too, for environment-focused exhibitions and more.
Speaking of Espace pour la vie museums, enjoy the Jardin botanique’s sprawling tropical greenhouse environments, a welcome hit of warmth on these cold days. Experience several wild ecosystems at the Biodôme (there are penguins, otters, monkeys and more), explore the mysteries of the universe at the Planétarium, and learn about the thousands of butterflies, moths and other insects at the Insectarium.
For the ultimate relaxation session after a day of trekking (or just because you deserve it), visit Bota Bota, spa-sur-l’eau, a unique spa in a moored boat on the St. Lawrence River in the Old Port, and other world-class spas like Scandinave Spa Vieux-Montréal, Avie Spa & Coiffure, Rainspa and Strøm Nordic Spa.
September shopping
Shop for some new sweater weather wardrobe staples, starting in Old Montréal’s boutiques, downtown along Sainte-Catherine Street and in the Underground City malls. The Centre Eaton de Montréal and Place Montréal Trust are full of the latest styles from the hottest shops, including Uniqlo, Nike, Aritzia, Decathlon and many more boutiques (and remember to ask for a VIP Visitor Card at Guest Services for exclusive discounts only for tourists).
Keep your eye out for items made by Montréal designers, relaxing self-care staples and plenty of sparkly goods from the coolest Montréal jewellery stores.
Find foodstuffs from local artisans as well as imported delicacies at Montréal’s public markets, and shop local and eco-friendly at the most fabulous vintage boutiques in the city. Pick out the perfect new books for friends and family from Montréal’s bookstores, and dive into a wide world of music at Montréal’s excellent vinyl stores.
Forgot to pick up souvenirs? Fear not, Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) has got you covered. The focus on local goods in both the domestic and the international zones range from food to goods, including scarves and bags from M0851, yoga gear from Lolë and novels by local authors. Start your foray at Découvrir Montréal.
Fall art and exhibitions
The fall season is in hyperdrive in museums and galleries around town, as they kick off their rentrée culturelle, so get your cultural fill in Montréal’s magnificent museums.
See the world’s best and most moving news photography at the World Press Photo Exhibition, presented at Marché Bonsecours in Old Montréal, running throughout the month.
At PHI, until September 13 you can see Otherworlds, an immersive exhibition by Jakob Kudsk Steensen that examines contemporary ecological realities through virtual, sonic and video worlds, as well as Come check it out. Lies lies lies, Italian-born Paola Pivi’s first major touring exhibition in Canada. It features sculptural installations that question the authenticity of iconic symbols, such as the Statue of Liberty and the polar bear, which have come to stand in for ideas of freedom and climate change.
Visit the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts until September 13 to see From the Functional to the Fabulous: 600 Years of Decorative Arts and Design, displaying more than 800 objects (silverware, ceramics, furniture, jewelry, textiles, glassware, and craft and industrial design objects), created by over 400 designers, artists and artisans from around the world. The MMFA houses one of North America’s largest and most important decorative arts and design collections, and this is the perfect showcase for it.
Go to Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History Complex in Old Montréal to board the good ship D’Iberville to embark on an immersive and interactive seafaring adventure taking place in the days of New France, with their permanent exhibition Come Aboard! Pirates or Privateers?
You’ll also be near the kid-friendly Montréal Science Centre, where you can explore interactive exhibitions that investigate the scientific world, like the permanent exhibition Human: a voyage to the very heart of human evolution through a fully interactive and highly energetic environment. Explore – Life-Sized Science is a permanent exhibition that explains the wonders at work behind motion, air, light, water, geometry, matter and code via interactive games involving giant soap bubbles, water tables — even a crane.
The McCord Stewart Museum bridges past and present in its exhibitions, which throughout May includes On the Menu – Montréal: A Restaurant Story: witness the evolution of Montréal’s restaurant scene in all its forms since the 1960s. Also on view, the permanent exhibition Indigenous Voices of Today: Knowledge, Trauma, Resilience features over one hundred carefully selected cultural belongings from the museum’s collection and bears witness to the still unrecognized knowledge of Indigenous peoples in Quebec and Canada as well as the deep wounds they carry and their incredible resilience.
Visit MEM – Centre des mémoires montréalaises, a cutting-edge museum dedicated to the voices of Montrealers presiding over the corner of Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Rue Sainte-Catherine. Throughout the month you can catch Detours – Urban Experiences, an immersive exhibition that takes you into the world of Montrealers with singular backgrounds, and the permanent exhibition MONTRÉAL: which highlights the diverse experiences that have contributed to the city’s distinctive characteristics while bringing its story to life on a human scale.
Travel back in time as you tour the rooms of Château Ramezay and visit the historical site of Château Dufresne near the Olympic Stadium. The Musée des Hospitalières de l’Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal explores the history of medical care and its relationship to do-gooding with its temporary exhibition, Medicine and Charity. Stained glass windows, sculptures, paintings, furniture, tapestries, everyday objects related to patient care, and archives will allow visitors to discover the extraordinary richness of French hospital heritage, as well as that of Quebec.
Not far from the city, climb aboard railway cars, learn about the history of the railroad and explore miniature railways at the Exporail the Canadian Railway Museum.
Discover the vivid history and present of Quebec ceramics at the Musée des métiers d’arts du Québec, and Canadian arts and crafts at large at La Guilde in the Golden Square Mile. Experience a massive immersive art experience in surround-sound and laser light at OASIS Immersion, where Root for Nature extrapolates on biodiversity in all its splendour.
Don’t forget Montréal’s plethora of small, independent art galleries, from Bradley Ertaskiran to Hugues Charbonneau, Galerie B-312, SBC Gallery and Ellephant downtown, Oboro and MAI in the Plateau, Centre Clark and Dazibao in Mile End, Galerie d’Outremont in (you guessed it) Outremont and many, many others in every neighbourhood.
Isa Tousignant
Isa Tousignant is an editor and storyteller with a curiosity that runs deeper than most. She has chatted life philosophies with celebrity chefs, gemologists, arena rockers and furries. (All were transformative.) Her favourite things include discovering new flavours and celebrating the creativity that defines her hometown, Montréal.