What's new in Montréal

With the switch into springtime, Montréal shifts gears into an exciting period of new growth and new beginnings. From the sweetest culinary delights to exciting outdoor pursuits, here’s a few of the season’s top events you won’t want to miss.

• Spring in Montréal is stacked with festivals like Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival, the massive outdoor parties of Piknic Électronik, the chock-a-block St-Ambroise Montréal Fringe Festival the big new kid on the block Palomosa Festival, the cutting-edge performances of Festival TransAmériques 20^th edition, the celebration of music and song en français Francos de Montréal, HTMlles Festival’s spotlight on women, trans and gender non-confirming artists and the soaring MURAL Festival. And there’s much more where that came from!
• In advance of this year’s UCI Road World Championships, the Go Bike Montréal Festival celebrates one of the city’s favourite modes of transport. Highlighted with the beloved Metropolitan Challenge, Tour de l’Île de Montréal and the Night Ride, where riders deck out their cycles with lights and costumes, Go Bike shuts typically busy streets to traffic, and bikes take over!

Montréal’s top-tier arts spaces present an exciting list of unmissable exhibitions and cutting-edge artistic premieres all winter long.

• The Montréal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA for short) hosts the blockbuster exhibition The Torlonia Collection: Masterpieces of Roman Sculpture from March 14 to July 19, 2026 and Richard Avedon: Immortal—Portraits of Aging, 1951-2004 until August 9, 2026. Admission also gains you entry to Rising Suns: Art from the Confederacies of the Great Lakes and Rivers until October 11, 2026, and the ongoing overview From the Functional to the Fabulous: 600 Years of Decorative Arts and Design featuring some local icons including an original BIXI. 
• To commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the 1976 Summer Olympic Games, the McCord Stewart Museum presents Montréal 1976: An Olympic Feat featuring a multimedia celebration of one of the biggest moments in the city’s history, running until September 13, 2026. Sharing a delicious slice of local culinary and design history, On the Menu—Montréal: A Restaurant Story (on now until October 18, 2026), looking at some of the city’s long gone but still sweetly remembered dining establishments and their role in shaping the city’s eating habits and gourmet memories.
• The Black Mirror Experience brings the hugely popular spooky Netflix series to life at Infinity Experiences in the Old Port of Montréal. Through a blend of eye-popping physical sets paired with immersive Virtual Reality technology, parties of up to six have the opportunity to live out an all-new Black Mirror episode unlike any other. After this, watching TV won’t ever feel the same!
• The legendary theatre space Caf’Conc’ re-opens its doors with a Montréal-centric program of music, comedy, drag and cabaret regularly featuring local icons Coco Belliveau, Tranna Wintour and Rita Baga. Originally constructed in preparation for Expo 67 as part of the Marriott Château Champlain hotel, the Caf’Conc’ (short for Café Concert) has long played a nostalgic role in Montréal’s cultural fabric. The Caf’Conc’ Célébrités series features a francophone artist in the plush, intimate hall, in the process paying tribute to the venue’s historic stature.
• Housed in a former ferry ship and moored in the waters of the Old Port of Montréal’s Pier 14, Bota Bota, spa-sur-l’eau has charmed and calmed locals and visitors alike since its opening in 2010. This year, they’ll expand with a second ship featuring new whirlpools both indoor and outdoor, more unbeatable vistas of the city, a large-scale sauna and four cold plunge pools. We already feel more relaxed just thinking about it!

Find more of the season’s must-see exhibitions and special events here.

Montréal has long been a gourmet’s paradise, with restaurants fêted by those in the know. And you don’t have to just take our word for it—as of 2025, the world-leading MICHELIN Guide has also bestowed its first stars and bibs to some of the city’s favourite eating spots now taking a well-deserved bow on the international stage. Here’s just a few of the tastiest events happening this spring:

• Coffee lovers won’t want to miss the Café Collectif 2026 at the Society for Arts and Technology (SAT) on May 1 to 3, 2026. Roasters and baristas will assemble to show off their wares and serve up the perfect brew. Expect tastings, speakers and workshops all in the name of the almighty coffee bean.
• This spring, the MICHELIN Guide will also release its latest round of star rankings and bibs on Montréal’s restaurant scene for its 2026 edition, and we’re already holding our breaths (and salivating) for the results. 

New restaurants join Montréal’s dining scene every season, and this spring there’s some new kids on the block opening their doors all over the city. See our list of new must-try spots here!

Ranging from #FOMO comfort to #YOLO luxury, Montréal’s hotel scene is a constant grower with glow-up renovations and new additions from trusted brands to boutique treasures.

• A new addition to the Downtown hotel scene, the Metcalfe Hotel Montréal features stylish rooms and workspaces amid the hustle-bustle. The on-site Benjamin Steakhouse Parisien specializes in French cuisine, and the heated pool is sure to relax.
• Housed in the historic National Trust Company building, the SONOLUX immersive art hotel pairs world-class comfort with unforgettable exhibitions of contemporary artists. The group exhibition Seeds of R/Evolution featuring works by Santiago Tamayo Soler, Jasmina Cibic, Skawennati and Kosisochuwku Nnebe runs until June 2026, while The Cosmic Code is an AI-driven immersive experience reacting to human presence and music, creating unique visuals for each viewer.
• The 15-room Maison Grinder in Griffintown is designed as a contemporary multi-storey house, offering a one-of-a-kind boutique experience that’s as home-away-from-home as it gets!

For more talk of the town, click here for the latest hotel updates.