What's new in Montréal

Bundle up and don’t forget your mittens, because Montréal’s cultural calendar is packed all winter long, guaranteeing a snowy adventure unlike any other. Here’s a few of the season’s top events you won’t want to miss.

• 2026 is here, and we’ve compiled 26 reasons to visit Montréal this year, including some unforgettable anniversaries, sporting activities and shopping!
• From the new year to the spring, a wealth of cultural activities for the whole family from eye-popping installations and events that keep Montréal locals and visitors alike abuzz.
• Who says festivals should stop when the temperature drops? Montráel’s winter festivals include some of the city’s most popular destination events, including La Poutine Week, MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE and Lumino!
• The Old Port of Montréal transforms into party central across four weekends in January and February for Igloofest, featuring a world-class line-up of DJs and spectacular snowsuits and costumes to keep revelers warm and dancing late into the night.
• There’s few winter experiences quite so shiny and bright as a few spins around the Esplanade Tranquille skating rink, with on-site skate rentals and a cozy café with a perfectly situated viewing perch overlooking the ice.
• While narrowing it down isn’t easy, here’s just 10 of our top reasons why the time for your winter Montréal visit is now!

In Montréal, wellness is key all year long, and the winter season is all about self-care and treating yourself right.

• Winter is one of Montréal’s busiest periods for outdoor pursuits, including urban snowshoeing, ice skating at the city’s outdoor rinks and cross-country skiing through local parks (not to mention Glissades Gamelin’s specially constructed sliding slopes for downhill enthusiasts). And cyclists keep going with year-round BIXI bike-share access and biking lanes cleared of snow.
• The winter months are also the perfect time for a world-class cooking, baking or mixology class under the guidance of some of Montréal’s most skilled foodies, or a palette-expanding wine tasting with some of the city’s finest sommeliers.
• And there’s no finer way to spend a winter’s day than at one of Montréal’s rejuvenating spas, including the recently opened Recess Thermal Station, JOY Wellness Social Club housed in the former Holt Renfrew department store and the Nordic beer spa Bain Ninkasi with its individual tubs infused with hops and herbs with individual beer taps within reach. 

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

• Sharing a delicious piece of culinary and design history, the McCord Stewart Museum presents 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.
• The Montréal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA for short) hosts the epic Kent Monkman: History is Painted by the Victors exhibition until March 8, 2026, Rising Suns: Art from the Confederacies of the Great Lakes and Rivers until October 11, 2026, and the ongoing From the Functional to the Fabulous: 600 Years of Decorative Arts and Design. And in collaboration with the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (or the MAC to those in the know, whose homebase in the Quartier des Spectacles is currently under extensive renovation) Comfort and Indifference: Recent Acquisitions by the MAC exhibits new works added to their collections between 2020 and 2025. 
   

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—earlier this year, the world-leading MICHELIN Guide awarded its first stars and bibs to some of the city’s favourite eating spots taking a well-deserved bow on the international stage.

MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE combines art and gastronomy into one of the year’s biggest outdoor events, transforming the Quartier des Spectacles and Place des Festivals into a winter wonderland of treats, eats, skating and amusement rides. Don’t miss the Village gourmand and the packed lineup of musical performers keeping crowds cozy and warm.

New restaurants join Montréal’s dining scene every season, and this winter there’s some new kids on the block opening their doors just in time for some cozy eats! See our list of new must-try spots here, and don’t worry about treating yourself—every day is cheat day during the holiday season!