Montréal Cultural Calendar

POP MUSIC

Some highlights of upcoming national and international tours:

April

Rock Hall of Famers Heart with opening act Cheap Trick (April 2), American country singer Kane Brown (April 4), and Hip Hop legend Nelly (April 15), all at the Bell Centre.

Colombian Prince of Reggaeton J Balvin (April 7) and Montréal favourite Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (April 24), both at Place Bell.

French singer-songwriter Zaho de Sagazan (April 8 and 10), Belgian-Egyptian singer Tamino (April 9), rock band Franz Ferdinand (April 14), legendary Montréal rock band GrimSkunk (April 17), British singer-songwriter Myles Smith (April 18 and 20), former American Idol contestant Remi Wolf (April 23), English electronic musician and DJ Elderbrook (April 26) followed by a ticketed DJ set at New City Gas later that night, and British girl group FLO (April 29), all at MTELUS.

British metalcore double-header While She Sleeps / Bury Tomorrow at the Olympia (April 5); Montreal punk rock legends Ripcordz at La Biu (April 12); metal BeeGees tribute band Tragedy at Piranha Bar; the Duke of Spook WEDNESDAY 13 at iconic Foufounes Éléctriques (April 13); Brit Floyd (April 16) and Dweezil Zappa (April 21), both at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier.

American blues, boogie-woogie and jazz pianist Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne backed by the Ben Racine Band at Petit Campus (April 18); Polaris Prize-winning Zambian-Canadian rapper Backxwash launches her new album at the SAT (April 18); English post-punk legends Gang of Four (April 22), and Nigerian-American actor and singer Rotimi (April 30), both at the Beanfield Theatre.

The Colin James Trio at Salle Désilets (April 24), Montréal folk legend Martha Wainwright celebrates the 20^th anniversary of her eponymous debut album with a special concert at the Outremont Theatre (April 25); and Manchester rock band The Chameleons with Texas duo Twin Tribes headline the SAT (April 29).

Meanwhile, the popular Montreal Punk Rock Flea Market will be held at Foufounes Électriques on April 6.

May

Welsh heavy metal band Bullet For My Valentine with Trivium (May 3), Canadian classic rockers Bachman-Turner Overdrive (May 5), English rock band Bush (May 7), Nigerian Afrobeats rapper Rema (May 10), Hip Hop icons Cypress Hill (May 20), and Atlanta singer-songwriter Teddy Swims (May 24), all at Place Bell.

Canadian pop princess Alessia Cara (May 14), Chicago industrial metal band Ministry (May 17), English post-punk legends Peter Hook and The Light (May 22), all at MTELUS. 

The Chaos & Carnage 2025 tour features co-headliners Dying Fetus and Cradle Of Filth alongside openers Fleshgod Apocalypse, Ne Obliviscaris, Undeath, Vomit Forth, and Corpse Pile at the Olympia (May 6); Norwegian progressive metal band Leprous at the Beanfield Theatre (May 7), American death metal band Obituary at Club Soda (May 9).

The Montréal Gospel Choir’s season finale concert at Salle Désilets (May 10), Montréal ska legends The Planet Smashers at the Beanfield Theatre (May 10); Montréal punk rock legends Ripcordz headline Blue Dog (May 22), and Montréal ska-jazz-rocksteady 8-piece Skatton Club headlines Quai des brumes (May 28). 

Australian music producer and DJ Dom Dolla will perform on the Esplanade Viau at the Olympic Park on May 17, and Colombian superstar Shakira headlines the Bell Centre on May 20. Then showbiz icon Barry Manilow brings his farewell tour to the Bell Centre on May 30.

June

British rapper Central Cee (June 1 and 2), American indie folk band The Head And The Heart (June 3), Australian singer-songwriter Ziggy Alberts (June 5), American rock band Clutch (June 6), Aussie cultural phenom Dope Lemon (June 7), and American industrial metal band Static-X (June 10), all at MTELUS.

Japanese rock band One Ok Rock (June 3),  French electronic music duo Justice (June 6), American outlaw country music singer-songwriter Cody Jinks, British soft-rock heartthrob James Blunt (June 13), co-headlining rock bands Volbeat and Three Days Grace (June 16), Croatian cellist Hauser (June 18), Rock Hall  of Famers ZZ TOP with opening act The Wallflowers (June 25), and Japanese metal band BABYMETAL with opening acts Black Veil Brides and Bloodywood (June 30), all at Place Bell.

Lane 8 brings his Childish tour to Parc Jean-Drapeau on June 6; up-and-coming American RnB crooner Kyle Dion headlines L’Escogriffe Bar Spectacle (June 10); and legendary Scottish New Wave rock band Simple Minds headline the Bell Centre with opening acts Modern English and Soft Cell on June 17.

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. The live-music venue presents all genres, including the superbElton Songs tribute to pop icon Elton John on June 6.

CITY OF FESTIVALS

Montréal hosts dozens of festivals each spring and summer. Some star-studded highlights:

Thousands gather each Sunday at two stages in Parc Jean-Drapeau for Piknic Électronik which kicks off May 23 with Berlin DJ Marlon Hoffstadt.

The 19^th edition of Festival TransAmériques runs May 22 to June 5. More in the theatre section below.

The Fuego Fuego Festival is the largest Latin music festival in Canada. Headliners this year include Nicky Jam, Peso Pluma, Wisin, Danny Ocean, El Alfa and Sech. Runs May 24 to 25.

The St-Ambroise Montréal Fringe Festival runs from May 26 to June 16. More in the theatre section.

The Francos de Montréal presents more than 250 performances by French-language musicians from around the world. Runs June 13 to 21.

The MURAL Festival presents some of the world’s top graffiti artists reimagining city walls from June 5 to 15.

The Formula One Canadian Grand Prix runs at Parc Jean-Drapeau from June 13 to 15, same dates as the Crescent Street Grand Prix Festival.

The 45^th edition of the famed Festival International de Jazz de Montréal presents 3,000 performers from around the world performing more than 350 ticketed indoor concerts and free shows on several outdoor stages from June 26 to July 5.  Headliners include Wynton Marsalis (June 25), Samara Joy (June 28), Branford Marsalis (July 1), George Thorogood & the Destroyers (July 3), Montréal’s very own Kid Koala (June 26 to 29) and The Brooks (June 29), as well as the hotly-anticipated all-star Oscar Peterson Centennial Gala: Canadiana Suite (July 4). Click here for full program. 

Click here for your full spring and summer Montréal festival guide.

THEATRE

Montréal’s two big English-language theatres – the venerable Centaur Theatre Company in Old Montréal, and the Sylvan Adams Theatre at the Segal Centre for the Performing Arts in the west end – offer varied programming.

Closing the Centaur season is the return of Michel Tremblay’s For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again, starring Canadian national treasure Ellen David and Emmanuel Schwartz. Directed by Alice Ronfard, this heartfelt tribute to Tremblay’s mother is the first production to be staged in Centaur’s newly renovated proscenium theatre, featuring state-of-the-art fly-tower technology. Runs May 13 to June 1.

The Segal presents the slapstick comedy Clue: On Stage, based on the cult classic 1985 film and inspired by the iconic Hasbro board game. Step into a world of mystery as murder and blackmail unfold over a sinister dinner party at Boddy Manor. This slapstick whodunit keeps you guessing: Was it Miss Scarlet in the library with the rope? Or Colonel Mustard in the kitchen with the knife? Runs June 8 to 29.

Evenko and Broadway Across Canada present the hilarious Broadway musical MEAN GIRLS at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier. Runs April 22 to 27.

Festival TransAmériques 

A festival of contemporary dance and theatre, the star-studded 19^th edition of the Festival TransAmériques presents some 25 shows from May 22 to June 5. 

Highlights include Taverna Miresia – Mario Bella Anastasia, an unsettling, dreamlike wordless play directed by the rising star of Greek theatre, Mario Banushi, at Théâtre Jean-Duceppe (May 29 to 31); and Argentina’s Tiziano Cruz returns with Wayqeycuna, the final instalment of his trilogy that weaves together family history and a critique of neoliberal power structures, at the Théâtre Rouge du Conservatoire (May 31 to June 3). 

Dance icon Louise Lecavalier presents the North American premiere of her new solo show danses vagabondes at the FTA from May 31 to June 4.

Another FTA highlight is Norwegian-Jamaican performer and choreographer Harald Beharie’s Batty Bwoy which reappropriates the Jamaican term “Batty Bwoy” (literally, butt boy), slang for a queer person. Runs from May 28 to 31.

Click here for full festival programming.

Montréal Fringe Festival

After a record-breaking 2024 edition, the bilingual St-Ambroise Montréal Fringe Festival returns May 26 to June 15 when 500 artists from some 90 producing companies present more than 800 indoor performances at this year’s 35^th edition. The OFF Fringe runs from May 28 to June 15.

Outdoor programming at the hugely popular Fringe Park – located at Parc des Ameriques, corner Rachel and St-Laurent – will feature live bands, as well as the festival’s marquee event Drag Race on June 14 featuring professional drag stars versus a bevy of Fringe fest beauties in a knock-down Battle Royale of skill-testing obstacles!

Click here for more Montréal English-language theatre this spring.

DANCE

The prestigious Danse Danse series presents the best dance shows from around the world. Highlights to wind down the current season include the Belgian company Peeping Tom which has been fascinating audiences with their Triptych trilogy, runs April 16 to 19 at Théâtre Maisonneuve; and the new darling of the European dance scene, Portuguese choreographer Marco da Silva Ferreira presents his most ambitious work CARCAÇA celebrating the contemporary body with phenomenal intensity, runs April 30 to May 3 at Théâtre Maisonneuve.

Dance icon Louise Lecavalier presents the North American premiere of her new solo show danses vagabondes at the Festival TransAmériques from May 31 to June 4.

Another FTA highlight is Norwegian-Jamaican performer and choreographer Harald Beharie’s Batty Bwoy which reappropriates the Jamaican term “Batty Bwoy” (literally, butt boy), slang for a queer person. Runs from May 28 to 31.

Located in The Wilder Building, Agora de la danse highlights this season include Tout s’effondre with 10 performers revealing the poetry of cycles of collapse and rebirth, in a show where humanity constantly reinvents itself (May 7 to 9); and the DNA – Danse Non Altérée street dance event which is part battle, improvisation and creation featuring youth up to 17-years-old (June 7). 

Click here for their full schedule.

The Wilder is also home to Tangente which since its foundation in 1980 has championed emerging choreographers and offers contemporary dance programming through May. Highlights include the Samantha Sutherland + Charo Foo Tai Wei double bill (May 3 to 5). Click here for Tangente’s full schedule.

Les Grands Ballets Canadiens present the classical ballet Don Quixote at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier from May 29 to June 7. 

CLASSICAL STAGE

Under the artistic direction of Maestro Rafael Payare, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal presents the Mozart Festival (April 16 to 25) including a concert version of Così fan tutte with renowned baritone Thomas Hampson (April 24 and 25); Ravel’s Brilliant Piano Concerto with Benjamin Grosvenor, magician of the piano (May 1 and 4); rising piano star Marie-Ange Nguci makes her OSM debut in The OSM Performs Rachmaninoff and Amy Beach (May 8); Montréal band Half Moon Run reunites with the OSM (May 13 to 15); and Mahler’s Song of the Earth With Rafael Payare closes the season (May 28 to 30).

The Orchestre Métropolitain presents Chœur Métropolitain: Sacred Gilles Vigneault (April 5), Slavic Sceneries (May 2); and Adventure Awaits with Grammy-winning conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin (June 15).

All concerts at the Maison Symphonique.

Looking ahead, the OM presents the hotly-anticipated Beck with Orchestre Métropolitain at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier on July 16. 

Winner of the 2024 JUNO Award for Classical Album of the Year, the Orchestre Classique de Montréal presents Opera-Candy: The Gourmet Adventure of Hansel & Gretel, a family-friendly concert for children aged 3 to 12 at Pierre-Mercure Hall (April 6); their Maestro Bernstein Benefit Evening honours composer Leonard Bernstein who reshaped the musical scene in the second half of the 20^th Century, at Pierre-Mercure Hall (May 2); then to close the OCM’s 85^th season, Ode To Joy: Beethoven’s 9^th at the Maison Symphonique (May 31). 

Soprano Marie-Josée Lord sings Québécois chansons at the Outremont Theatre on May 17.

L’Opera de Montréal winds down their season with Puccini’s La Bohème, arguably  the greatest love story ever sung, at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier (May 10 to 20). Young Montréal conductor Simon Rivard conducts the Orchestre Métropolitain in his Opéra de Montréal debut.

The 14^th season of Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts features some 90 concerts, with half of its programming showcasing Québec and Canadian artists. Highlights this spring include the jazz stylings of Lorraine Desmarais Trio - Street Beat Suite (April 3), world-renowned Montréal pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin with a programme that includes the four Scherzos by Chopin (April 12); Schubert’s Famous “Trout” Quintet features Musicians of the OSM (May 9); Marianne Trudel plays Antônio Carlos Jobim (May 15), pianist Maxim Bernard’s Chopin Matinee (June 5), and to conclude the season, Symphony in the French Manner with Les Violons du Roy (June 6).

Click here for the full program.

MUSEUMS

The PHI in Old Montréal presents the hotly-anticipated exhibition Jean-Marc Vallée: Mixtape, a multimedia and sound journey into the memory and work of the famed Montréal film director for whom mixtapes were an essential part of his creative process. With the participation of Marc-André Grondin, Evelyne Brochu, Denis Villeneuve, Reese Witherspoon, Vanessa Paradis, Laura Dern and others. Runs to May 4. Free admission but reservations required. 

Embark on the Life Chronicles immersive expedition exploring our planet’s major evolutionary phases covering 3.5 billion years of the Earth’s history and the living organisms that inhabit it, including dinosaurs and the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex. Equipped with a virtual reality headset, visitors experience the past brought to life with stunning visuals and sounds grounded in meticulous scientific accuracy.

Life Chronicles is located in the Old Port next door to the Montréal Science Centre. Children under 8 not admitted. The 45-minute immersive experience runs to October 13.

The Montréal Museum of Fine Arts in the Golden Square Mile presents the Berthe Weill, Art Dealer of the Parisian Avant-garde exhibition displaying more 100 works and archival documents, including paintings and sculptures by major figures of Modern art ranging from Pablo Picasso to Suzanne Valadon. It is the first large-scale exhibition dedicated to the career and artistic vision of Berthe Weill who opened her Paris gallery in 1901 in the neighbourhood of Montmartre and played a seminal role in the development of Avant-garde movements in France in the first half of the 20^th century. Runs May 10 to September 7.

Click here for more Montréal museum exhibitions.

FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT

Basketball’s iconic Harlem Globetrotters will entertain kids of all ages at Place Bell (April 17) and the Bell Centre (April 18), followed by Stars on Ice at Place Bell (April 29).

Amateurs and professionals ages 18+ are welcome to the SAT Roller Dance for a Sunday of roller-skating on April 27. The SAT is transformed into a roller-skating dance floor with Marilyn Basbous, the talented skater behind the Skate with Marly roller-dance school. If you don’t have roller skates, pre-book your skates when buying tickets (limited quantities, so book early).

Children of all ages can also discover new worlds at Montréal Espace pour la vie, the largest natural-sciences museum complex in Canada which comprises the Botanical Garden, Planetarium, Biosphere, famed Biodôme and Insectarium. Purchasing fixed-time tickets online is highly recommended. 

The children-friendly permanent exhibitions at the Montréal Science Centre are all open, while its IMAX cinema screens films for all ages, including Australia 3D: The Wild Continent.

Click here for the screening schedules of the latest films.

CIRCUS ARTS

In their state-of-the-art circular performance hall, La TOHU presents Paperplane, a theatrical, musical and circus journey about the circle of life, created by Québec’s Théatre Advienne que pourra. Runs April 10 to 21. 

The 8^th edition of the Festival des clowns de Montréal (Montréal Clown Festival) showcases high-calibre clown performances at various venues from April 4 to 12. Highlights include Old God starring Alec Jones-Trujillo from Las Vegas, at La Sotterenea (located in the basement of La Sala Rossa). Click here for the full program.

Inspired by hand-to-hand combat, Chita Project’s La chose en soi will be performed at the Maison de la culture Claude-Léveillée on April 10, and at the Maison de la culture Notre-Dame de Grâce on April 24. 

At the Maison de la culture Jeannine Sutto, you can see Altération by Kira Arts | Aly Keita, on April 16.

Le Monastère presents Le Jardin, a relaxing outdoor oasis in the heart of the city, with free evening shows (June 1 to September 30). Le Monastère also presents the cream of local contemporary circus artists in their Cabaret du Jugement Dernier, a circus competition showcasing acrobatics, juggling and aerial acrobatics (July 4 to 12).

Cirque du Soleil presents the return of LUZIA under the Big Top in the Old Port from May 15 to June 29.

CINÉMA

Experience the magic of Disney with the OSM in concert live-to-film featuring the spectacular animation movies Fantasia (1940) and its sequel Fantasia 2000 (April 2 and 3). 

The 41^st annual Festival international de cinéma Vues d’Afrique runs from April 3 to 13. The festival screens international features, documentaries and shorts by filmmakers from across Africa and the African diaspora.

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. Click here for updates.

The Montreal Cinéclub Film Society screens classic movies at various venues every second week. Click here for the full program.

The IMAX cinema at the Montréal Science Centre screens films for all ages, including Australia 3D: The Wild Continent. Click here for the screening schedules of the latest films.

LITERATURE

Party launch of Montréal author Leila Marshy’s story collection My Thievery of The People at Kawalees on April 8. 

The Atwater Library Book Club is led by renowned author Mary Soderstrom. Upcoming events: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz (May 14), and Do You Remember Being Born? by Sean Michaels (June 11).

The Violet Hour Book Club, a reading group moderated by renowned author Christopher DiRaddo, is devoted to classic and contemporary works of LGBTQ literature. Up next: The Cure for Drowning by Loghan Paylor (April 12), Leg: The Story of a Limb and the Boy Who Grew from It by Greg Marshall (May 10), and Daughters of the Deer by Danielle Daniel (June 7).

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.

DRAG SHOWS

Solid Pink Disco with DJ Trixie (a.k.a. Trixie Mattel) at MTELUS on May 2.

Montréal’s Jimmy Moore impersonates Lady Gaga at Le Studio TD on May 24 and 30.

The St-Ambroise Montréal Fringe Festival presents their marquee Drag Race on June 14, featuring professional drag stars versus a bevy of Fringe fest beauties in a knock-down Battle Royale of skill-testing obstacles!

Hosted by drag icon Mado Lamotte since its launch 25 years ago in 2000, this year’s edition is actually No. 22, thanks to COVID and inclement weather. After Canada’s Drag Race season 5 contestant Uma Gahd hosted in 2023, Mado may return for one more show: “I found it exhausting because after Drag Race I’d go to work at Cabaret Mado. I’m not a young girl anymore. But I may come back to host one last show for the 25^th anniversary edition.”  

The Fringe Fest Drag Race happens June 14 at the Fringe Park located at Parc des Ameriques, corner Rachel and St-Laurent.

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.

British stand-up comedy character Troy Hawke (a.k.a. Milo McCabe) at the Beanfield Theatre on April 12.

Steve-O brings his The Super Dummy! Tour to the Olympia on April 17.

Palestinian-American stand-up comedian Mo Amer at the Olympia on April 20 and 21.

Finish comedian Ismo headlines the Beanfield Theatre on May 1.

American stand-up comedian Stavros Halkias at the Olympia on May 3 with shows at 7 pm and 9:30 pm.

Canadian stand-up comic Gerry Dee at the Beanfield Theatre on May 8.

American stand-up comedian Nikki Glaser at the Olympia on May 9 with shows at 7 pm and 9:30 pm.

American stand-up comic Michael Rapaport at the Olympia on May 24.

A regular on the Fox sketch comedy series Mad TV, stand-up comic and impressionist Aries Spears headlines the Olympia on May 27.

Haitian-Canadian French-language comedic performer Tai TL (a.k.a. Tailaire Laguerre) headlines Place Bell on May 31.

Canadian-Iranian comedian Neema Naz brings his My Estupid Life Comedy Tour to the Olympia on June 21.

English comedian Paul Taylor at MTELUS on June 25.

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.

Some of the city’s best stand-up comics perform at Double’s Comedy Club, a bilingual comedy night held the last Wednesday of each month at 9 pm, at Double’s Late Night, a contemporary dive bar in the heart of Montréal’s Mile-End. 

The Montréal Comedy House downtown presents local and national comics.

Support local, national and international comics at Montréal’s venerable The Comedy Nest nightclub located in the historic Montréal Forum. Click here for full programming.