Montréal is shiny and bright for the holidays!

Under a blanket of snow, Old Montréal is a glowing storybook winter wonderland that’s the definition of postcard-pretty photogenic. The iconic quartier’s holiday lighting offer countless shimmering vistas down cobblestone streets and across building facades, while neighbourhood shops go all out in decorating their entrances and windows sure to bring feelings of comfort and joy. Québec’s first declared historical monument the Château Ramezay spends the holiday season bedecked in lights, hosting old-fashioned holiday traditions like stocking-making and singsongs around the fireplace. After taking in the beaming archways and domes of the City Hall, Marché Bonsecours and its neighbouring Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel and Marguerite Bourgeoys Historic Site's facade and lookout towers, head for the Notre-Dame Basilica* and Place d’Armes with its epic-sized star installations. End your wander at the stately Place Jacques-Cartier for some fresh maple syrup candies and to warm your hands over an open fire.

* And speaking of eye-popping projections, no description of Montréal’s twinkling lights would be complete without the popular AURA Experience, bringing the Notre-Dame Basilica’s interior to vibrant life with fully immersive cutting-edge light mapping technology. It’s also the perfect way to warm up on an evening winter walk through the neighbourhood.

All over town, Montréal’s shopping streets from Ahuntsic to the Plateau-Mont-Royal and Mile End, Outremont to Lachine are all cozily a-twinkle with draping lights and glimmering storefront decorations. The bedazzling installations that transform Promenade Wellington into The Pôle Well further increase the charm quotient on one of the world’s coolest streets, while Mont-Royal Avenue’s trees are lit up in a rainbow’s worth of colours accompanied by Noël sur l’Avenue’s choirs and Christmas tree market at Parc Compagnons-de-Saint-Laurent. Charming Peel Street’s newly unveiled hanging tree lights lend a romantic air, and every year the towering installations on busy Sainte-Catherine Street raise holiday excitement to an epic level. And once your shopping is done, the old school animatronic window displays from the upscale Ogilvy department store created in the 1940s and now residing at the McCord Stewart Museum are placed out front for all to experience free of charge, still thrilling Montréalers decade after decade.

From November 22 to December 30, 2024, Noël Montréal brings two uniquely charming Christmas Markets to Montréal, guaranteeing something for everyone in the family. The Great Montréal Christmas Market transforms the Quartier des Spectacles and Place des Arts into a charming holiday village modelled on the world famous German Weihnachtsmarkt, while the Montréal Christmas Village at the Atwater Market is the perfect go-to for artisanal decorations, locally-produced tasty treats and warming cups of hot cocoa. 

Those looking for the perfect Christmas tree need look no further than the Jean-Talon Market, where some of the best trees await their holiday homes. And all throughout the season, these three markets also feature free performances and activities for the kids and adults alike.

It’s no mere pun to proclaim Lumino as an annual highlight (see what we did there?) in the Quartier des Spectacles calendar. For the 2024-2025 edition running November 28, 2024 to March 9, 2025, Lumino’s cutting-edge and playful installations extend far beyond its traditional home base of Place des Festivals to the Esplanade Tranquille skating rink (with skate rental right on hand, no less), and down Sainte-Catherine Street all the way to stately Phillips Square. Each winter, all-new installations paired with some past favourites from this long-running series—celebrating its 15th anniversary this year—light up the winter streets like nothing else.

Providing a sparkling welcome at the entryway of the MEM—Centre des mémoires montréalaises), the Montréal Signs Project acts as a retirement home for some of the most beloved signage from Montréal’s neon age, recalling shopping seasons of years past. Featuring long lost businesses like La Maison du Chien Chaud Restaurant, Warshaw supermarket and Imperial Boots, the Montréal Signs Project commemorates a bygone era of shining design and holiday memories.

A year-round gathering place, the buzzing Les Jardins Gamelin plays host to the 30th anniversary of the annual Christmas in the Park festival from December 6 to 31, 2024. Filled with music, games and treats, it’s the perfect city centre holiday activity hub. It’s also the entry point into the charming streets of Montréal’s Village, lit up nightly along Sainte–Catherine Street east of Berri Street in colourful displays spotlighting the sexual and gender diversity flags raised in pride by the LGBTQQIP2SAA community reflecting all the colours of the rainbow. Don’t forget to tag your photos with #ProudColoursMtl!

Proud locals are also known for decking the halls with picture perfect lights and trimmings down every street, so a wander through any of Montréal’s iconic neighbourhoods is sure to bring sparkle around every turn. We’d suggest a stroll through Square Saint-Louis, past the stately homes and high streets of the English-speaking enclave of Westmount, through epic and glowing Dorchester Square, down the streets of the Plateau and Mile End and past the towering skyscrapers and the iconic Ring of Downtown with cameras at the ready. And finally, some of Montréal’s latest and greatest shines brightly in the southwest borough of Saint-Henri, along Villeray’s lively streets and throughout riverfront Verdun. And from February to April, city and countryside sugar shacks celebrate maple syrup harvest season with classic Québécois cuisine including steaming tourtières, sweetened pea soup and the must-eat maple sweet tire d’érable, all with a view of Montréal’s glow in the distance.

It’s always a good idea to pick up Tourisme Montréal’s seasonally-updated Passeport MTL, stuffed with special deals and savings to take in some of the city’s must-see attractions and restaurants, all aglow with holiday cheer.

Just because the holiday season has ended doesn’t mean Montréal stops shining, and February 27 to March 9, 2025, MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE returns for its 26th edition in the Quartier des Spectacles. Bright lights, family friendly amusement rides, fine dining and flash mob performances have helped keep the winter moving for a over a quarter of a century! And this year, back celebrating its 22nd edition on March 1, 2025, Nuit blanche à Montréal keeps local museums and other cultural locations up all night long with special exhibitions and performances. The full line-up and further information is available on their website.

It’s also worth keeping tabs on what’s alight via Les Moments lumineux du cœur de l'île's interactive map, listing all of the public artworks in their wintertime best. Permanent installations like the newly-iconic The Ring at Esplanade Place Ville Marie never look better than on a frosty winter night, with great views of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge that glows in colour-shifting shades befitting the season. 

The incredibly Instagrammable Le Petit Dep (Saint-Laurent) café in the Mile End neighbourhood unveils the Taverne de Noël, open from November 7, 2024 to January 13, 2025. Keep your eyes peeled for the glowing choir of lit-up Santas out front, and enter into a winter wonderland draped with tinsel, ornaments and holiday cheer. The special limited-time menu features gourmet hot chocolates, seasonal cocktails and yummy snacks with the nostalgic flavours of holiday gatherings from years past. And as is typical at Le Petit Dep’s four locations across the city, the focus is on Québec-made artisanal products and tastes. Drop in for a drink and hangout or book the space for your own year-end celebrations—it’s available for private functions for just you and your closest friends, along with a list of suggested local DJs to provide the ambiance. 

Some of Montréal’s most beloved citizens are memorialized in large-scale murals, including musician and poet Leonard Cohen (on both Crescent Street and off of Saint-Laurent Boulevard, a few steps from Schwartz’s deli), author Mordecai Richler and athlete Jackie Robinson. There’s also murals aplenty by international artists all up and down the Main (the local nickname for Saint-Laurent Boulevard), and more added every year during the summer’s MURAL Festival that are sure to add some colour to your evening winter snaps of the city.