Things to do in Montréal this January 2025

Winter and the promise of a whole new near shine bright in Montréal throughout the month and across the city. Downtown, the Esplanade Tranquille proves itself to be much more than a typical skating rink: expect lighting displays, live music, performances, storytelling and sports activities, along with ice skating for all ages and levels. Rent skates or bring your own, learn a few moves from instructors, and go “dancing” on DJ nights! 

At the rink and throughout the Quartiers des spectacles, experience illuminated artwork, activities and more. This year’s Lumino outdoor exhibition, running all month long and beyond, features illuminated interactive art that makes us all feel like kids again.

Stroll along the glittering boardwalk in the Old Port of Montréal — also where you’ll see a great view of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge aglow with colour-shifting light. And while you’re in the neighbourhood, dance under the stars and in the snow at one of Montréal's favourite winter festivals, Igloofest! Prepare to dance under the stars in your best parka from January 16 to February 8. 

Stroll along the glittering boardwalk in the Old Port of Montréal — also where you’ll see a great view of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge aglow with colour-shifting light. And while you’re in the neighbourhood, dance under the stars and in the snow at one of Montréal's favourite winter festivals, Igloofest! Prepare to dance under the stars in your best parka from January 16 to February 8. 

Also 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. 

In Old Montréal, walk the cobblestone streets to the St. Lawrence River and visit the iconic Notre-Dame Basilica — 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.

Visit the esplanade of Place Ville Marie, where the massive art installation The Ring glimmers above you. Or take a break for entertainment and a snack at Esplanade Tranquille 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: bundle up and set your own agenda with private walking tours at your own pace. See the city like a local with MTL Detours, take a day trip outside the city with N-Tours, call upon the experts at Guidatours, or take yourself on self-guided audio tours thanks to TourBird. For an unparalleled taste of the city, savour one of the expert 2 or 3 hour walking tours given by Local Montréal Food Tours — they range from Mile End to Old Montréal.

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 most recent murals from the last MURAL Festival. For an electric bike tour of the murals (weather permitting), the first in Montréal, look to Fitz Montréal — their comfortable cycling tours cover anything from downtown Montréal to Jean-Talon Market.

You’ll find so many festivities to start the year off in style in this guide to New Year celebrations. For the rest of the month, indulge in incredible food at Montréal’s variety of restaurants. To fill up on fresh produce and local goods in keeping with your New Year’s resolutions, 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, offers a great selection of products year-round.

If you aren’t quite finished celebrating, look no further than the Boulevard Saint-Laurent location of Le Petit Dep, which is stretching its festivities into the New Year with its Christmas Tavern decked out in candlelight, twinkling tinsel and trees. The special drinks menu includes the ChocoMauve, an ultra-pretty marshmallow-topped hot chocolate, as well as an emerald concoction called the Grinch.

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!

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 within the clear bubbles on the terrasse of Bivouac, where you can taste the best of the terroir, or of Old Montréal and beyond from the bubbles on Terrasse William Gray. Stop for a bite with a view at Muze lounge & terrace in Hôtel HONEYROSE downtown, or clink oyster shells in your own private holiday seafood celebration at Maestro SVP in the Plateau.

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, 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. Also note that parking is now free for the first 4 hours.
Get your caffeine fix at Montréal’s indie coffee shops — and fresh-baked 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 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 Montréalesque cocktails at home with gin, vodka, rum and more specialty spirits from these Montréal specialty alcohol and spirit makers.

Cheer on the Montréal Canadiens as the NHL season gathers full steam with lots of nail-biting matches happening on home turf at the Bell Centre. See the whole month’s schedule here! If you can’t make the games in person, watch all the hockey, soccer, football, basketball, MMA and more at Montréal’s sports bars. 

At the end of the month, enjoy a boxing event at TOHU when the Canada Fighting Club returns for a second edition of its showcase of Québec talent, Révolution 2, on January 31.

Catch live games by the local basketball team Montréal Tundra at Centre Pierre-Charbonneau near the Olympic Stadium throughout the month.

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. 

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. And while you’re in the neighbourhood, stop into 3 Wizards Shop on Avenue du Parc — it offers an immersive foray into the magical world of the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts sagas, with a selection of official products. You can take your quidditch to the next level.

Wanna play games? 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. 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.

As winter chills the air, don your puffer jacket and visit Montréal’s parks for some gorgeous snow-blanketed strolls. At the Espace pour la vie museums, enjoy the Montréal Botanical Garden’s sprawling tropical greenhouse environments. 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.

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 January.

For some fresh-air sports, take the cobblestone streets of Old Montréal down to the Old Port of Montréal ice skating rink, where you can rent skates and glide next to the St. Lawrence River under twinkling lights. There are more great ice skating options in city parks throughout the city, and even indoors at Atrium Le 1000 downtown.

Among the many 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 St-Michel’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. And on snowy days, head to the parks for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and more outdoor winter activities.

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.

The holidays are over and credit cards the world over are aching from the workout — but it’s also a great time for deals. Shop for some new winter wardrobe staples 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, Aritza, 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.

The winter cultural season is in full effect in museums, galleries and cultural centres around town. Enter a realm of enchantment running throughout the month with Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: The Seven Ravens, an augmented reality storybook book that draws from advancements in AR to transport you to the heart of a timeless tale narrated by award-winning author Neil Gaiman. Taking place at Place des Arts throughout the month of January and beyond, it combines the magic of the fairy tale classic and cutting-edge technology, creating a spellbinding experience that transcends traditional storytelling.

The Horizon of Khufu is an immersive journey into Ancient Egypt on the Old Port of Montréal. Until January 19 you can explore the archaeological treasure of the Giza Pyramid, constructed over 4,500 years ago. The experience allows players to physically move and interact within a shared virtual reality space.

At Phi Centre, running throughout the month, Oma-je by Laure Prouvostis an immersive presentation that celebrates Prouvost’s relationship to family, friends and their loved ones, as well as inspirational thinkers, activists, chosen kin and artistic predecessors. Her art intertwines and celebrates love, touch and teachings. 

At the Montréal Planétarium, tickets to any of the shows gets you access to Rouge 2100: A Martian Adventure, an exhibition that offers a journey in five chapters and as many rooms, where we realistically imagine the first steps of a rare humans in 2100 on the fascinating red planet. A fantastic world that also questions the place of humans in our universe and the fragile balance that must be maintained if all species are to prosper.

Visit the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts to enjoy the Canadian premiere of Ravel Ravel Interval, an immersive video installation by world-renowned French-Albanian artist Anri Sala in its Contemporary Art Square. Sala trains his lens on the left hands of the two performers, Montréal pianist Louis Lortie and French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, who play Ravel with varying levels of synchronicity. There are also the 

Glenn Gear: ulitsuak | marée montante | rising tide exhibition and 

Two by Two, Together, featuring recent additions to the MMFA’s collection, to see this month.

At the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, explore the work of the groundbreaking Indigenous documentary filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin until January 26. The retrospective seeks to explain how Obomsawin achieved what she did and what it has meant for her to do so.  

Among the Montréal museum exhibitions this season, 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. This month don’t miss the Banquet, a multi-sensory interactive experience that teaches about the omnipresence of science in cooking and gastronomy in five edutaining zones.

The McCord Stewart Museum bridges past and present in its exhibitions, which in January include Costume Balls: Dressing Up History, a fun and eye-popping show featuring outfits from extravagant costume balls and skating carnivals that were the pinnacle of society entertainments at the turn of the 19^th century, and To All the Unnamed Women, an exhibition by Michaëlle Sergile as part of their artist-in-residence program. It makes a tribute to the lives of Black women in Montréal between the years 1870 and 1910. 

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. 

Travel back in time as you tour the rooms of Château Ramezay and visit historical site Château Dufresne near the Olympic Stadium. The Musée des Hospitalières de l’Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal marks the bicentennial of Mount Royal Park’s creator, architect Frederick Law Olmsted with the exhibition Our Mountain: Memories of Mount Royal.

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 Québec ceramics at the Musée des métiers d’arts du Québec. And for another slice of Québec history, visit Montréal’s stunning churches and sacred sites.

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 and  Dreaming Asia explores Chinese and Japanese cultures in a big way. You can also dive headfirst into the work of Van Gogh.

And 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 Outremont and many, many others in every neighbourhood.

Montréal’s cultural calendar is packed this season, with entertainment for everyone on the city’s many stages. Among the world-class theatre, dance, opera, circus and more gracing the city’s stages throughout January, OVO is a circus show by the great Cirque du Soleil inspired by the world of insects and presented at the Bell Centre until January 5. A magnificent ladybug captures the eye of an awkward, unusual insect who has just moved into this lively neighborhood, and the two instantly fall in love — acrobatically.

Speaking of circus, HA HA HA continues until January 5 at TOHU. Watch two ludicrous characters as they fumble and bumble their way through the show, which nods to traditional clowning tomfoolery while hitting an unexpectedly poetic note and displaying unrivalled acrobatic technique.

Until January 4, the Place des Arts will feature Pub Royal at Théâtre Maisonneuve, a rousing stage production from La Tribu and Les 7 Doigts featuring the unforgettable music of Les Cowboys Fringnants. Watch as a cast of seven actor-singers, seven dancers and six circus artists combine talents to wow audiences in the craziest, high-flying bar in all of Québec. 

Ring in the Chinese new year with the Feng Hua Xue Yuegala at Théâtre Maisonneuve, an extravaganza featuring dance, ballet, classical singing and dancing, instrumental ensembles and martial arts displays onstage on January 12. 

Also at Théâtre Maisonneuve, from January 15 to 18 it’s time for some incredible tap dancing courtesy of Travis Knights - The Mars Project, a choreography for 5 dancers who will defy gravity at a furious pace. From January 28 to February 1 at the Place des Art’s Cinquième Salle, catch Sylvain Émard Danse - Les Champs Magnétiques, a fascinating new work featuring a sextet of performers whose compelling energy speaks of the close ties that bind people together.

At Montréal, arts interculturels, catch a series of distinct evocative dance capsules in a show by Nubian Néné called Traceable, exploring the ever-evolving nature of identity. From January 29 to February 1, Anxiety delves into the history, personal stories and current realities of Indigenous and racialized communities, all choreographed by Simik Komaksiutiksak.

Among the shows in Montréal’s vibrant English theatre scene, catch Strawberries in January at Centaur Theatre, from January 21 to February 9. Four years in the making, this is a new musical adaptation of Evelyne de la Chenelière’s heart-warming comedy about four singletons looking for connections and tripping on fate in Montréal. It was dubbed “light therapy in the heart of winter” by La Presse when it originally premiered.

From January 20 to 26, the Segal Centre for the Performing Arts presents Paul and Linda Plan a Threesome, a funny and heartfelt play about a couple whose best efforts to spice up their marriage turn into something quite different as their guests—some expected, others not so much—begin to arrive. Not suitable to audience members under 16 years old.
Comedy lovers won’t want to miss Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Gaffigan live together at Bell Centre on January 12.

The Montréal Science Centre’s IMAX cinema puts nature on the giant screen in all its glory — this month you can see the incredible Wings Over Water and Australia 3D: The Wild Continent throughout January, where you can discover flora and fauna that have evolved in splendid isolation, explore ancient landscapes sculpted by great geological forces, and learn from traditional custodians of the land. 

On January 7 at Maison Symphonique, The Red Violon film concert is a film screening featuring the OSM performing Corigliano’s Oscar Award-winning music composed for the film directed by Quebec filmmaker François Girard. Catch another film concert from January 10 to 12 at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, when the 250 musicians from the choir and orchestra of the FILMharmonique will play to a screening of the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

See independent features, family films, documentaries and more at Montréal’s indie cinemas including Cinéma Moderne, Cinéma du Parc, Cinéma du Musée at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, and the iconic Cinémathèque québécoise in the Quartier des Spectacles (the city’s entertainment district). 

Explore the city through cinema in these Hollywood movies made in Montréal.