Celebrate American Thanksgiving in Montréal

In Montréal, we’re thankful year-round for the amazing range of live performance options at our disposal, and Thanksgiving weekend is no exception, especially at the city’s crown-jewel performing arts complex, Place des Arts, in the Quartier des Spectacles. Leading Asian contemporary dance company Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan will take audiences on a dizzying sensory journey as part of Lunar Halo at Théâtre Maisonneuve, November 28-30. Local indie-music royalty — singer/songwriter/pianist extraordinaire Patrick Watson — will team up with Orchestre FILMharmonique for three nights of pop-meets-classical magic at the city’s superb Maison Symphonique concert hall. And the elegant Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier is positively alight with high-level performances on U.S. Thanksgiving weekend, beginning with British gospel music sensations The Kingdom Choir (November 28), the FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH Orchestra World Tour (based entirely on the groundbreaking video game (November 29) and Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert (a film screening accompanied by live orchestra, November 30).

Saturdays are hockey nights in Canada, and one of the hottest tickets in town is for Montréal’s Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) team, the Montreal Victoire. Founded only last year, in 2023, Montréal’s pro women’s hockey team has enjoyed unrivalled popularity, and has set league attendance records with sold-out games at the large-capacity Bell Centre, home of the city’s storied National Hockey League (NHL) franchise, the Montreal Canadiens. Catch the Victoire at their new home-ice arena Place Bell on Montréal’s north shore — a short metro (subway) ride from downtown Montréal — when they take on the Ottawa Charge on November 30.

Given that it’s U.S. Thanksgiving, and not the Canuck one, traditional turkey dinners with all the fixin’s are few and far between. However, Montréal smoked meat institution Schwartz’s Deli does a mean smoked turkey plate, and similarly smoky turkey happiness can also be found at many historic neighbourhood delis famous for their smoked meat. You could also start a new, completely one-of-a-kind, Thanksgiving tradition by booking a heated outdoor “dome” on the winter terrace (or terrasse, as we say in MTL) of the William Gray hotel in Old Montréal. You’ll be treated to exceptional culinary creations as well as a breathtaking view of Place Jacques-Cartier, the St. Lawrence River and the glittering La Grande Roue de Montréal, Canada's tallest observation Ferris wheel.

Or why not camp out in the heart of downtown? Les Refuges du Bivouac — a seasonal dining creation by the wholly unique Restaurant Bivouac — invite you to set up camp for an evening under a magnificently decorated dome overlooking Place des Arts in the Quartier des Spectacles. Under the stars and among pine trees, this warm and magical dinner experience features a menu with boreal flavours that take advantage of the best that Québec and its culinary artisans have to offer. And with the highest concentration of kitchens on the continent (approximately 65 restaurants per square kilometre), Montréal is a veritable horn o’ plenty for foodies this holiday season.

While Canadians don’t do Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November, weirdly enough, the final Friday of the month — Black Friday — has become a staple of the retail sales calendar as the Christmas shopping season begins in earnest. Downtown Montréal — including its renowned Underground City, a 32-km warren of stores and eateries — is a shopaholic’s dream come true, stretching along the length of main east/west commercial corridor Sainte-Catherine Street. In addition hundreds of exclusive boutiques and brand name retailers, Ste. Cat encompasses chic shopping malls ranging from Complexe Desjardins to Promenades Cathédrale, Les Cours Mont-Royal, Place Montréal Trust and the Montréal Eaton Centre, all within easy walking distance of each other. And our U.S. friends might also be thankful that their stronger dollar basically makes the whole town a giant, more than 20% off sale.

When it’s getting cold out there, it’s getting hot in here, in one of Montréal’s many top-notch spas, each exceptional for their own singular character. Bota Bota, Spa-sur-l’eau (“spa on the water”) is a favourite among locals and visitors alike for its chic, contemporary appeal and its location on a converted ferryboat docked in the Old Port. The iconic Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth is home to the beautiful Moment Spa, an oasis downtown where you can enjoy long, languid moments of indulgence or fit in a quick hit of wellness. One of the many perks of staying at the Ritz-Carlton Montréal is the Spa St. James. The spa itself includes waterfalls, a relaxation lounge with fireplaces, spacious treatment rooms, a manicure and pedicure suite and a state-of-the-art salon, but bookings also give you access to the stunning rooftop pool as well as the sauna and steam room. Spa William Gray is a wellness destination within the William Gray hotel that features a full-pampering circuit including an herbal sauna, a Himalayan salt room, a Finnish sauna, a eucalyptus steam room and an especially delightful hot quartz bed. 

You can also experience the northern tradition of Scandinavian baths in the cutting-edge Scandinave Spa at Le Saint-Sulpice Hôtel. Nestled among the historic buildings of Old Montréal, this leading day spa has garnered numerous awards for its architecture and design. And speaking of Old Montréal, the perennially popular Rainspa, in the cool and classy Hôtel Place d’Armes, manages to be exclusive and inclusive at the same time, a serene space with a vast Middle Eastern-style hammam that we can all be thankful for.