What's new in Montréal

• The award-winning minds at Moment Factory return to their Montréal roots with Ancestra Lumina, a 2 km-long wander through the trails of the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery featuring cutting-edge projection and lighting effects that bring the setting to life in a celebration of life and stories of the past. 
• Montréal’s world-leading festival scene continues strong all autumn long featuring a multitude of unmissable line-ups from street dance to world cinema, gourmet experiences to international music. You’ll find yourself asking, “how’d they do that?!” at JACKALOPE’s gravity-defying feats of derring-do while the MAPP_MTL projection mapping festival will bring buildings to life before your very eyes with cutting-edge technology. The Festival du nouveau cinéma returns for its 55^th edition of the latest and greatest world cinema, the Montréal Burlesque Festival shows a little leg (and often a little more), the image+nation LGBTQ2S film festival puts queer cinema in the spotlight and Montréal’s restaurant week MTLàTABLE has a table waiting for you at some of the city’s finest dining establishments with special set menus and discounts.

• The city’s fall colours have always made for one of Montréal’s most photogenic seasons. And in a city stuffed with beautiful walks (with several central streets remaining car-free into October), soaking up the autumnal hues is often best done on two feet, including some gorgeous daytrip hikes close by.
• The fall harvest is always eagerly awaited by locals and visitors alike, featuring special activities, seasonal menus spotlighting local produce in the city’s restaurants and apple picking at lush orchards. .

• You haven’t experienced Halloween until you’ve done it Montréal style, from kid-friendly activities to rated-R thrills and chills you won’t soon forget. 😱
• The Kanatahkwèn:ke Cultural Arts Center, housing the Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center, Turtle Island Theatre, Kahnawà:ke Tourism and the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke, opens its doors on September 10, 2026 in Kahnawà:ke. A hub of Indigenous history and creativity, Kanatahkwèn:ke is sure to become one of the area’s most intriguing cultural hubs.

• Named for one of the city’s most transformational mayors, Parc Jean-Drapeau has in recent years undergone a major glow up featuring new gathering spaces and unique outdoor experiences. The three living Mosaïcultures sculptures created from native plants also take on autumnal shifts with the change in seasons, and the Buvette des Floralies is the perfect spot for a warming drink and snack. The Mount Boullé wilderness area offers full immersion in nature including the newly restored Grande Poudrière Ponds, perfect for a long autumn walk all just minutes from the Montréal Métro.

• Formula One icon and hero Gilles Villeneuve lends his name to Montréal’s world-class racetrack, and his illustrious career and local legend is celebrated in the exhibition Salut Gilles, a Story of Speed in Montréal. Housed in Parc Jean-Drapeau’s Aquatic Complexe, it’s a victory lap for one of the most celebrated speed fiends in modern history, and runs until November 1, 2026! 🏎️

• As one of the world’s most bike-friendly cities, Montréal plays host to the 2026 UCI Road World Championships running September 20 to 27, 2026. And fall is also the perfect season to check off a Montréal bucket list bike ride too.

• As one of North America’s culinary hot spots, Montréal’s placing in the MICHELIN Guide features well-deserved stars and bibs to some of the finest restaurants in the city! Make those reservations now! 😋

Montréal’s top-tier arts spaces present an exciting list of unmissable exhibitions and cutting-edge artistic premieres throughout the autumn.

• The Montréal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA for short) presents the solo exhibitions of Berlin-based Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota: The Soul Trembles from September 26, 2026 to February 14, 2027 and Montréal-born painter Allison Katz : Jeu d’esprit from October 9, 2026 to March 14, 2027 alongside Beyond the Pedestal: Sculptures in the Collection, from the 1960s to Today until March 7, 2027, the 50^th anniversary of the 1976 Summer Olympics celebration Ready, Set, Go! Sports Inspire Art until October 12, 2026 and Rising Suns: Art from the Confederacies of the Great Lakes and Rivers until October 11, 2026. The ongoing overview From the Functional to the Fabulous: 600 Years of Decorative Arts and Design features some local icons including an original BIXI bicycle!
• The McCord Stewart Museum shares a delicious slice of the city’s culinary and design past with On the Menu—Montréal: A Restaurant Story (until October 18, 2026), a loving look back at some of the city’s long gone but still sweetly remembered dining establishments and their role in shaping the city’s eating habits and gourmet memories. As part of the Contemporary Native Art Biennial, multidisciplinary artist Carrie Allison presents the beadwork-focused exhibition askōhtēskanohwē September 30, 2026 to February 28, 2027, while Sovereign Stitches + Wild Weaves brings together more than 35 Indigenous artists from around the world for an unmissable group exhibition running November 27, 2026 to March 29, 2027.  
• The legendary theatre space Caf’Conc’ recently re-opened its doors with a Montréal-centric program of music, comedy, drag and cabaret featuring local icons Coco Belliveau, Tranna Wintour and Rita Baga. Originally constructed in preparation for Expo 67 as part of the Marriott Château Champlain hotel, the Caf’Conc’ (short for Café Concert) has long played a nostalgic role in Montréal’s cultural fabric. The Caf’Conc’ Célébrités series features a francophone artist in the plush, intimate hall, in the process paying tribute to the venue’s historic stature.

• Housed in a former ferry ship and moored in the waters of the Old Port of Montréal’s Pier 14, Bota Bota, spa-sur-l’eau has charmed and calmed locals and visitors alike since its opening in 2010. Their recently-inaugurated second boat features new whirlpools both indoor and outdoor featuring unbeatable vistas of the city, a state-of-the-art large-scale sauna and four new cold plunge pools. We already feel more relaxed just thinking about it!
• Find more of the season’s must-see exhibitions and special events here

A year-round culinary destination

Montréal’s status as a gourmet’s paradise went up a rightful notch following the MICHELIN Guide’s appearance in the city last year, shining the spotlight on some restaurants long fêted by those in the know including Restaurant Europea, Mastard and Sabayon. This year, two local favourites join their celebrated ranks with well-deserved and highly sought-after stars.

• Hoogan et Beaufort, under the guidance of chef Marc-André Jetté, utilizes wood-fired cooking in its mouth-watering creations based on locally sourced seasonal ingredients. But that’s not all—alongside the restaurant’s star, Chef de Vin Hugo Duchesne also received the 2026 Michelin Sommelier Award. Nestled in the Rosemont—La-Petite-Patrie neighbourhood, a visit here also offers a glimpse of Montréal life outside of its busiest tourist areas.
• Offering some of Canada’s finest omakase experiences, chef Vincent Gee’s eight-seat Sushi Nishinokaze is well worth the wait for a seat, featuring masterfully constructed sushi on expertly cooked shari rice, all served up on a “living gallery” of old and new ceramics that changes every month. What it may lack in size, Nishinokaze more than makes up for in taste and genuine experience.
• Resting on the border between Little Italy and Mile Ex, 2026 Bib Gourmande recipient Restaurant Limbo features a unique take on Italian food influenced by both French and British cooking, served in a gorgeous dining room with a stainless-steel bar. Bonus points for their creative remakes of classic film posters like Apocalypse Now and album covers including My Bloody Valentine’s Isn’t Anything rechristened with the restaurant’s name. Limbo joins Montréal’s other Bib Gourmandes Annette bar à vin, Cadet, Casavant, Le Petit Alep, Parapluie and Rôtisserie La Lune.
• And that’s not all! MICHELIN also added six Montréal establishments to its list of Recommended Restaurants: Bar St-Denis, Hélicoptère, Juliette Plaza Bistro, Kitano Shokudo, Oncle Lee Kǎo and Renoir.
• Top Chef Canada winner Francis Blais joins Montréal’s gourmet scene with Bistro à Franky, featuring interior design by Zébulon Perron and art direction by famed filmmaker Xavier Dolan, the perfect setting for spot-on classic Parisian cuisine. 
• The Restaurant du Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, under the guiding hands of chef Martin Juneau and executive chef Anis Mouldi, opens this fall in the famed halls of its namesake theatre, offering the perfect meal before or after a show in the Quartier des Spectacles neighbourhood. 
• Chef Darcy Gervais-Wood—trained at the Michelin-starred Septime in Paris—brings Bistrot Boisselet to the Little Italy neighbourhood near Jean-Talon Market, offering a refined take on bistro classics and an exceptional wine list.
• They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and chef Camilo Lapointe-Nascimento’s Cam’s Déjeuner specializes in homemade breakfast sandwiches and perfectly-brewed coffee, a great way to start the morning off right. 
• Get romantic at Lovebird Montréal, an intimate cocktail and music lounge below Hôtel Nelligan, featuring live performances and dramatic lighting perfect for date night. 
• Restaurant Plume, co-founded by Bouillon Bilk’s Raphaël Leclerc-Gileau and Brigitte Emond Serret, puts the emphasis on warmth and hospitality, with a menu inspired by traditional French cooking with thoughtful updates. 
• If you’re looking for classic French fare in an elegant setting, look no further than Routy in the Mile End. Don’t miss their hot / cold dessert of ice cream drizzled with dark chocolate.
• Sample Listening Bar joins the ranks of Montréal’s music salons, promising a curated vinyl-heavy playlist and expertly-made highballs from the team behind Coldroom and Bisou Bisou.
• Canada’s 100 Best list of restaurants and bars also shines a spotlight on Montréal’s La Lune, Limbo, Sushi Nishinokaze and Pasta Pooks on their 2026 list, bringing the city’s hold on the list with 28 placements including the unpretentiously delicious Mon Lapin, ranked at No. 2.
• Our friends at Spade & Palacio Tours’ Women in Wine Walking Tour spotlights one of the highest concentrations of women winemakers in Canada residing right here in Montréal. Guiding attendees to four stops featuring female accomplishments in the world of wine including tastings of women-owned wineries, visits to women-owned wine bars and restaurants, an informative look at techniques and delicious snacks along the way. Open to locals and visitors alike, the tour concludes at La Buvette Chez Simone, one of Montréal’s finest wine bars—and when the evening ends is up to you! 

New restaurants join Montréal’s dining scene every season, and this fall there’s some new kids on the block opening their doors all over the city. See our list of new must-try spots here!

Iconic Montréal must-sees

No first visit to Montréal is complete without a visit to some of the city’s most beloved and recognizable sites and sights. From the top of Mount Royal to the underground RÉSO city network, our list of 10 unmissable MTL experiences awaits!