Jingle Bells! Celebrating the holidays in Montréal

Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal’s timeless adaptation of Casse-Noisette (a.k.a. The Nutcracker) by Quebec choreographer Fernand Nault returns to Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier for its 61st year. This two-act ballet based on Hoffmann’s classic tale is set to the music of Tchaikovsky and brings together more than 60 dancers and 100 extras, plus Les Grands Ballets Orchestra under the direction of conductor Dina Gilbert. If you have never seen it, this famed production is a must. The Nutcracker runs from December 12 to 30.

Bach Before Bedtime’s Nutcracker explores Tchaikovsky’s timeless classic in a format ideally suited for children; bringing together dancers, a string quartet, English and French narration, and singalongs, at Le Gesù Ampitheatre (November 30 and December 2). In only 45 minutes, children are introduced to the world of classical music and the whimsical story of The Nutcracker in an interactive and relaxed atmosphere.

Ballet Ouest de Montréal’s Nutcracker features 35 professional dancers joined onstage by over 80 children from the Montréal area, at Salle Pierre-Mercure on December 6 and 7.

Featuring a superb cast of singers – including Joe Bocan, Luce Dufault and Joël Legendre – Noël, Une Tradition en Chanson (75% French-language repertoire) returns to the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal on December 9 and 16. 

Other Cabaret du Casino shows: Mon Noël with soul queen Kim Richardson (November 26) and Mon Noël en spectacle with Nathalie Simard (December 3). 

Parapapam returns to the Maison Symphonique from December 26 to 28 with a 35-piece orchestra conducted by Marianne Trudel and a powerful choir of more than 100 singers, plus guest vocalists Mélissa Bédard, Christian Marc Gendron and Vladimir Kornéev, performing the most beloved Christmas carols.

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal performs one of Handel’s greatest masterpieces under the baton of Rafael Payare, in The Messiah: Hallelujah! with soprano Lucy Crowe, alto Luciana Mancini, tenor Levy Segkapane, bass Roderick William, and the OSM Chorus with choirmaster Andrew Megill (December 10 and 11), at the Maison Symphonique.

The Orchestre Metropolitain with Yannick Nézet-Séguin at the helm then present Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal on December 17.

Canada’s renowned Orchestre Classique de Montréal perform their cherished annual holiday season concert Händel’s Messiah, performed in the crypt at Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal on December 11.

The Ensemble Caprice present Hallelujah! with excerpts from Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at the Maison Symphonique on December 4.

The 15th season of Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts brings back The Taurey Butler Trio performing their beloved annual A Charlie Brown Christmas concerts, with guest vocalist soul diva Kim Richardson, for four concerts on December 17 and 18. 

The glorious and historic Church of St. Andrew and St.Paul – whose Gothic Revival architecture looks like it comes straight out of Robin Hood – have scheduled their hugely popular Carols by Candlelight concerts with the A&P Choir on December 20 and 21. 

The Jireh Gospel Choir and the Montreal Gospel Choir under the direction of Carol Bernard bring their annual Noël Gospel concert to the Salle Pierre-Mercure for three shows (November 29 to 30).

Then soul legend Michelle Sweeney headlines her Gospel Brunch concert at Le Balcon on December 27. Le Balcon also presents the Christmas Gospel Experience with the JAMVP Choir conducted by music legend Jennifer Meade on December 28 and 29..

The Montreal School of Performing Arts and UNIA present Christmas Shorts: An Evening of Seven Short Plays, a heart-warming theatrical experience designed to capture the magic and joy of the festive season, adapted and produced by Josa Maule, at the UNIA Building in Little Burgundy from November 28 to December 6.

The beloved Québec Issime musical Décembre headlines Salle Pierre-Mercure from December 12 to 30.

The Hudson Village Theatre presents their Annual Holiday Pantomime, Peter Pan by Tom Whalley, co-directed by Steve Walters and Jean-Frédéric Samson. Filled with singing, dancing, silly jokes, goodies, baddies, and loads of fun for the whole family. Runs December 12 to January 4 (matinee and evening performances).

After a successful run in Paris, the French-language family classic Le Petit Prince headlines Théatre Outremont from December 26 to 28.

More than 400,000 people of all ages are expected to attend Montréal’s 73rd Santa Claus Parade– including Santa on his sleigh – on November 22 beginning at 11 a.m. The parade route runs along René-Levesque Boulevard from Bishop Street to Saint Urbain Street.

Click here for all directions and info.

Over at the McCord Stewart Museum, relive the magic of Ogilvy’s mechanical Christmas window displays in the Holidays at the Museum installation from November 29 to January 4, 2026. Visitors of all ages will see The Mill in the Forest outdoors on Victoria Street and The Enchanted Village inside the Museum. These dazzling displays – a holiday tradition that goes back to 1947 and among the last of their kind in North America – feature handmade animals that come to life in a Bavarian setting.

The Montréal Christmas Village at Atwater Market (November 27 to December 21) and The Great Christmas Market (November 21 to January 4, 2026) in the Quartier des Spectacles are back this holiday season.

The DDO Fine Arts and Crafts Holiday Market runs from November 7 to 9.

The Queens of Christmas BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon return to Montréal with their 8th annual blockbuster tour The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show at the Olympia Theatre on November 23.