Montréal Fall Cultural Calendar

POP MUSIC

Some highlights of upcoming national and international tours:

October

Heavy metal icons Iron Maiden (October 30) and Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (October 31) headline the Bell Centre.

Montréal’s love affair with Engelbert Humperdinck is mutual: the global pop icon headlines The Last Waltz – Final Tour at Théatre Maisonneuve on October 31 and November 1.

November

Montréal-based electronic music trio Black Tiger Sex Machine headlines Place Bell (November 23) while Congolese superstar and the “Prince of Rumba” Fally Ipupa (November 8) and post-grunge rockers Creed reunion tour (November 25) both headline the Bell Centre. Click here for tickets.

Persian artists Kamran & Hooman (November 1), Danish rock countertenor King Diamond (November 2), The Black Dahlia Murder and Dying Fetus death-metal double bill (November 5), NYC singer-songwriter Two Feet (November 7), Tinashe (November 10), La Femme (November 11) and South Korean girl group KISS OF LIFE (November 15) all headline MTELUS. Click here for tickets.

American rock legends Soul Asylum (November 2), British singer-songwriter Myles Smith (November 6), solo show by Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys (November 12 and 14), thrash metal band Exodus (November 18), and Montreal guitar god Steve Hill (November 30) all headline the Beanfield Theatre. Click here for tickets.

Reggae legend Sanchez (November 16), Caribou a.k.a. Canadian electronic producer Dan Snaith (November 25), and jazz guitar legend Pat Metheny (November 29) all headline the Olympia Theatre. Click here for tickets.

Other November events of note:

Diane Dufresne: L’exposition immersive, Aujourd’hui, hier et pour toujours explores the work and legacy of the beloved Québec diva who celebrates her 80^th birthday this year. Runs at Arsenal Contemporary Art Montreal to November 10.

Montréal jazz icon Ranee Lee headlines two shows with her quintet at Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill on November 16 at 7 pm and 9:30 pm.

Montréal singer-songwriter-pianist Patrick Watson and his band perform with conductor Francis Choinière and the FILMharmonique Orchestra at the Maison Symphonique from November 20 to 30. 

Britain’s internationally-acclaimed The Kingdom Choir will blend traditional gospel and contemporary music at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier on November 28.

Billy Bob Productions present I Shall Be Released: A Recreation of The Last Waltz at Le 9e on November 28 when a who’s who of the indie Montreal roots, blues, folk and rock community will celebrate the music of The Band. To mark American Thanksgiving, the concert will be preceded by an optional turkey dinner prepared by Le 9e’s Île-de-France restaurant.

December 

Colombian pop diva superstar Shakira (December 10) headlines the Bell Centre, Saskatchewan folk-bluegrass musical ensemble The Dead South (December 6) and British indie pop artist Suki Waterhouse (December 14) both headline MTELUS, American country music singer Conner Smith (December 7) headlines the Beanfield Theatre, and Canadian punk rockers The Flatliners bring their Holiday Mêlée tour to Club Soda (December 12). Click here for tickets.

Local soul, jazz and hip hop

For those looking for dinner and a show under one roof, the city’s top soul and RnB musicians headline Le Balcon music hall and restaurant year-round. Regular headliners include music legends Freddie James, Kim Richardson, Dawn Tyler Watson and Michelle Sweeney.

Montréal’s premiere musicians and entertainers also headline live-music nightclubs Diese Onze and Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill, both ranked by DownBeat magazine as two of the top jazz nightclubs on the planet. Montréal’s top jazz, soul and blues divas headline both venues which also have dinner menus.

Le Cypher X organizes the city’s premiere hip hop concerts every Thursday at O Patro Vys while GrowveMTL presents jams featuring the city’s top musicians playing everything from disco to hip hop each Wednesday at Turbo Haüs.

PHÉNOMENA FESTIVAL

The interdisciplinary Phénomena Festival offers a platform for unclassifiable and atypical artists. This 13^th edition presents more than 100 artists and 17 shows at various venues from October 2 to 25.

MUNDIAL MONTRÉAL

Known as North America’s World Music Summit, the Mundial Montréal music industry gathering features concerts, a conference and networking events from November 19 to 22. 

M FOR MONTRÉAL

This four-day M for Montréal (M pour Montréal) music industry conference-festival is designed to catapult Canadian and Québécois talent onto the global stage. “M” presents more than 100 performances at 40 concerts and showcases from November 20 to 23.

THEATRE

Montréal’s two big English-language theatres – the venerable Centaur Theatre Company in Old Montréal, and the Sylvan Adams Theatre at the Segal Centre for the Performing Arts in the west end – offer varied programming.

The Centaur presents playwright Chloé Hung’s Three Women of Swatow, a darkly funny and sharp exploration of family ties among a trio of Chinese-Canadian women. Directed by Sophie Gee, this play stars Shiong-En Chan, Qianna MacGilchrist and Julie Tamiko Manning. A critical hit in Toronto, this Montréal premiere runs from November 5 to 24.

The Segal Centre presents the much-anticipated Canadian premiere of the off-Broadway smash hit Titanique which turns one of the greatest love stories of all time into a hysterical musical fantasia, as seen through the eyes of Céline! This all-Canadian production stars an authentique real-life Québec star – Véronique Claveau – as Céline Dion, with show-stopping performances of such hits as “My Heart Will Go On” and “All By Myself” with a full band. Runs from October 27 to November 24.

The Segal then presents The Secret Chord: A Leonard Cohen Experience, a concert tribute that celebrates the extraordinary life, music and poetry of the Montréal icon. Following several sold-out engagements in Toronto, The Secret Chord runs from December 8 to January 12, 2025.

Click here for more Montréal English-language theatre this fall.

DANCE

The prestigious Danse Danse series has programmed 16 shows for its 27^th season including legendary Montréal choreographer and dancer José Navas in AVES paying tribute to choreographer William Douglas (1953–1996) in a series of six autobiographical solos, at Cinquième Salle from October 22 to 26; Raven Mother which pays tribute to Margaret Harris, an Indigenous elder who devoted her life to keeping her culture alive, also at Cinquième Salle from November 12 to 16; Asia’s leading contemporary dance company, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, takes us on a sensory journey inspired by a mysterious lunar phenomenon, in Lunar Halo with music by legendary Icelandic band Sigur Rós, at Théatre Maisonneuve from November 28 to 30; and Colombian choreographer Andrea Peña skillfully fuses dance, industrial design and queer aesthetics in BOGOTÁ (which opened the 17^th Venice Biennale), in the Espace Rouge of the Wilder Building (also simply called “The Wilder”) from December 11 to 14. 

BOGOTÁ is also part of the Fall 2024 season of Agora de la danse, first permanent venue in Québec dedicated to contemporary dance since 1991. The company is located in The Wilder. Click here their full schedule.

The Wilder is also home to Tangente which since its foundation in 1980 has championed emerging choreographers and offers contemporary dance programming from September to May. Click here for Tangente’s full schedule.

The Wilder is also home to Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal which presents its mainstage concerts at neighbouring Place des Arts. The internationally-acclaimed company celebrates the 100^th birth anniversary of Ludmilla Chiriaeff – a pioneer of dance in Canada who founded Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in 1957 – with a program titled LUDMILLA, featuring works by Jean Grand-Maître, James Kudelka, George Balanchine and Ginette Laurin, at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier from October 24 to 26.

Les Grands Ballets Canadiens then present their timeless adaptation of Casse-Noisette (a.k.a. The Nutcracker) which celebrates its 60^th anniversary this year. Created by Québec choreographer Fernand Nault, this two-act classical ballet based on Hoffmann’s 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 at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier from December 12 to 30.

CLASSICAL STAGE

The Azrieli Music Prizes Gala Concert will honour the 2024 AMP Laureates – Josef Bardanashvili, Yair Klartag, Jordan Nobles, and Juan Trigos – who will present their latest works performed by the acclaimed OSM Chorus and the Musicians of the OSM at the Maison Symphonique on October 28. 

The Orchestre Métropolitain presents The Little Prince family concert on November 17 at 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm at the Maison Symphonique.

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal continue their 2024–2025 season under the artistic direction of Maestro Rafael Payare. Highlights include Beethoven’s “Imperial” Concerto no. 5 with Macedonian classical pianist Simon Trpceski making his OSM debut on October 30 and 31; Bruce Liu performs Scriabin’s sole Piano Concerto in the Strauss’ Towering Alpine Symphony, with Richard Strauss’ expansive Alpine Symphony completing this program conducted by Rafael Payare on November 13 and 14; ‘Tis the Season with Kent Nagano with guest vocalist, superstar contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux, on December 10. All concerts at the Maison Symphonique.

Winner of the 2024 JUNO Award for Classical Album of the Year, the Orchestre Classique de Montréal presents their French Impressions concert of masterworks by French Impressionist composers on November 20 at Pierre-Mercure Hall. The OCM then presents their hugely popular annual Handel’s Messiah concert performed in the Crypt of Saint Joseph’s Oratory on December 12.

The Opéra de Montréal presents the opera Hamlet, Ambroise Thomas’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s iconic play, with conductor Jacques Lacombe leading the Orchestre Métropolitain and an all-Canadian cast, at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier from November 16 to 24.

Montréal singer-songwriter-pianist Patrick Watsonand his band perform with conductor Francis Choinière and the FILMharmonique Orchestra at the Maison Symphonique from November 20 to 30.

Choinière and the FILMharmonique then headline Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier to perform the scores of such James Bond films as From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, and Skyfall in their Bond Symphonic concert with singers Véronic DiCaire and Benoit McGinnis, from December 5 to 7.

Montréal’s prestigious Bach Festival presents a dozen all-star concerts, a choir night and concerts for children in various venues from November 16 to December 8.

The 14^th season of Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts features some 90 concerts, with half of its programming showcasing Québec and Canadian artists. Highlights this autumn include violinist Leonidas Kavakos on November 7; the Orchestre de l’Agora on December 13; and the hugely popular annual classic Holiday season concert A Charlie Brown Christmas with legendary Montréal jazz pianist Taurey Butler on December 18 and 19. Click here for the full program.

MUSEUMS

A smash hit in Paris and Brussels, Arsenal Contemporary Art Montreal in Griffintown presents the blockbuster exhibition Tintin: The Immersive Adventure which pays tribute to Hergé and the famous Belgian reporter, from the first 1929 edition of Tintin in the Land of the Soviets to the latest publications. Visitors will discover legendary artifacts and unique treasures before diving into an immersive experience with six themes such as “Tintin, Great Reporter” and “The Big Villains.” Extended to January 12, 2025.

Over at the PHI Foundation of Contempory Art in Old Montréal, the immersive touring show Oma-je is the largest North American exhibition to date by acclaimed French artist Laure Prouvost. Runs November 1 to March 9, 2025.

The McCord Stewart Museum in the Golden Square Mile presents the exhibition Costume Balls: Dressing Up History, 1870-1927, showcasing outfits worn on these occasions from the McCord’s renowned Dress, Fashion, and Textiles collection made or worn primarily in Montréal (November 14 to August 17, 2025).

The Montréal Museum of Fine Arts in the Golden Square Mile on November 8 will inaugurate its new space dedicated to Inuit art. Located on the ground floor of the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion, these brightly lit modernized galleries double the exhibition space dedicated to Inuit art. Curated by Inuk artist asinnajaq ᐆᒻᒪᖁᑎᒃ uummaqutik: essence of life invites us to meditate on the rhythms of life that are particular to the circumpolar territories known together as Inuit Nunangat.

Click here for more Montréal museum exhibitions.

FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT

The children-friendly permanent exhibitions at the Montréal Science Centre are all open, while its IMAX cinema screens films for all ages, including Australia 3D: The Wild Continent.

Click here for the screening schedules of the latest films.

Children of all ages can also discover new worlds at Montréal Espace pour la vie, the largest natural-sciences museum complex in Canada which comprises the Botanical Garden, Planetarium, Biosphere, famed Biodôme and Insectarium. Purchasing fixed-time tickets online is highly recommended.  

CIRCUS ARTS

The only presenter specializing in contemporary circus in North America, La TOHU in their state-of-the-art circular performance hall presents Duel Reality by Les 7 Doigts, from October 16 to November 17 (for ages 7+); and HA HA HA by the funny clownish duo OKIDOK, from December 18 to January 5, 2025 (for ages 5+).

Created by Les 7 Doigts, Pub Royal is a musical featuring the music of Les Cowboys Fringants, with seven actors-actresses / singers, seven dancers and six circus artists, at Théatre Maisonneuve from December 4 to 22.

Montréal’s Cirque du Soleil presents their show OVO at the Bell Centre from December 27 to January 3, 2025, for a total of 14 matinee and evening presentations.

Montréal is the circus hub of North America. For the latest Montréal circus arts and concert news, click here.

CINÉMA

Canada’s premier festival celebrating LGBTQ+ Afro cinema and arts, the 16^th edition of the Massimadi Festival presents 15 films that highlight stories of struggle, healing and transformation. This year’s festival theme is Rebirth and Resilience. Screenings at the McCord Stewart Museum and the Cinéma Public at the Casa d’Italia from October 23 to 27. Click here for the full program.

The largest Rocky Horror Picture Show event in North America, Montréal’s iconic ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW Halloween Ball is back at the historic Rialto Theatre on October 31 and November 1, then at Décarie Theatre in the Décarie Square Mall  on November 2 for a total of 6 wildly interactive shows over 3 nights at 7 pm and 11 pm, with a shadow cast onstage while the cult film projects onto a large screen. Zany MC, wild costume contest, Time Warp dance, hilarious callback lines and you’ll get to throw around specific props during key scenes!

CINEMANIA celebrates its 30^th anniversary from November 6 to 17 at various venues, with France as the Country of Honour. Fiction features, documentaries, short films, masterclasses, conferences, star-studded red carpets and special events have established CINEMANIA as the most important French-language film festival in North America.

Canada’s first LGBTQ+ film festival, the influential image + nation queer film festreturns for its 37^th edition, screening more than 100 films from around the world, from November 20 to 30. The Official Selection this year includes the American-Argentinian-Italian co-production Duino.

One of North America’s leading documentary film festivals, the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) presents more than 100 Canadian and international documentaries at various venues from November 20 to December 1.

Director Fred Niblo’s classic 1921 silent film The Three Musketeers starring Douglas Fairbanks will be projected on the big screen as the soundtrack is played on the Grand Orgue Pierre-Béique by virtuoso improviser László Fassang, at the Maison Symphonique on November 27. 

Tim Burton’s cult classic The Nightmare Before Christmas will be projected on the big screen with Danny Elfman’s score performed live by the FILMharmonic Orchestra led by Maestro Erik Ochsner, on November 30 at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier.

The PARC AT MIDNIGHT cycle at the Cinéma du Parc offers nocturnal screenings in the great tradition of the famous rep-house “midnight movies” of the 70s.

The Montreal Cinéclub Film Society screens classic movies at various venues every second week. Click here for the full program.

The IMAX cinema at the Montréal Science Centre screens films for all ages, including Australia 3D: The Wild Continent. Click here for the screening schedules of the latest films.

LITERATURE

The 47^th edition of Montréal’s French-language Salon du Livre presents roundtable discussions, literary debates and public readings by authors at the Montréal Convention Centre (Palais des congrès de Montréal) from November 27 to December 1.

Lectures LOGOS Readings is a series of monthly multicultural readings hosted by award-winning author H. Nigel Thomas and renowned human rights advocate Maguy Métellus at the UNIA Hall in Little Burgundy.

DRAG SHOWS

Hilarious Montréal drag legend Mona de Grenoble headlines the Olympia Theatre on November 19.

Opened in 1946, Madame Arthur’s was the first drag cabaret in Paris, presenting legendary stars Bambi and Coccinelle. Direct from Paris, the touring Madame Arthur Cabaret Travesti concert revisits French and English repertoire on piano and vocals, from Céline Dion to Édith Piaf, at Bar le Ritz PDB on November 21.

The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show is back starring “The Queens of Christmas” BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon, at the Olympia Theatre on November 28.

A Drag Queen Christmas hosted by Brooke Lynn Hytes features guest drag stars Plasma, Q, Shea Coulee, Trinity The Tuck, Miz Cracker, Manila Luzon, Venus and Montréal’s very own Gisele Lullaby at the Olympia Theatre on December 7.

Montréal is one of the drag capitals of the world. Located in The Village, drag icon Mado Lamotte’s Cabaret Mado and Michel Dorion’s classic Bar Le Cocktail both book the best drag performers in the city nightly. Both venues are also two of the most popular nightclubs in The Village

COMEDY

Montréal’s local comedy scene is enjoying a renaissance with flourishing comedy nights in various clubs throughout the city, and touring national and international comedians selling out large venues.

Scottish-American comedy legend and TV host Craig Ferguson headlines the Beanfield Theatre on October 28.

Celebrated American stand-up comic Elon Gold headlines Club Soda on November 20.

American comedy superstar Sebastian Maniscalco headlines the Bell Centre on November 21.

British stand-up comic Michael McIntyre brings his MACNIFICENT! Tour to the Olympia Theatre on November 27.

Canadian comedian K. Trevor Wilson headlines the Beanfield Theatre on December 5.

Canadian comedy superstar Russell Peters brings his Relax World Tour to the Bell Centre on December 6.

Best known in the French-speaking world, Moroccan-Canadian stand-up comic Gad Elmaleh headlines the Bell Centre on December 11.

Legendary Montréal stand-up comic Rachid Badouri headlines an English show at the Olympia Theatre on December 27.

Stand-Up St. Henri is a weekly comedy show highlighting women and LGBTQ+ comedians every Tuesday at Montréal Improv. 

Some of the city’s best stand-up comics perform at Double’s Comedy Club, a bilingual comedy night held the last Wednesday of each month at 9 pm, at Double’s Late Night, a contemporary dive bar in the heart of Montréal’s Mile-End. 

Support local, national and international comics at The Comedy Nest nightclub located in the historic Montréal Forum.