A Correspondent’s Guide to Must-Attend Events this Summer in Montreal

Joséphine Savard

Arts & Culture Correspondent

It is finally the month of May: birds are humming, terraces are open, ice cream coolers are buzzing, and summer is upon us. For some, this means escaping the city: a vacation abroad, a camping escapade far into the forest, a visit to a family chalet by a limitless lake, or a days-long road trip with friends. Personally, I say, this summer is all about staying in Montreal and taking the months we have off school to explore our beautiful city. The coming weeks of sunshine will be packed with festivals, celebrations of arts, food, sports, culture, and more. 

There are so many wonderful events to look forward to that it can be overwhelming to sift through them and choose which ones to attend. To help, here is a curated guide to lesser-known festivals happening this summer in Montreal!

For the cinephiles 

Don’t fret! 20 degree weather does not mean we have to stop cozying up and watching movies. Local film festivals offer wonderful opportunities to explore cinema during the season of sunlight. To start off is Cabane à Sang, located in Studi PJE, which is returning to Montreal in 2026 for a ninth edition. This festival presents the “grittiest corners of genre cinema,” according to their website. This year, May 8th is their classic “Mixed Meats” night, where horror is celebrated through gore, comedy, trash, and more. Then, on May 9th, the final night of their event lineup, “Party Pooper Spectacular,” will take place, a competition held annually where submissions will be judged live during the evening. Grab your tickets quickly before it’s too late!

However, if horror is not your vibe, you may be more interested in the Fantasia International Film Festival. Running from July 16th to August 2nd, the 30th anniversary of this festival is bound to be spectacular, presenting films which belong to mainstream or to alternative, cutting-edge media. Known for attracting renowned guests such as Robert Pattinson, Guillermo del Toro, and Takashi Miike, this festival projects genre cinema from all over the world, right here in local theatres.

Perhaps, if your goal this summer is to discover up-and-coming filmmakers, I highly suggest you pass by the Dawson Film Festival on May 15th! Hosted in Dawson College’s very own theatre, this year’s edition engages itself against generative A.I. through its theme, “Human Made.” With this festival, the Cinema and Communications program showcases short films made by students, encouraging the Dawson community to support studies in film production at the college. 

Festival International Nuits d’Afrique via Les Productions Nuit d’Afrique

For the grown-up theatre kids

Festivals take the stage by storm this summer, entertaining local communities in celebration of various cultures. From July 2nd through the 12th, MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE lights up the city in a celebration of circus. Urban spaces become artists’ stages as they host North America’s first circus arts festival.

Then, a month later, Montreal audiences make way for the International First Peoples’ Festival from August 4th to the 13th. Through concerts, dances, poetry, and more, the event invites Montrealers to embrace the imagination of Indigenous Peoples. A celebration of ancentral roots, the festival becomes a meeting ground to shine a light on Indigenous cultures in spaces at the heart of downtown Montreal.

Underrepresented communities continue to be highlighted from July 7th to July 19th during the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique. Six of those days are spent outside offering free activities to locals, during which artists share African, Caribbean, and Latin cultures through mesmerizing performances. Attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, these festivals are a great way to relax and enjoy the warm weather in Montreal’s outdoor performance spaces. 

For the live music enthusiasts 

Summer 2026 will be the perfect summer for music lovers. Starting with Porchfest, take a walk around NDG on May 16th and 17th, or around Verdun on May 30th, to see local musicians perform on their porches all throughout the neighbourhoods.

Continue your walk in the South-West and you’ll find yourself enjoying more concerts during the Festival sur le Canal. From June 19th to 21st, artists perform under a blazing sun whilst audiences look out across the picturesque Lachine Canal.

Or, if headbanging and moshing is how you want to spend your summer, ProgStorm is returning to Montreal from August 21st to 23rd. Canada’s first festival entirely dedicated to progressive metal is hosted in the city’s Club Soda, where 18 local and international acts will attract crowds night after night.

However, there is always a little something for everyone: earlier that same month, Place des Arts will be hosting the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal’s very own La Virée Classique. Held annually in August, this festival invites Montrealers to discover the beauty of classical music. Many activities are free, making classical music accessible to the general public.

Furthermore, with dates yet to be confirmed, SoulFest Montréal will return for a third edition in July. Celebrating soul, motown,  R&B, gospel, and funk music, this festival brings people outside of their homes and into the streets of downtown Montreal to not only listen to music, but to live it. Through lively performances and passionate artists, this summer is bound to be musically enthralling!

For the keen artistic eyes 

One could argue that summer in Montreal is a museum in itself: I mean, nothing beats the view of sitting on a café’s terrace in mid-July on a bustling street lit up with joyous, tanned, and worry-free Montrealers. The upcoming summer months in the city will host many visual arts festivals where locals can feast their eyes on beautiful artworks. Starting in Dawson College’s Warren G. Flowers gallery, May 7th marks the vernissage for graduating students in Arts, Literature, and Communications’ Studio Arts profile. Diversity meets creation through the presentation of animation, sculpture, painting, and more. Go grab a cocktail (or a mocktail) and encourage your peers in the continuation of their journeys as budding artists!

Then, on May 12th, the Cinema and Communications students invite you into Oliver’s, where the program’s students present their final projects. Ranging from scripts to photography, MOSAIC awards students demonstrating outstanding media projects.

Later in the season, the MURAL Festival is back on Saint-Laurent Blvd. to celebrate urban art in public spaces. From June 4th to the 14th, the boulevard serves as an open-air museum where encouraging local and international artists becomes an excuse to gather and enjoy the nice weather. 

MURAL Festival via GayTravel4u

For the Queers, the allies, and the curious

Pride Month in Montreal comes alive every year with festivities celebrating Queer culture. Festival Brûlances is a notable event which occurs over a few days in June. Brûlances is a “radical queer collective.” The festival is hosted at the Centre Culturel Georges-Vanier where various workshops, discussions, and activities take place. Their celebrations offer “revolutionary queer, anti-capitalist, decolonial, anti-ableist, and intergenerational perspectives.” Their 2026 program has yet to be announced, so be on the lookout!

Inspired by the Festival Brûlances, Wild Pride takes the same anti-capitalist, revolutionary approach to celebrating Pride. This year’s opening ceremony will take place on July 30th and festivities will continue through to the closing ceremony on August 18th. Celebrations include a play production inspired by the greek classic “Antigone,” as well as an erotic grief ritual, a trans legal clinic, a running club, a queer caribbean barbecue, and more.

Finally, the Festival Accès Asie is presenting the Cabaret Splendour  at La Sala Rossa on May 17th. Described as “[a] pan-Asian, interdisciplinary cabaret celebrating the diversity of queer identities through performance” by the organizers, Cabaret Splendour is one of the many events offered by the festival which celebrates Asian Heritage Month all throughout the month of May. Join these festivals in countering corporations which exploit pride for profit all throughout the summer! 

Whether you decide to spend your summer diving into Dawson College students’ artistic endeavours, celebrating Pride Month by engaging with anarcho-queer activists, moving your body to the rhythm of local R&B bands, or hiding away in a theatre’s cool air conditioning to enjoy indie movies, Montreal has it all.

“This summer is festival summer, and you are bound to find your crowd.”

Correspondent’s tips to a successful summer: always carry a water bottle, grease your bike chains, find a picnic blanket, and stock up on card games. You never know where the summer will take you!