The essential list of events, activities, attractions and more to do in Montreal without breaking (or visiting) the bank.
UPDATE, Summer 2022: Outdoor movie screenings, anyone? It’s easy to get carried away with next-level meals and so many amazing things to do in Montreal, but it’s also a city where you can have an exceptional experience—and some of the best food in town—on a budget. From the summer's best free performances to free metro rides on the weekend, read on for a list of the best free things to do across the city (stunning urban beaches included).
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On Fridays and Saturdays, CinéRuelles hosts free, family-friendly outdoor movie screenings throughout the Plateau Mont-Royal neighbourhood, where anything from Ice Age to Rio can be playing. Adults should also check out Cinéma sous les étoiles, with complimentary screenings in different parks all over the city.
Free guided tours of Chinatown? BBQ-grilled giant squid? Live entertainment? The second edition of Marché Asiatique, a can't miss collaboration between Marché de Nuit de Montréal, Tourisme Montréal, La Pépinière I Espaces Collectifs and Marché Asiatique, runs until October 2, with two weekends (July 28-31 and August 25-28) when it transforms into a night market.
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From Beethoven’s Symphony No.3 performed by the Orchestre Métropolitain, to Les Grands Ballets, more than 30 free live outdoor performances are on offer this summer at Théâtre de Verdure in Montreal’s Parc La Fontaine—circus performers and movie nights included.
MURAL is an annual live-art festival every June that sees buildings all along Boulevard St-Laurent and the surrounding Plateau streets get painted by some of the world’s most famous urban artists. Over the festival’s weekend The Main closes for a street sale, live music shows and more, all for free—and of course, you can walk around and watch the 30-odd artists at work. The murals stay well beyond the festival dates, though, and add to the previous years’ artistic legacy. Make your own walking tour anytime of year and fill your thread with colourful posts.
Designed for a joyous mix of work and play, Aire Commune’s 40 ephemeral outdoor spaces span the city from Lachine to Mile End, downtown and the Old Port. Designed for greendesking, relaxing, enjoying live music or grabbing snacks from the Cantine Bar à Vin, their shaded sites are built out of wood, include free Wi-Fi and electric plugs (especially useful when your phone needs a recharge), and are free of use for all from June to October (some on a first-come, first-serve basis, some requiring an online reservation).
Lit up hoops? Check. Electronic scoreboard? Check. 80s arcade-game aesthetics? Check. Tucked away just outside of the Delta Hotel, these outdoor, adapted courts are a slam dunk in the heart of downtown.
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Clock Tower Beach is located right in Montreal’s Old Port, making it the ideal spot to unwind after a long day without having to venture too far from the city centre. The urban beach venue is essentially part bar and part park, trading in traditional terrasse seating in favor of sand, plastic chairs and parasols. A little slice of the city reminiscent of the French Rivieria, it’s also a great spot to watch the International Fireworks Festival.
For a complete list of the best beaches in and around Montreal click here.
There’s never a dull moment around Boulevard St-Laurent in the summer. Head to the Parc des Amériques on the corner of St-Laurent and Rachel during the St-Ambroise Montréal Fringe Festival over a couple of weeks in June and you can soak up some free entertainment anytime of day, whether that’s music or excerpts from some of the productions on view. It’s a good way to sample before you buy tickets. That’s also where the beer tent is, if you feel like shelling out a couple of bucks for some bevvies.
Every August an open-air runway and shopping plaza takes over Place des Festivals thanks to Festival Mode + Design, a fashion-centred celebration of creativity. Browse the pop-up shops where you can snag one of a kind pieces by local designers, or stick around for some of the free live events—from music to full-blown fashion shows, catwalk and all.
The International Fireworks Competition runs twice a week throughout the summer, from the end of June to the end of July. While the actual fireworks are set off at local amusement park La Ronde, they can be seen anywhere along the waterfront in the Old Port or—for the best vantage point—on the Jacques Cartier bridge which closes to traffic for this very occasion.
Circus is supersized in Montreal (which spawned Cirque du Soleil) and this July, that means 3 Giants: three ginormous, 52-foot steel structures shaped like giants that will act as living stages for free circus arts performances in central Montreal. Each site features a completely different show by a different local circus troupe—Cirque Éloize, Machine de cirque and 7 doigts—twice a day for 10 days, at 6 pm and 9:30 pm, all free.
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It’s clear that Montreal’s a festival town when seeing how much locals love to eat, drink and party in the streets whenever possible. The best part about the many music festivals that take place throughout the year, like the International Jazz Festival, Les Francofolies, Les Nuits D’Afrique and the indie music festival Pop Montreal is that there are plenty of shows, live entertainment and activities to partake in, and all totally gratuit!
Lachine is the place to get folksy over the month of June, when the Festival sur le Canal invites all and sundry to spread out picnic blankets along the grassy banks of Lachine Canal and enjoy live music for free. Both local and visiting musicians perform here in a truly idyllic summer setting—easy to get to by Bixi.
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Soak up some history for free at City Hall, a Second Empire statement building located right between Place Jacques Cartier and Champ de Mars in Old Montreal. Every Friday from early October to late June, Montreal’s City Hall offers free tours in English or French, where you can learn about the architects, Henri-Maurice Perrault and Alexander Cowper Hutchison, about the massive 1922 fire that destroyed half the city’s records, or about this building’s significance in historic moments—like in 1967, when French President General de Gaulle made his famous “Vive le Québec libre!” speech from its balcony.
The Fondation Phi pour l’art contemporain in Old Montreal has world-class exhibitions for free, full stop. Beyond that, there are tons of free museums to check out like McGill University’s Redpath Museum of Natural History, a hidden gem worth visiting for the building alone. The Canadian Centre for Architecture is free if you’re a student, and free to the public on Thursdays in the evenings and on the first Sunday of every month. Both the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and The Montreal Museum of Contemporary Arts also have no entrance fees on the first Sunday of every month, and May 26th is free museum day across the city.
Seven stations located near downtown tourist attractions during the summer weekends will be offering free rides: Saint-Laurent, Place-des-Arts, Peel, Champ-de-Mars, Place-d'Armes, Berri-UQAM and McGill—a few steps from Time Out Market Montréal in the Eaton Centre. Berri-UQAM, Champ-de-Mars and Place-d'Armes are universally accessible and are equipped with elevators.
Every July, the world’s largest international comedy festivals takes over the Quartier des Spectacles in downtown Montreal with live performances, events, parties and shows. Although the Just For Laughs comedy festival has big-ticket galas including some of the top names in comedy (like Kevin Hart, Sarah Silverman, Seth Rogan, Dave Chapelle, Jerry Seinfeld and Amy Schumer), there’s also lots to see and do on site for free. Check their program, as it changes every year.
This affluent borough’s beautiful library and greenhouse are next to the scenic Westmount Park, and are open to the public with the exception of borrowing privileges. The library’s huge collection of books, movies, music and activities for adults, teens and kids make it a great place to explore, with the recently renovated, under-the-radar greenhouse next door for a colourful floral fix.
Smack in the middle of the Island of Montreal is its pride and joy, Mount Royal. This small mountain and Quebec Heritage site offers some of the best views, nature paths, parks, picnic areas and trails for biking, hiking, walking or jogging. With three public buildings on site for shelter, information and bathroom breaks, visiting the mountain is the ideal activity on a sunny afternoon—especially on summer Sundays for the Tam Tams, a freeform drum circle that’s been happening at the foot of George-Étienne Cartier Monument weekly for over 40 years.
Sure, it’s a pilgrimage site for the more devout among us, and the largest church in Canada, but the Oratory is also a beautiful place to go and stroll at no charge. Take a walk through the beautiful garden on the grounds, which abut Mount Royal on the Côte-des-Neiges side, and take pics of the city from the two outdoor viewing levels as you hike the nearly-300 stairs towards the top. After that, Chemin Côte-des-Neiges is a great street for a spot of lunch.
With an its jaw-droppingly massive audiovisual collection, the Médiathèque Guy-L.-Coté is the Cinémathèque québécoise’s access point to all of its films, scripts, books, photographs and more. With thousands of videos to view, it’s a window onto tons of local and international cinematography. While the rest of the Cinémathèque has admission fees for screenings and performances, this section is open and free to the public.
With a network of bike paths that has a collective length of over 500km, it doesn’t cost a cent to jump on your bike and head out on a two-wheeled adventure. Cross paths with some of the best sights of the city, from the Lachine Canal to Old Montreal, through Parc La Fontaine and around the Olympic Village, and then pedal your way off the island to explore both the north and south shores.
This downtown public library is the province’s largest and most visited, a tall and expansive structure of wood and glass designed by Vancouverite and Québécois architects. Whiling away an afternoon here’s easy when sifting through their millions of titles—30% of which are in English—or checking out thousands of albums, films, video games at their dozens of audio and visual stations. Membership for Quebec residents is free, but if you’re just visiting, it’s still worth exploring. Bibliophiles should also check out the library’s book fair at the end of May, when old titles go for cheap.
Montrealers are lucky enough to be in a city filled with green spaces, so why not hang out in one of them? Parc La Fontaine has choice sunbathing spots and people-watching benches, Parc Jeanne-Mance is the perfect summer picnic space and Parc Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier has public ping pong tables and courts for boules. Or you can head to Parc Jarry for its wide-open spaces ideal for any kind of sport, or wander through Westmount Park for its scenic maple trees and duck pond. You can't go wrong with any of them.
If there’s one thing you’ll want to do during Montreal’s hot and sticky summer season besides grabbing a drink, it’s taking a dip in one of the city’s many swimming pools. One of the biggest, best (and recently redone) free pools around is located at Parc Jarry and sports a fenced-in grassy area to lay your towel in case searing hot and hard concrete isn’t your poolside jam. If you’re after something in the heart of the Plateau, Parc Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier’s pool is free too, but only on weekends and holidays. And don't forget the city's beaches!
Home to some of Montreal’s best contemporary artists, the Belgo Building located near the Quartier des Spectacles allows visitors to easily make their way from one exhibition to the next. All of its 27 galleries, artist workshops and dance studios are housed within the building’s six floors and are open to the public. Don’t miss Galerie Laroche/Joncas, Project Pangée, CIRCA art actuel, Centre des arts actuels Skol and Galerie Lilian Rodriguez on your next visit.
The manmade waterway that runs eastward from the borough of Lachine to Montreal’s Old Port offers beautiful views of the city skyline, cool breezes and a paved path on either side. Ideal for strolling, biking, jogging or just sitting on one of its many public benches or Adirondack chairs to relax, the Lachine Canal is the Southwest’s top attraction. Pro-tip: Visit the area around Atwater Market in the summer for a free mist shower or game of chess.
Want to take a break from the island without really leaving it? Head to Jean-Drapeau park, a massive green space that lies in the center of a man-made island just south of Old Montreal. Home to the La Ronde amusement park, the famous Grand Prix F1 race track, the Montreal Casino and numerous summer music festivals, this space also has public beaches, pools, walking trails, art and the Floralie Gardens, where you can wander through 25 hectares made up of thousands of rose bushes, annuals and several varieties of perennials, trees and shrubs.
Finding the city too hot or too cool? Great, because we built a series of underground tunnels that go for 33km through shopping centers, office buildings, hotels and businesses. If you don’t want to walk outside, you don’t have to. When you reach the Eaton Centre, make sure to visit Time Out Market Montréal where you'll find the best chefs and restaurants in the city under one roof.
As much as Montrealers love a good party, they also love a good parade. That’s why when Pride Week, Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, or Halloween rolls around, we can’t wait to dust off those floats, get dressed up, put some booze in our coffee and take it to the streets. Whether it’s Santa Claus or a pipe band, dancing drag queens or slow-moving zombies, we’ve got your free holiday parade entertainment covered.
Every August, Little Italy closes off its streets to traffic for a week for businesses to set up stands and hawk their best food. This week-long event’s got its gastronomic delights—pizza, pasta, espressos, cannoli—but hits its zenith with a free opera performance. Grab a seat at the large stage set up outside of the Notre-Dame-de-la-Défense Church, or grab a six-pack and find a comfy spot on the grass in the adjacent Dante Park, and enjoy high art without its typical price tag.
Comic book fans rejoice: This international event happens on the first Saturday in May, celebrating comic books and the local shops that provide them. With free comic books and activities on offer, participating stores this year include Drawn & Quarterly, Crossover Comics, Brave Comix, Omnibus Bookstore, Chez Geeks, Komico, and more. Some of these shops hold events for kids in parks as well.
As much as this city loves festivals and parades, it also loves closing down major streets in the summer so folks can wander freely to eat, drink, shop and dine. There’s an overwhelming amount to choose from, but our personal favourites include: The Masson Street and St-Hubert Plaza fairs in Rosemont; the Saint-Laurent street fairs that happen at the beginning and end of the summer; a Mount-Royal Avenue fair in the Plateau; a Monkland fair in NDG; Wellington street fairs in Verdun; a San Marziale street fair on Saint-Viateur in the Mile End; a Greek street fair on Saint-Roch in Park Extension.
Here’s your list of essentials for the best things to do in Montreal, from fantastic attractions to cultural powerhouses.
