Things to do in Montreal this December

This year's festival centres on "A Taste of History," with chefs revisiting 65 years of Montreal dining.

The best things to do in Montreal during December fill the calendar with ballet, punk rock, immersive art, and more than enough holiday spirit.

The festival has been turning Montreal's restless creative energy into international careers for 20 years, and it's nowhere near slowing down.

Nearly 40 years after his landmark book helped designate The Main as a heritage site, Edward Hillel returns with a layered portrait of memory, time, and urban change.

For 20 years, the Montreal-based indie publisher has connected Quebec writers with international audiences and brought global voices to local readers.

For 66 years, Dominique Perrazino's Plateau barbershop has been where hockey legends, Expos players, and neighbourhood regulars all gather to talk, connect, and get a trim.

How climbing gyms like Café Bloc have become neighborhood hangouts—complete with coffee, bars, and saunas—that offer a compelling alternative to traditional gym culture.

Traditional styles and apprenticeships keep the faith to the craft, while monthly block parties bring hundreds to the neighbourhood.

Following the Joe Beef co-founder through two days of cold-climate viticulture harvests where hospitality takes the form of al fresco meals, crushed grapes underfoot, and relentless labour.

A deep dive into the belly of the Outaouais.

Ancient technique, unpredictability, and slow, communal craft: Goregama has gathered twice a year since 2019 to feed wood into an anagama kiln for 40 hours straight.

From farm fields to natural wine, Baie-Saint-Paul makes the case for a quick pause away from it all.

From flea markets to pickleball courts, a reporter retraces his roots to find out why Saint-Eustache is suddenly among Quebec’s happiest cities.

Nathan Gawalko left high-end restaurants across the world to bottle ancient traditions of fish, salt, and time on British Columbia's coast.

A coastal escape where every room has ocean views.

When Montreal veterans end up with the keys to a local legend of the region they call home.

Always in collaboration with local craftspeople, this nimble design firm creates immersive commercial spaces designed for that ineffable 'wow' factor.

The expansion adds 14 stations and 33 kilometres to Montreal's light-rail network, connecting the North Shore to the South Shore through downtown for the first time.

An incoming commemorative park design makes the Black Rock accessible for the first time with public space honouring 6,000 Irish famine victims and the Montrealers who tried to save them.

It was chill: ROYALMOUNT’s Urban Park hosted eight brands and a live Milk & Bone set.

Daniel Finkelstein's anti-ego approach to design is what makes his work in restaurants, retail, and beyond authentic to their purpose.

The Montreal designer creating thoughtful garments that critically engage with Canadian landscapes, histories, and identity.

Avenir Vert's Olivia Donahue turned thrift store finds and teenage entrepreneurship into British Vogue features—all while refusing to compromise on a sustainable vision.

André Brown doesn't exist per se, but the branding created under that name shows how hospitality can think differently about storytelling, atmosphere, and emotional design.

Walk-ins and reservations share a warm welcome in this highly customized space, and it's got the menu to match.

The former Joe Beef co-owner and ex-Maison Publique chef debut their farm-and-chef-driven restaurant out in Dollard-Des Ormeaux.

A Montreal take on a Scottish tavern, famed chefs jump back into action with a new project, a fresh Italian hangout in Westmount, and more.

The tinsel-drenched holiday pop-up returns with floor-to-ceiling decor, seasonal cocktails, Christmas Karaoke, and collectible glassware.

Chef Marcel Larrea resurrects the restaurant that put him on the map seven years ago, this time hidden inside Capisco with a blind tasting menu and full creative control.

Nili's the opposite of fine dining: a tiny Mile End spot with Moroccan home cooking, twice-a-week prices, and the feeling of a café you can reliably drop into.

Experiencing a great meal can stick with you longer than anything that comes wrapped.

Specialty roasters, cultural hybrids, gym counters, and metaphysical shops: Here are the 26 best new cafés in Montreal.

For decades, Sabor Latino's been the gravitational centre for Montreal's Latino communities.

From its 1945 opening to a 1984 closure and its present-day hotel, the Décarie Boulevard institution was where Montreal went to see and be seen.

How a Bulgarian immigrant's billiard hall became one of Montreal's most enduring institutions, from pimp steaks to late night eats infamy.

Montreal's last (and Canada's only) Egyptian Revival movie palace reinvented itself for decades. Now it's been empty for 33 years.

The law demanded they learn anatomy but made dissection illegal, so for nearly a century, stolen corpses were tobogganed down Mount Royal to a folk hero janitor who paid cash, no questions asked.

From postwar migration to piri piri chicken, Azorean immigrants transformed an iconic Montreal neighbourhood with enduring community.

From dynasty to drought: a brief-ish look at the making of Montreal's most devotional sports franchise.

For over 60 years, the fully functional home of two circus veterans became a Montreal tourist attraction where everything was scaled down to their three-foot-tall size.