Mile End en Fête is back to turn a neighbourhood into a playground

Mile End en Fête has returned to wash over the streets of Saint-Laurent, Parc, Bernard, St-Viateur, Fairmount, and Laurier West, bringing with it throngs of pedestrians and the official start to summer. Centred around the headquarters of the Lave Auto Laurier car wash and Place Kate-McGarrigle, the open-air street festival presents an exciting program of musical acts and art performances for a full weekend of celebratory family-friendly fun.

On May 24 and May 25, 2025, loiter under brightly coloured tents at the community-hub car wash courtyard to enjoy a meal, performance, and/or workshop before meandering down nearby streets lined with local businesses.

Grab your friends, kids, or dog and come celebrate summer in the heart of Mile End.

The Basics: What You Need to Know

🗓 Dates:

May 24 & May 25, 2025

📍 Location:

Lave Auto Laurier and Place Kate-McGarrigle

🎟 Admission:

• Free!

🕒 Hours:

• Saturday, May 24: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Sunday, May 25: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

🚇 How to Get There

• Metro: Laurier (10 mins) 
• Bus: Saint-Laurent / Laurier (2 mins), Laurier / Saint-Urbain (7 mins)
• Parking: limited street parking
• Best options: bike, walk, or public transit

What To See and Do at Mile End en Fête

Mile End en Fête is a vibrant community fair celebrating the cultural, artistic, and commercial richness of Montreal’s Mile End. It’s got something for everyone, from art performances and live music acts to conference talks and even a breakdancing workshop. 

Here are a few standout weekend events that you won’t want to miss.

Highlights during Mile End en Fête:

🎨 Check out performances by Extravaganz'arts, Kurioscope, and Zebra Studio for a whimsical experience courtesy of this puppets, performing arts, and circus collective, stop by Lave Auto Laurier, Saturday.

🕺 Break Dance Workshop by Ru-Tang: Poet, musician, and breakdancer Rupert Common leads a dance workshop at Lave Auto Laurier, Saturday.

🪕 Mohamed Masdoumi Pop-up: For classical and jazz tunes plucked on a traditional Middle Eastern oud, drop by Masdoumi’s performance at the Mordecai Richler Library, Sunday.

🎙️ Experience organic improv live by The Experiment at Lave Auto Laurier, Sunday.

🎺 Renaud Gratton Pop-up: The acclaimed Quebecois trombonist will be playing at Bio Terre, Saturday.

💬 Conference Talk by Nicolas Duvernois: Learn how Mile End has shaped the heritage of Romeo’s Gin at Lave Auto Laurier, Saturday.

🎸 Plus, performances by DJ Yuki, Laroie, SoCalled, Hot Sauce Soundsystem, Adama Daou, and more: Saturday and Sunday, Lave Auto Laurier and Place Kate-McGarrigle.

What to Eat and Drink at Mile End en Fête

Open-air barbecues, on-the-go slices, freshly pressed juice, sweet pick-me-ups like a perfectly swirled rainbow ice cream cone—there are countless tasty food and drink options available courtesy of local Mile End businesses during Mile End en Fête.

That’s all thanks to neighbourhood heavyweights like Iconoglace, Chez Lévêque, and others offering up fuel for the weekend.

Notable offerings during Mile End en Fête:

🍸 Try a Romeo's gin Freddo at Café Alphabet, exclusive to the festival!

🍖 At the Lave Auto Laurier site, drop by Dieu du Ciel’s tent for smoky BBQ comfort food, or pick up lighter snacks and market food from Supermarché PA. 

🍗 At Caserne 30 next door, you’ll find the neighbourhood firefighters grilling out in front of the station.

🌱 Lufa Farms, an urban agricultural company, will be serving up fresh, local offerings at Place Kate-McGarrigle.

🦪 Stop by Chez Lévêque for a full oyster bar, cocktails, and an outdoor snack and amuse-bouche station.

🍕 Hand-crafted focaccia sandwiches, pizza by the slice, and sparkling Italian sodas are available at Café Novanta.

☕ Grab a free muffin or drink courtesy of Columbus Café & Co on Parc!

🍪 Cookies, lemonade, and iced coffee are offered at Maison Halwa, plus a live DJ set on Saturday.

🥤 Visit Lio Frais Pressés, Lio Fratelli’s juice bar window around the corner from its front door, for ice-cold Brazilian refreshments.

🍦 The ever-whimsical Iconoglace will be handing out unicorn-themed “pets de licorne,” free of charge.