Salon des métiers d'art du Québec returns for its 69th Edition

It's happened nearly every December, turning the Palais des congrès into a hub of 200 craftspeople setting up shop to sell their hard work and wares: The 69th edition (nice) of the Salon des métiers d'art du Québec runs from December 11 to 21, 2025 with even more in-depth programming than previous years.

Why should you get excited for this? Though the term 'craftspeople' is used often to explain the people who are highlighted at this event, this isn't a craft fair in the farmers market sense. It's the province's only event exclusively dedicated to professional artisans, curated by the Conseil des métiers d'art du Québec, and it draws makers working in everything from ceramics, woodworking, jewelry, leatherwork, glassblowing, cutlery, and more from across Quebec and Canada.

Photograph: Métiers d'art du Québec / Facebook

Highlights to come

What makes this iteration particularly compelling is the deliberate focus on who's shaping the field next. Four exhibitions anchor the event, including spotlights on emerging talent through the François-Houdé Prize finalists and a solo glasswork show by last year's winner Charlie Larouche-Potvin.

Then there's the homage to France Fauteux, a ceramic artist who's been building anthropomorphic worlds in clay since the late 1960s. Her exhibition, "Dans la tête de France Fauteux," traces a career that helped define Quebec ceramics with intimate pieces alongside monumental installations where fired earth converses with other materials. The Conseil recently honoured her with its Prix Hommage, recognizing decades of teaching at the Maison des métiers d'art de Québec and influencing generations of makers.

But perhaps the most forward-looking element is "Nouveaux horizons," an exhibition of furniture, mobiles, and wall sculptures created through the Parcours Nouveaux Arrivants program. Launched this year by the Conseil in partnership with École d'ébénisterie d'art de Montréal, the pilot project helps newly arrived artisans integrate into Quebec's craft sector through technical refinement, professional French-language training, and network building. The pieces on display represent the first cohort—woodworkers bringing their own traditions into dialogue with local practices.

More action than you might think

The fair features a dedicated space for building trades artisans like blacksmiths, stonemasons, stained glass artists, carpenters, and cabinetmakers—all of whom will rotate through demonstrations throughout the run. Among them: Sylvie Savoie, winner of the 2025 Maestria–Alain-Lachance prize for stained glass; forge artist François Racine; gilder Ann-Marlène Gagnon; and decorative arts specialist André Perreault, alongside emerging talent like ornamental plasterer Olan Finney.

Weekend programming brings makers from Canada's northern territories—artists from Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon taking turns at dedicated booths throughout the fair's 11 days, supported by territorial cultural programs. Recent graduates from schools like Espace Verre, Centre de céramique Bonsecours, École de joaillerie de Montréal, and the leather and textile programs get their own exhibition space, representing the pipeline keeping these disciplines alive.

Lolitta Dandoy, fashion journalist and this year's spokesperson, frames the fair as a counterpoint to algorithm-driven shopping: "When you shop at the Salon, you're not just buying a product—you're acquiring something singular, often one-of-a-kind, conceived and made by someone here." She's pushing the all-access pass model hard, encouraging people to return multiple times across the 11-day run to actually talk with makers instead of treating it like a single-visit checklist.

Director Mariouche Gagné, herself an artisan, positions the fair as more than a sales floor: "We want the Salon to become a living space, rooted in its time, where sustainable innovation, knowledge transmission, and emerging voices coexist with inherited skills."

Practical details

What: Salon des métiers d'art du Québec (69th edition)
When: December 11–21, 2025
Where: Palais des congrès de Montréal
Hours: Weekdays 10 a.m.–8 p.m. | Weekends 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Tickets: Multi-day passes available (single-day tickets too)

The Palais des congrès sits right above Place-d'Armes metro on the orange line. Indoor parking's available. The venue's fully accessible—ramps, elevators, wheelchairs available for loan, service dogs welcome, universal washrooms, and family spaces with changing tables and nursing areas.

There's a bistro inside when you need a break between aisles of hand-forged metalwork and slip-cast porcelain as well, plus an information kiosk if you get lost among the 200-plus booths.