Things to do in Montreal this May

From cider crawls and kimono parades to electro Sundays and neighbourhood street fests—Montreal in May doesn’t slow down.

The Main

The Main

April 30, 2025- Read time: 7 min
Things to do in Montreal this MayPhotograph: Café Collectif

Spring’s in full swing, and May is when Montreal officially remembers how to party. Things are warming up, literally and figuratively, as locals and tourists can both enjoy the rising action of deep spring before the climax of summer.

Sounds hyperbolic, we know, but it ain't.

Anyway: One look at this round-up of things to do in Montreal during May, and it's clear: The sun’s got stamina, the festivals start stacking, and every park bench suddenly looks like a runway. This is when terrasses fill up before noon, porches double as stages, and even the alleys feel like venues in disguise. Whether you’re sipping saké during Japan Week, catching reggaeton at Fuego Fuego, or shopping local at Marché ASIASIE, the city’s energy shifts from thawing out to showing up.

Member-only story

Unlock Montreal’s stories. Join The Main community.

Read this story free.

Enter your email to unlock your first article and get The Bulletin — our weekly roundup of food, art, and local culture.

  • 5 free articles per month
  • Save your favourite places & guides
  • Weekly newsletter The Bulletin
  • Stay connected to Montreal culture

Become an Insider.

Join a community that supports independent Montreal stories and celebrates the people shaping its culture.

Subscribe
  • Unlimited access to all stories
  • Exclusive features & local insights
  • Special offers and event invites
  • 10% off in our shop
  • Support local storytelling

Already a member? Sign in

Related articles

Everyone dunks on Griffintown. Here's what they're missing.
The Main

Everyone dunks on Griffintown. Here's what they're missing.

Griffintown's become Montreal's favourite punching bag for anti-development sentiment, but its messy, diverse rebirth is actually turning into something good.

Things to do in Montreal this November
The Main

Things to do in Montreal this November

The best things to do in Montreal during November bring enough festivals, holiday markets, and cultural programming to make you forget the cold.

When rubbing shoulders with death is your full-time gig
Salomé Maari @ URBANIA

When rubbing shoulders with death is your full-time gig

"In my first months working in funeral services, I immediately realized it was going to profoundly change my perception of life."

How Mile-Ex launched (and lost) Montreal's warehouse pop explosion
Max Honigmann

How Mile-Ex launched (and lost) Montreal's warehouse pop explosion

From 2006 to 2016, Mile-Ex's DIY spaces launched Grimes, Mac DeMarco, TOPS, and one of Montreal's most productive music scenes. Then it was all killed off.

Radical proximity is the antidote to digital exhaustion
Prachi Khandekar

Radical proximity is the antidote to digital exhaustion

A new wave of gatherings in Montreal—dinners with strangers, life drawing, and apartment galleries—is bringing back the risk and reward of unscripted human contact.

If you want to understand Montreal's dance scene, start with Ferias
J.P. Karwacki

If you want to understand Montreal's dance scene, start with Ferias

Guthrie Drake and Alina Byrne built their dance community on borrowed time, clandestine spaces, and the belief that range matters more than genre.