Things to do in Montreal this October

It feels like the city is slipping into costume when the best things to do in Montreal during October all roll around. The heat of summer block parties gives way to the glow of lanterns, the crunch of leaves underfoot, and nights where you can see your breath but still want to stay out late. Sure, the best new restaurants, new cafés, and new bars keep rolling in, but things shift when you look at events.

It’s a month where Oktoberfests meet art fairs, film festivals collide with food pilgrimages, and Halloween spreads from one night into a full-blown season. From gallery crawls and ska shows to haunted roller coasters and drag queens in full gory glamour, October proves this city knows how to make the fall feel anything but quiet.

If you need a reason to embrace sweater weather? We've got you covered.

Kent Monkman at the MMFA: History, subverted and repainted

The MMFA hosts a major Canadian premiere with Kent Monkman’s History Is Painted by the Victors from September 27, 2025 to March 8, 2026. Monumental canvases subvert colonial narratives by reimagining the tradition of history painting, centring Indigenous and Two-Spirit voices. Monkman’s work blends satire, beauty, and critique, reframing the past in ways that resonate powerfully with the present.

Phénomena Festival: Montreal’s annual ode to the weird

Phénomena is the kind of festival that thrives in the margins—cabaret shows that border on the surreal, dance that bleeds into installation, puppetry staged in alleys or parks. Created by D. Kimm and Les Filles électriques, it’s proudly interdisciplinary and defiantly unclassifiable. Across October, expect poetry, spectacle, and performance art that refuses to sit still. For anyone tired of neat categories, this is where Montreal’s weird gets to shine from October 1 to 24.

Two by Two, Together: Fresh voices close at the MMFA

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts wraps up Two by Two, Together on October 5, a rare chance to see recent acquisitions pulled into fresh dialogue. More than 250 works—by everyone from Rembrandt and Robert Mapplethorpe to Wanda Koop and William Brymner—are paired in ways that highlight echoes across centuries and mediums. The result is less a greatest-hits wall and more a conversation between artists, where sculpture speaks to photography, and a 17th-century Chinese cosmic board brushes up against contemporary abstraction. Many of the pieces are being shown for the first time, making this closing week feel like a preview of the museum’s future.

VOLUME MTL: Montreal’s international art book fair

Art publishing gets its annual moment in the spotlight at Volume MTL from September 30 to October 5, the bilingual international art book fair now in its eighth edition. Held in venues across the city, it brings together publishers, artists, and printers from Montreal and abroad for a program of launches, talks, and exhibitions. Think handmade zines next to large-format photography monographs, rare artist editions in conversation with bold poster art. For a city where visual culture often lives in galleries or online, this is where you get to hold it in your hands.

Fête de quartier Angus: A neighbourhood block party with heart

Rosemont’s Parc Jean-Duceppe becomes a community hub on October 4 for the Fête de quartier Angus & Cie, a free daylong event packed with live music, kids’ activities, and local vendors. Families can wander between clown shows, makeup booths, and giant outdoor games, while the Collectif créatif Montréal sets up its fall market for a dose of early holiday shopping. The mood stays relaxed and neighbourly, but with enough food, pop-ups, and music to keep the energy up well into the evening.

Monktoberfest: Beer, brass, and boulevard vibes in Ville-Émard

Ville-Émard proves it can throw down with the best of them at Monktoberfest, a street party on October 4 that takes over Monk Boulevard with live shows, beer, and plenty of food. This year’s lineup leans heavy on homegrown funk and brass, with Clay and Friends and The Van Hornies headlining. Local microbreweries pour pints, food kiosks sling snacks, and the whole neighbourhood shows up, making it part Oktoberfest, part block party, and part love letter to one of Montreal’s most under-the-radar strips.

Oktoberfest at Jean-Talon: Sausages, steins, and autumn flavours

On October 4 and 5, the Jean-Talon Market may be known for apples and squash this time of year, but for one weekend it goes Bavarian. Oktoberfest at the market brings microbreweries, sausage makers, and bakers under the same roof—or rather, along the same aisles—for a festival of beer and hearty eats. Pretzels the size of your head and steins filled to the brim mix with the usual bustle of produce stalls, turning Little Italy into something closer to Munich.

Festival du nouveau cinéma: Bold films, new voices, packed theatres

For over 50 years, the Festival du nouveau cinéma has been the place to catch bold new voices and established auteurs side by side. With more than 200 films from 60 countries from October 8 to 19, the lineup sprawls across genres and geographies but always circles back to discovery. Shorts here can qualify for the Oscars, and features often go on to Cannes or Berlin, but the vibe is refreshingly local—late screenings, chance encounters, and the thrill of finding something unexpected in the dark.

Montreal Burlesque Festival: Sequins, feathers, and cabaret revival

Sequins, feathers, and champagne spill across Club Soda as Scarlett James brings the Montreal Burlesque Festival back for two nights, from October 10 to 11. It’s a revival of the city’s cabaret heyday, when Prohibition in the U.S. made Montreal the place to party, but updated with international performers who balance glamour, humour, and just enough tease. Expect variety acts that swing between underground grit and full-on glitz, plus a crowd dressed to impress.

Montreal Roses: Final match of a historic first season

Montreal’s pro women’s soccer team wraps up their debut season in the Northern Super League with a final home game at Stade Boréale on October 11. Founded in 2024, the Roses have quickly built a fan base that treats matches as both sporting event and community rally. Win or lose, this one marks history in the making.

Ramen Ramen Fes: Two weeks of noodle devotion

Montreal’s ramen obsession gets its own stage at Ramen Ramen Fes from October 13 to 26, a two-week event where restaurants across the city roll out special bowls. The fun is in comparing: miso-heavy broths versus clear shio, thick noodles against thin, the occasional left-field creation that shouldn’t work but somehow does. Festival-goers can chart their own crawl, slurping through the map of participating spots, or hit the pop-up street event where multiple ramen stalls serve side by side.

Habs Home Opener: The Bell Centre roars back to life

After a three-game road trip, the Habs finally return to the Bell Centre on October 14 to host the Seattle Kraken in their 2025–26 home opener. Preseason jitters are gone, the seats are filled, and the first puck drop in Montreal always feels electric—even for a team that thrives on drama. Whether you’re here for the rookies trying to make a name for themselves or just the ritual of a hot dog and a beer in the upper bowl, hockey’s back, and the city feels it.

artch Festival: Emerging artists take over downtown

Downtown becomes an outdoor gallery during artch from October 15 to 19, a festival dedicated to emerging artists. This year’s theme, cooperation, brings together 18 creators whose practices span sculpture, edible art, installation, and performance. The event isn’t just about viewing: workshops, talks, and activities blur the line between artist and audience. It’s free, open, and designed to spark dialogue about how creativity can build bridges in a fractured world.

Montreal Ska Festival: Horns, sweat, and three nights of joy

For three nights, Petit Campus and Turbo Haüs trade guitars for horns as the Montreal Ska Festival takes over from October 16 to 18. Organized by the Montreal Ska Society, the festival has been championing the scene since 2008, bringing together local staples like Francbâtards and Danny Rebel & The KGB with bands from across Canada. The vibe is exactly what you’d expect: sweaty, joyful, and impossible not to dance to.

Intercultural Storytelling Festival: Tales that cross borders

Nearly 60 shows across 35 venues—cafés, theatres, libraries—make up the 18th edition of the Intercultural Storytelling Festival from October 17 to 26. Performances are in French and English, with artists from around the world spinning tales that mix myth, history, and personal memory. Some events are intimate, like Ivan Coyote’s Playlist, others more epic, like Les Amazones at Théâtre Outremont. Together, they remind us why storytelling remains one of the oldest—and most moving—arts.

Spaghetti Western Turns Two: A birthday party with boots and bulls

Plaza St-Hubert’s cowboy bar celebrates its second birthday with a two-night party that doubles as a crash course in line dancing. From October 17 to 18, there’ll be a mechanical bull, DJs spinning country and rock, and enough cheap beer to keep the place buzzing until close. Equal parts kitsch and sincerity, it shows why Spaghetti Western has quickly become a late-night institution in the neighbourhood.

Vinyl Fair at Église Saint-Denis: Digging for gems in the Plateau

Collectors and casual diggers alike flock to the Plateau for this one-day vinyl fair on October 18, where 30+ vendors set up inside Église Saint-Denis. Expect crates packed with LPs, 45s, CDs, and the occasional gem—whether that’s a rare jazz pressing or a stack of disco 12-inches. Early birds get first crack at the rarities, but the day’s vibe is more community swap than cutthroat auction.

Knights at Pointe-à-Callière: Armour, honour, and the medieval code

Knights runs until October 19 at Pointe-à-Callière, offering a deep dive into medieval life through more than 250 artifacts on loan from Italy’s Museo Stibbert. Armour, weapons, and courtly objects reveal not just the brutality of the battlefield but the rituals, codes, and craftsmanship that defined the era. The exhibition design is immersive, letting visitors feel like they’ve stepped into another time.

HUB Montreal: Digital creativity on the global stage

HUB Montreal has become a yearly gathering point for digital creativity, mixing tech innovation with cultural industries. The ninth edition from October 20 to 22 brings together creators, investors, and institutions for panels, showcases, and plenty of networking. Think AI, XR, immersive design, and branding activations—presented with a Montreal twist that keeps things less sterile trade show, more creative marketplace.

Montreal Pizza Fest: A month-long ode to the slice

National Pizza Month gets the celebration it deserves with Pizza Fest Montreal, where participating restaurants put forward new or signature pies all October long. The centrepiece arrives on October 21 and 22, when the Grand Quay at the Old Port hosts an all-you-can-eat pizza blowout. Come hungry, because it’s the kind of event where “just one more slice” becomes a mantra.

Festival Spasm: Quebec’s strangest film party hits 24

For 24 years, Festival Spasm has been Montreal’s go-to for genre cinema that’s proudly strange. Horror, sci-fi, comedy, and the unclassifiable all get their moment, usually in the form of shorts that can make you laugh and squirm in the same breath. Running this year from October 22 to November 1, the parties are as much a draw as the films, and by Halloween weekend the Théâtre Plaza feels more like a carnival of the bizarre than a cinema.

Massimadi: Celebrating Afro-Queer art and film

For over 15 years, Massimadi has celebrated Afro-Queer art and film, creating an inclusive platform that’s as much about joy as visibility. The 17th edition from October 22 to 29 continues to highlight emerging and established talent across disciplines, with screenings, panels, and performances that address identity, resilience, and creativity. It’s both celebration and act of resistance, rooted firmly in Montreal’s cultural fabric.

Arab World Festival of Montreal: Cultures in conversation

Dedicated to dialogue between Arab and Western cultures, the Arab World Festival returns in October (dates vary) with its multidisciplinary program of theatre, dance, music, cinema, and conferences. Each edition is organized around a theme that shapes debates and performances alike, and this 26th edition continues that tradition of cultural “alchemy.” Expect boundary-crossing productions and a reminder of Montreal’s place as a crossroads city.

Gem & Mineral Show: Crystals, fossils, and glittering treasures

Crystals, fossils, and sparkling geodes fill downtown for the 64th Montreal Gem & Mineral Show from October 24 to 26. Beyond the dazzling amethyst towers and Baltic amber jewellery, the fair is a place to learn, trade, and marvel at what comes from beneath the earth. For some it’s about rare specimens, for others it’s simply about holding something beautiful and ancient in your hands.

2001: A Space Odyssey, a sci-fi classic in design context at Cinéma du Musée

Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey screens at Cinéma du Musée on October 24 as part of the MBAM’s reopening of its Decorative Arts and Design collection. Beyond being one of cinema’s most visually stunning works, the film connects directly to the modernist design of its time—Olivier Mourgue’s furniture, on display at the museum, also decorates the film’s sets. It’s a chance to revisit the sci-fi classic with fresh eyes, in conversation with the art it helped inspire.

MTLàTABLE: Montreal’s dining festival returns

Montreal’s restaurant week returns with over 150 participating spots offering fixed-price menus at $35, $50, $65, and $80 from October 30 to November 16. From casual neighbourhood gems to fine dining destinations, it’s a chance to eat widely without draining your wallet. Some restaurants even add brunch into the mix, making it easier than ever to sample the city’s culinary diversity.

Halloween in Montreal: A month of thrills and chills

No city stretches Halloween out quite like Montreal throughout October. Haunted mazes at La Ronde, immersive gorefests from Malefycia, candlelit concerts in churches, and ghost tours through Old Montreal all feed the appetite for scares. Drag queens, burlesque stars, and DJs throw themed parties from the Village to Mile End. Families hit the Botanical Garden for pumpkin workshops and lantern trails, while adults line up for the Rocky Horror Ball.

Halloween here is a full month of thrills, laughs, and maybe a few nightmares.

Cirque de Boudoir’s Cabaret du Diable: Montreal’s kinkiest Halloween

Montreal’s kinkiest Halloween party takes over Cabaret Lion d’Or with Cirque de Boudoir’s mix of burlesque, fetish, circus, and electronic beats on October 31. Costumes aren’t optional—they’re the whole point. Equal parts playful and provocative, it’s a space where creativity, sexuality, and spectacle collide.

Rocky Horror Ball: The cult classic’s biggest party on earth

The largest Rocky Horror event in North America, the Halloween Ball at the Rialto Theatre from October 31 to November 2 (with additional shows at St. George’s Church) remains the city’s most beloved cult tradition. Screenings of the 1975 film are accompanied by shadow casts, MCs, and full audience participation. Costumes, props, and the Time Warp are all part of the package. After 50 years, it’s still the wildest night at the movies.

Montreal Brazil Film Festival: Cinema with rhythm and fire

Now in its 18th edition, the Montreal Brazil Film Festival continues to showcase the vitality of Brazilian cinema with a lineup of recent films subtitled in French or English from October 24 to 30. Screenings at Du Parc Cinema and Place des Arts highlight a national cinema known for its creativity and diversity, offering Montrealers a window into stories that span drama, comedy, and documentary.