Festivals and cultural events Quebec

A small festival turned big, this unique and festive international gathering is a superb showcase for genre cinema from the four corners of the globe. Original and a bit eccentric, it is today a major reference for this type of cinema and the event stands out clearly from other world cinema events. Since its debut in 1996, Fantasia has attracted more than a million spectators, eager to discover the varied programming that bridges the gap between avant-garde and mainstream cinema. An event not to be missed.

MUTEK Montréal is more than a festival, it's an immersive sonic and visual experience. No DJ sets here, just live performances for total sensory exploration. Whether standing, lying down, in a dome or in virtual reality, let yourself be transported by established and emerging international artists. MUTEK also promotes Canadian artists and a commitment to gender equality. At the same time, the MUTEK Forum offers conferences and workshops on art and new technologies. 25 years of innovation and audacity to celebrate from August 20 to 25, 2024, with over 100 audiovisual performances.

More than a kilometer of Sainte-Catherine Street is dedicated to the visual arts and becomes for some time the largest open-air gallery in eastern Canada with some one hundred artists practicing different disciplines participating in the event or in the large-scale exhibition and sale. The program also includes a number of contemporary cultural events, including multidisciplinary and interactive performances that allow the artists and the general public to meet. An open-air event where it is good to stroll in the middle of the Montreal summer.

A high-caliber cultural event, the Elektra festival combines cutting-edge electronic music, multi-screen audiovisual performances and installations of all kinds (sound, interactive, robotic...), conferences, launches and vernissages in several venues across the city. The organization also organizes the biennial Biennale internationale d'art numérique (BIAN), a major exhibition of works and installations that celebrated its ^6th edition in winter 2023.

One of the most prestigious classical music events in North America. This festival ensures the participation of renowned soloists from the national and international scene. Concerts and recitals take place in the amphitheatre and in several churches in the region. Other activities are also on the program: youth symphony orchestra concerts, a series of outdoor shows, artists' masses, outdoor musical cinema, etc. Shuttle service between Montreal and the festival.

For about ten days, the city of Trois-Rivières beats to the rhythm of the performances delivered by a hundred poets from all over the world. Cafés, restaurants, parks, museums, art galleries and other places are then invested for the occasion. FIPTR also organizes competitions for authors, including the Grand Prix Québecor of the Festival international de la poésie, which allows them to win a scholarship in addition to being invited to the festival.

Programme of the festivities at Mont Saint-Sauveur: opening of the mechanical lift L'Etoile, family animation (farmhouse, show and animation, mechanical train tour, children games, etc.).

Dedicated entirely to the independent music scene, the Emerging Music Festival (EMF) presents more than 90 artists and groups from here and elsewhere, with styles as varied as they are original. The program is held over four days, both indoors and outdoors. The festival makes it a point of honour to program first and foremost Canadian artists in order to promote them on a national and international scale.

Two beautiful hours of entertainment with this large musical spectacle. It's guaranteed that dancers, singers and acrobats bring you the view in an atmosphere worthy of Paris or Las Vegas cabarets.

Here, we plunge into the heart of French-language song thanks to this major event, which presents quality concerts at its unmissable Festival en chanson, held annually for the past forty years. Up-and-coming artists are given pride of place, with the festival showcasing a selection of emerging singer-songwriters via the Escales en chanson de Petite-Vallée. Confirmed artists for 2024 include Galaxie, Marie-Jo Thério and Karkwa.

Whether it's Gaspesian talent, big names in world music or promising new musical discoveries, the Festival Musique du Bout du Monde program will charm, surprise and move fans and new festival-goers alike. It also features sunrise concerts in Forillon National Park, a magical musical event, provided you can get up at dawn. A festival to discover without delay!

About a hundred recent works from African countries, Creoles and their diasporas. In addition to screenings of short and feature films, fiction and documentaries, the Vues d'Afrique festival also features shows, exhibitions, exchanges, debates and colloquiums, etc., enough to make many discoveries! A youth selection is also presented. All screenings take place at the Cinémathèque québécoise (opening night at the Imperial Cinema).

One of the main short film festivals in North America was founded in 1995 in Saguenay. Each year, the event presents nearly 200 short films from Quebec and around the world. Considered "an international launch pad for Canadian cinema", the festival offers many activities for all audiences: a festive cabaret open every night, outdoor screenings, focus on foreign cinema, etc. It also hosts the Marché du court, which is open to both professionals and the general public.

The first event of its kind in the country, Zoom Photo Festival Saguenay brings together photojournalism professionals for an international meeting that spans several weeks. Evening screenings, conferences, storytelling workshops, master classes and other activities are on the program, including the "World Press Photo" exhibition, which presents the winning photographs of the most prestigious professional competition in the world.

Every summer, Tremblant vibrates to the sound of the Tremblant International Blues Festival. Musicians from here and around the world offer a few days of blues, from its purest roots to its R&B, soul, funk, country, folk and rock influences. A great program of outdoor and indoor shows, most of them free, is presented in a natural environment in the form of street blues, spontaneous performances, etc. Family zone also on site (thematic face painting, craft workshop...).

If there is a festive event not to be missed in the Baie des Chaleurs region, it is this one! For more than twenty years, this unifying event with Gaspesian, Acadian and Quebecois accents has focused on all forms of expression in living heritage. Traditional music has a prominent place, but also traditional dance, fiddle and jigging workshops, visual arts and more. Not to be missed: its public market, one of the most important in eastern Quebec, which brings together dozens of producers and artisans.

Zoofest is a comedy club located in Montreal. It offers a varied program of comedy shows. Upcoming shows include "Pas peu fières!" with Anne-Sarah Charbonneau and Florence Nadeau, "Juste du crowdwork" with Tommy Néron, "Les entrevues de Julien Bernatchez", "Jess ou Suzie" with Jess et Suzie, "Stand-up et chansons" with Jacob Ospian and Emile Khoury, "Black Eye, des rires à coups de poing" with Charles Beauchesne and François de Grandpré, "Tout le monde s'haït - le 100e épisode" with Marylène Gendron and Sam Cyr, "La super soirée des exposés oraux 2", "LGBTrash", "Le cabaret F*ck ta grossophobie", "L'AFTER PARTY du 100e épisode", "Tournée des finissant.es 2023 de l'École nationale de l'humour", "5@7 Show-Biz" with Christophe Dupéré, "Alex Lévesque: That is the improv", "Le podcast des personnages", "Katherine Levac en rodage", "Véronique Isabel Filion - Toute seule", "Bitchfest", "Emile et ses ennemis", "Mal élevée" with Rachelle Elie, "Night Cap Live @ Zoofest & OFF-JFL", "Opération beurre de cinéma" with Julien Bernatchez and Guy A. St Cyr, "Dans la cour de Guillaume Boldock", "Noël chez Isidore", "Michelle Forrester's Backyard", "Les Costauds", "Kek' souvenirs pour une piasse", "Des si et des rais - Zoofest", "Dans la cour de Val Belzil", "Plumes dans l'Q" with Lady Guidoune and Charlie Morin, "Pop Culture Pop Quiz" with Mason Terry and Daniel Carin, "Comedi Nerd". Zoofest also offers featured videos and a blog.