Free things to do in Montreal

Notre-Dame-de-Grace marks its 150th anniversary with free community activities, public art, neighbourhood history, and park events from June through the fall.

Montreal's long-running Concerts Campbell series brings 21 free outdoor concerts to city parks, with local artists across classical, pop, jazz, contemporary fanfare, and more.

Theatre de Verdure presents free music, dance, circus, theatre, and film performances in the Parc La Fontaine outdoor amphitheatre.

Chalet Kent and the Maison des jeunes de Cote-des-Neiges host Friday DJ sessions with changing themes, including kickoff, women DJs, jazz, sport, and a closing block-party feel.

The Festival International de Jazz de Montreal publishes free and paid programming for its 2026 festival, with outdoor community-friendly shows around the festival site.

Funambules Medias brings socially engaged documentaries outdoors, with upcoming screenings in Plateau and Ville-Marie parks.

Theatre La Roulotte tours Filibus through Montreal parks with free outdoor performances for children and families.

A free open-air movie series on a giant screen, rotating through Nelson-Mandela, Martin-Luther-King, and de la Savane parks through the summer.

Cabane Theatre invites families into a playful visual and sound world where performers build and transform landscapes in the open air.

XL Art Montreal and the Maison de la culture d'Outremont present a free visual-art biennale featuring local artists and large-format works.

Anjou library staff bring free outdoor library activities to Parc Lucie-Bruneau on summer Thursday evenings.

Theatre du Ricochet performs seven short public-space pieces as everyday conversations in city parks across several neighbourhoods.

Jorge Elias Navas leads free blues dance evenings in Parc Beaubien, a low-pressure social plan for watching or moving.

Duluth en Arts brings Plateau musicians from Haitian, Caribbean, Moroccan, Brazilian, Mexican, and other communities into free street performances.

Saint-Leonard parks host a summer outdoor movie series for families and friends, with evening screenings under the stars.

Just for Laughs Montreal presents free outdoor shows and activities alongside its ticketed comedy festival programming.

The VoodooMonx bring a high-energy soul and funk set to Square Sir-George-Etienne-Cartier for an easy summer evening outside.

Code Quartet performs original Canadian jazz compositions with saxophone, trumpet, bass, and drums at Parc du Bois-Franc.

Fanfare Faux-Nez brings festive brass-band energy to Rue Villeray for a free neighbourhood outdoor performance.

Bianca Rocha mixes Brazilian popular music, rock, and jazz in a free Jeudis shows performance at Parc Molson.

Fanfare Faux Nez brings a lively six-piece brass band performance to the corner of Villeray and Henri-Julien.

Compagnie Marie Chouinard brings an outdoor dance performance with live music to Parc Ladauversiere.

The Montreal International Dragon Boat Challenge and CAN AM Club Crew Championships bring 200m, 500m, and 2000m racing to the Olympic Basin at Parc Jean-Drapeau.

Place Sun-Yat-Sen hosts a free afternoon gathering with tai chi and traditional dance, useful for a light cultural outing downtown.

Lavanya Narasiah and Projet Dharani present Croisee des chemins, a multilingual acoustic fusion of Indian, West African, Brazilian, Caribbean, and jazz traditions.

Gabriel Schwartz and collaborators blend Brazilian music, folk, bossa nova, francophone songs, and North American influences in Parc Gouin.

Ville-Marie hosts an open-air movie night with a giant screen, popcorn, and an easy public-space summer atmosphere.

Quatuor Cobalt performs Ravel and Schubert outdoors in Parc Saint-Joseph, adding a classical option to the summer park lineup.

Morgan Toney blends Mi'kmaq song and Celtic roots in a free outdoor Jeudis shows concert at Parc Molson.

Zeugma Danse presents a free outdoor performance about collaboration, movement, and discovery through percussive dance.

Montreal band Papagroove brings funk, rock, pop, afrobeat, and jazz to an outdoor summer concert at Parc Wilfrid-Bastien.

Funkxie Groove brings an explosive family-friendly funk set to Rue Wellington for a free Verdun summer afternoon.

Ivan Boivin-Flamand performs Nitehi, an Indigenous music concert in Parc Eusebe-Menard as part of Montreal-Nord summer programming.

A country evening in Parc des Faubourgs pairs a Danny Beauregard line-dance workshop with a Fred Dionne concert.

Fierte Montreal returns with a Village Hub, outdoor programming, community projects, performances, and public celebration of 2SLGBTQIA+ voices.

Laurette and Arlette bring a playful time-travel performance of music, comedy, and circus energy to an outdoor Villeray show.

The OSM opens its classical summer celebration with a major free open-air concert at the Olympic Park Esplanade.

Brazilian body-percussion group Barbatuques joins Quebec gigue artists for a warm outdoor music-and-movement show.

Spanish puppet-theatre company Hilarilar Marionetas presents The Bellhop, a wordless outdoor show mixing humour, poetry, and everyday absurdity.

Festival VITA returns in September with free sports try-outs, games, movement activities, live music, and a broad mix of summer sport culture including ultimate frisbee, rugby, rowing, artistic swimming, archery, and volleyball.