Five reasons to love Montréal en Lumière

If you have an appetite, the festival's gastronomic section is sure to delight you. Discover the brand new Village gourmand, a friendly, heated venue that makes high-end cuisine accessible to all. Join local and internationally renowned chefs such as Chuck Hughes, Danny St Pierre, Chef Oli (Olivier Louissaint) and Lysanne O'Bomsawin for cooking demonstrations (some with free tastings!), and chat with personalities such as Alexandra Diaz, Montreal Roses goalkeeper Gabrielle Lambert and Montreal Canadiens nutritionist Renée Racine on all sorts of food-related topics. Grab a bite to eat, share a drink, a soft drink or a hot beverage – awaken your senses! 

Come and enjoy the Loto-Québec Skating Trail, an elevated skating surface (yes, raised, in the air!) that offers striking views of the urban landscape – exclusive to the Montréal en Lumière Festival. Speaking of lights, discover the twenty or so interactive, contemplative and luminous works of LUMINO, or find your way through the National Bank FUNarium, a luminescent labyrinth with infinite mirrors (and a disco ball!). For a sweet treat, take part in an immersive and fun Timbits hunt through the site to trigger the coveted Timbits Symphony. 

March 5 to 9, CN presents a wide range of outdoor family activities during spring break – including the return of the giant games! And Télé-Québec ups the ante by inviting you to climb aboard the Petit train, have fun with the station mascots, sing karaoke Passe-Partout and meet Joanie Lamoureux from Safari de Joanie and Émilie Fournier from Hiveraganza. 

Discover the Toronto folk revelation Mustafa, groove to the esteemed American electro duo Thievery Corporation, and keep up to date with the new Franco-Canadian talent thanks to the show La marche de l'empereur highlighting Thierry Larose, P'tit Belliveau, blesse and Lysandre, explore the sound landscapes of Flore laurentienne - or go dancing at Station DJ Rogers to the sound of Justin Jay or the Party Danse Musique Plus hosted by former VJ Malik Shaheed. 

And, the highlight of it all: on March 1st, it's the Nuit Blanche (White Night) - and, this year, it's POP! POP culture, POP Art, POP color, POP-up, POP music - let yourself be carried away by more than 100 activities accessible free of charge through the six thematic routes of the event: A Night Told, A Night Created, A Night with the Family, A Night Exhibited, Music by Night, A POP Night. You will find everything mentioned above here, in addition to happenings unique to this night that is just as unique. Visit the Satosphère of the Society for Arts and Technology for a colorful evening with a hyperpop and pixel art theme, or relive the highlights of past editions of the Eurovision Song Contest at the Goethe-Institut with the extraordinary drag queen Misty Waterfalls and her guests. At Place des Arts, La Nuit de la poésie is back, welcoming the illustrious Joséphine Bacon, among others, while the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) revisits the work of American minimalist Philip Glass at the Maison symphonique. And, from midnight to 6 a.m., catch the Montreal collective Moonshine, who will have you dancing on the MTELUS stage – and will take you to the Brunchs en lumière, which are offered in 25 participating restaurants, each offering an exclusive creation for the occasion. The Nuit Blanche is a night of emotions, encounters, discoveries and excitement – moments to be lived and seized that become cherished memories... until the next edition.