From Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day to Labour Day, Quebec strings festivals together: jazz, comedy, circus, fireworks, hot-air balloons, village fairs, food festivals and traditional music, in the big cities and the smallest villages alike. This guide gathers the festivals announced for this summer, with each one’s listing, dates, program and free sites. The list follows the calendar and fills in as festivals confirm their dates.
Our favourites
Festival international Nuits d’Afrique, Montreal. More than 700 artists from some thirty countries, the music of Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America in July, and a free outdoor village in the Quartier des spectacles.
L’International des Feux Loto-Québec, Montreal. At La Ronde, the major fireworks companies each present a 30-minute pyromusical show in July, in a competition described as the most prestigious in the world.
Le Festif de Baie-Saint-Paul, Charlevoix. Festive music and circus on 36 performance sites right downtown, in late July.
Festival de Jazz de North Hatley, Eastern Townships. In August, the village and its surroundings become a stage where local and international musicians meet.
Festival Guitares en Fête de l’Islet, Chaudière-Appalaches. Fifteen shows by renowned guitarists, a variety of styles and a guitar fair with luthiers, on sites near the St. Lawrence, in late July.
Planning the summer
The big urban festivals cluster from late June to late July; regional fairs and food festivals take over in August. For a weekend in the regions, combine a festival, a campground or an inn and an outdoor activity: lodging fills up fast around the big dates.
Free or paid
Most big festivals offer free outdoor stages and sell indoor shows; village festivals are often entirely free. Presale passports, sold in spring, cost much less.
🎪 Festivals by region
MontrealAbitibi-TémiscamingueBas-Saint-LaurentCharlevoixChaudière-AppalachesEastern TownshipsGaspésieLanaudièreMauricieOutaouaisSaguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
Montreal
83 places
Abitibi-Témiscamingue
3 places
Bas-Saint-Laurent
1 place
Charlevoix
1 place
Chaudière-Appalaches
1 place
Eastern Townships
1 place
Gaspésie
1 place
Lanaudière
2 places
Mauricie
4 places
Outaouais
1 place
Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
2 places
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