The music festivals of Québec are a celebration of the province’s vibrant culture, showcasing everything from jazz and electronic beats to Francophone music and Indigenous traditions. In this article, Liisa Ladouceur guides you through the must-attend music festivals across Québec, helping you plan your ultimate live music experience in one of Canada’s most dynamic provinces.
Looking for the best music festivals in Québec? Your only problem will be how to choose. Québeckers know how to throw a party, and the government is especially supportive of the arts lineup here, which is great news for music lovers travelling in the area. Whether you like jazz, electronic, folk, rock, hip-hop or all the above, you’ll easily find a great music festival in Québec.
Montréal is basically one big music festival in the summer, with world-class artists appearing almost every weekend. A lot of the concerts are free outdoor events, and major streets get turned into pedestrian zones for you to wander between stages, taking it all in. Some of the biggest music festivals in Canada happen at Parc Jean-Drapeau, conveniently located right on the metro line. There’s even a major dance music festival in the freezing depths of winter. Like I said, they know how to party.
Outside of Montréal, you can find smaller festivals in picturesque communities. In many of these places, the population is almost all French-speaking, and you’ll have the chance to experience francophone music in an immersive environment.
This list of the best music festivals in Québec was compiled by taking into account how long the fest has been going on (so you know it’s actually going to happen), consistent, high-quality programming (so you’re always going to see something great) and uniqueness of the experience. (How about a sunrise concert in a national park?) From free to very VIP, there’s something for every budget, too.
If you’re a live music fan visiting or travelling through Québec, I recommend planning your trip to hit up one or more of these. (If you run a music festival that I’ve missed, please let us know in the comment section below!)
Montréal’s Music Hotspots
The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal
The largest jazz festival on the planet (according to Guinness World Records) is where jazz fans from around the world meet.
Downtown streets are given over to pedestrians, and outdoor stages run late into the night, with the hottest acts packing clubs even later. And if you think you know what defines a jazz act, you’ll be surprised by the diversity of music on offer at Montréal Jazz Fest: Southern guitar legends, African fusion ensembles, Canadian Indigenous experimenters, singers of every style and more. A highlight of the Montréal summer festival season.
Expected dates: end of June/early July
Piknik Electronique
Every Sunday from May to September, Parc Jean Drapeau turns into a giant outdoor nightclub, with DJs and electronic acts from around the world bringing good vibes. So, whatever weekend you visit Montréal, you can experience the city’s party culture. And if you’re staying for a while, there’s a Pikinik Electonique season pass.
Festival International Nuits d’Afrique
Bring your dancing shoes to Montréal’s festival of African music, where audience participation is de rigueur, and the rhythms are going to move you. Free outdoor stages and special ticketed performances.
Expected dates: mid-July
Suoni Per Il Popolo Festival
Experimental music, art and activism in Montréal’s always-hip Plateau-Mont-Royal neighbourhood. Tuck into one of the intimate venues with open ears and minds and discover something new.
Expected dates: mid-June
Osheaga Music and Arts Festival
It might be lazy to call Osheaga “the Coachella of Canada.” But you get the idea: cool people, cool music, giant stages, art installations, food trucks, and a colourful poster with so many acts in diminishing font size it looks like an eye chart. (Headliners in the past have been Green Day, SZA and Noah Kahan, but just about everyone touring North America in the summer is crammed onto the bill; a third of the artists are Canadian.)
No matter who is playing, one reason Osheaga is one of the best music festivals in Québec is the convenient location: Parc Jean-Drapeau, just steps from the Montréal metro. Weekend passes or single-day tickets are available but do sell out. And if you really want to pretend you’re at Coachella, there are expensive VIP packages with extras like unlimited mimosas or even a make-up artist.
Expected dates: First weekend of August
ÎleSoniq
The biggest and best music festival in Québec for EDM fans, IleSoniq, takes over Parc Jean-Drapeau with multiple stages for the weekend. Expect high-energy and beautiful young people dancing like everybody is watching. As with most big weekend festivals, you can upgrade your experience with various packages offering exclusive viewing platforms, better washrooms, or even a private cabana for your crew.
Expected dates: early August
MUTEK (Montréal)
For 25 years, Mutek has been at the vanguard of live electronic music and audio-visual art. Six nights of performances at the Society for Arts and Technology building and surrounding clubs, often including exclusives like live debuts, special collaborations, and immersive digital artworks. Get a weekend pass or go for the whole week, with discounts for students.
Expected dates: mid-August
POP Montréal
Club hop across the city at Pop Montréal International Music Festival, a SXSW-style festival that brings fans and the industry together to showcase the best new independent music and art from around the world for five days and nights.
Expected dates: late September
Coup de Coeur Francophone
The full spectrum of French music is on offer at Coup de Coeur: hip-hop, folk, pop, psychedelia, electronica, and fusions that defy descriptions. Shows are held in intimate venues across the city.
Expected dates: November
M for Montréal
Club hop to find the best new independent music over four nights at M for Montréal, then say you saw the next big thing before they were famous.
Expected dates: November
Arab World Festival of Montréal
Montréal has the highest percentage of Arab immigrants of any city in Canada. Catching a music performance at the Festival du Monde Arabe de Montréal is an exciting way to get to know the rich culture of their homelands. Traditional folk music from North Africa, the Middle East, and beyond is mixed with genre-bending collaborations and storytelling from the heart.
Expected dates: November
Festival Bach Montréal
Classical music fans, this one’s for you. A three-week celebration of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach takes place in a dozen different venues across the city. Catch a recital at a gorgeous Montréal church or one of the city’s best acoustically designed concert halls. A family-friend festival, there are special children’s events for the youngest Bach listeners.
Expected dates: mid-November to early December
Igloofest
Who wants to dance outside in -20-degree weather? Tens of thousands of people congregate at the port in Old Montréal each January for Igloofest. The electronic music festival’s suggested dress code includes Ice Queen and Winter Ninja. It’s all about embracing the cold and having fun anyway. This festival is for 18 and up only.
Expected dates: January
Rocking Québec City
Festival d’été de Québec
Want to rock out to the world’s biggest acts at the largest outdoor stage in Canada on the grounds of a historic battlefield? Make your way to Festival d’été de Québec (known locally as FEQ), the country’s best music festival you might not have heard of if you don’t live in Québec.
One general admission pass gets you access to more than 250 outdoor shows over 11 days, including the main stage for 90,000 people at Battlefield Park—the site of 1979’s infamous Battle of the Plains of Abraham between the British and French.
It’s a fantastic week to visit Québec City, wander between the different stages, discover new music, and finish your night with a headliner. Genre-wise, there’s something for everyone—trending indies, legacy rockers and hip-hop acts, French chanson, DJs, metal, and more. They even allow (and encourage) sharing the passes, which also makes this a great value.
Expected dates: early July
Cultural Highlights Between Montréal and Québec City
Festivoix (Trois-Rivères)
This alternative music festival is a great reason to stop in Trois-Rivères, a historic and highly walkable city on the shores of the scenic St. Lawrence River.
Nine days, 100 shows on 15 stages, and affordable ticket prices, with single-day passes for under $50 and free admission for kids under 10 (with an adult generation admission). Festivoix 2024’s eclectic headliners include punk rockers Rise Against and Pennywise, Canadian pop star Charlotte Cardin, and retro orchestra Pink Martini.
Expected dates: end of June/early July
Festival du Poutine (Drummondville)
OK, so this is not strictly a music festival—it’s a festival to celebrate poutine, the famous Québecois dish of French fries covered in gravy and melted cheese curds. But it’s also one of the best music festivals in Québec if you’re looking for top French acts in a family-friendly environment. (Kids under 12 get in free, and weekend passes are under $50.)
Drummondville is a small city about 150 km northeast of Montréal. When you’re not eating poutine or rocking out, maybe check out its most popular tourist attraction, Village Québecois d’Antan, a recreation of 19th-century life.
Expected dates: mid-August
Tuning into Eastern Québec
Le Festif de Baie-St-Paul
Le Festif de Baie-St-Paul is a hidden gem of a festival in a small Eastern Québec town known for the first-ever shows by Cirque du Soleil. So, yes, alongside outdoor live music from great Québec artists in theatres and outdoor stages.
Expected dates: mid-July
Festival en Chanson de Petite-Valley
Get off the beaten path and celebrate French and Indigenous songwriting traditions at this Québec music festival held on the eastern edge of the Gaspésie Region—boasting one of the most beautiful landscapes in all of Canada.
Festival en Chanson is one of the biggest tourist draws to the tiny town of Petite-Valley, with 10 days of performances of local favourites and up-and-comers. Don’t like late nights? They’ve got a brunch series. Discounted ticket prices for those over 65 and under 17 make this a true community affair.
Expected dates: end of July/early August
Festival Musique au bout du monde (Cap-Bon Ami)
If you love nature as much as a great music gig, head to “the edge of the world” for this four-day festival that brings an eclectic line-up to some gorgeous settings, including a stage on top of a ski hill overlooking the harbour or a sunrise concert at Forillon National Park. The programming is multi-lingual, global, contemporary, and fun. Afro-Congolese electro, anyone?
Expected dates: mid-August
Northern Québec Unplugged
Le Festival Jazz & Blues de Saguenay
Visiting Saguenay in the spring? Check out this jazz and blues festival, five days of intimate performances from local artists. Many shows are free.
Festival De Musique Émergente (Abitibi)
Not all the best music festivals in Québec happen along the St. Lawrence River. Seven hours north of Montréal, near the border with Ontario in a region known for mining and forestry, is the FME—a festival of emerging music. This small festival is highly curated, and music fans who thirst for discovery make the trip every year. Don’t miss their Happy Hour events.
Expected dates: late August/early September
Innuni Kamu (Côte-Nord)
Something quite special happens each August in the First Nations reserve of Maliotenam, a small community near the city of Sept-Isles in Québec’s Côte-Nord. Indigenous and non-Indigenous music artists converge for Innuni Kamu, where guests can learn about local Innu culture (and food!) and be treated to some A-list headliners. (They’ve announced Bryan Adams for 2024). This place is remote and hard to get to, but if you’re thinking about a trip up here, this is a perfect time to do it.
Expected dates: early August
The Rhythms of Western Québec
Riverside Festival (Gatineau)
Minutes from Ottawa in Gatineau, Québec is a three-day electronic music festival that raves and rages from day into night. The location right beside the Canadian Museum of History and the shore of the Ottawa River can’t be beat. Riverside Festival is a perfect way to close out your summer in epic fashion.
I hope this list of Québec Music Festivals has inspired you to book a trip to experience some of the best music, art and fun that the province has to offer. If you have a favourite that is not included here yet, let us know below!