Sainte-Catherine - Events

This fall, make the most of your visit to downtown to unwind in the zones set up especially for you! Located between Collège LaSalle and Square Phillips, these rest areas are the perfect spots to sit and relax or savour a snack while you chat with friends. Their original designs and eye-catching colours are sure to grab your attention!

Also take the time to enjoy artistic performances (In french) on the street and try getting around in a rickshaw (In french) free of charge!

These initiatives are offered courtesy of XP_MTL

Photo : @XP_MTL

Stop by downtown Montreal to explore new interactive installations by XP_MTL on Rue Sainte-Catherine between rue du Fort and Square Phillips.

All summer long on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, discover Real, XP_MTL’s ambassador and the official downtown dog dancer! With his groovy friends, they’re always ready to play tricks, but above all to dance everywhere on Ste-Catherine street! Also, discover an array of animations that will give a smile to the youngest and the oldest!

For more details.

La Sainte-Catherine and downtown Montréal invite you to ring in the holiday season! A thousand and one activities await visitors and residents alike during the holiday period. The following three resources are must viewing for anyone intent on making the most of this time of celebration.

Destination centre-ville: Everything you need to know about the holiday season

Destination centre-ville, an organization dedicated to the development and promotion of downtown Montréal, offers the 2019 Christmas Activity Guide. You’ll find everything you need to know about shows, exhibitions, hotels, boutiques and stores, concerts and activities on the holiday season programming schedule. Looking for inspiration? The organization also offers excellent suggestions for family activities and indoor activities for extremely cold days.

Tourisme Montréal: Unique experiences

Eager for a new downtown adventure over the holidays? The Tourisme Montréal Web site has dozens of ideas from which to choose. Whether you’re mad about museums and culture, a heritage and architecture buff, or a fan of shopping, festivals or Montréal nightlife, the Web site has a little something for everyone. People thirsty for discovery will find original activities, to go along with tours and guided visits.

XP_MTL: Spotlight on choral singing

Until December 22, downtown Montréal will echo with the sounds of choral music during the Chorales des fêtes event, orchestrated by XP_MTL. This celebration of music will feature performances at Village XP_MTL, Central Station and the McCord Museum by the likes of Les Petits Chanteurs de Laval, Ensemble Vocal Ganymède, Sympholies Vocales, Ensemble Alkémia, Chœur Ciné-Jazz, Jazz Pop & Talons Hauts and Les Caroles de Noël, a troupe of actors and singers.

Happy holidays in the heart of downtown!

Without the traditional Santa Claus Parade held downtown, the holiday season in Montréal just wouldn’t be the same! Don’t miss this enchanting event, which gets underway Saturday, November 23 at 11 a.m.

Santa Claus and the Good Fairy – played for the third straight year by actor and TV personality Vanessa Pilon – will lead the parade, alongside their delightful elves, who’ll have plenty of surprises up their sleeves!

For the first time, the event will take place on Boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest, between Rue Guy and Rue Saint-Urbain. It will see a total of 17 floats parade through the downtown core.

The Cirque du Soleil float promises to dazzle children and adults alike, much like the float featuring delightful children’s singer, Ari Cui Cui, and the floats of singers Brigitte Boisjoli, Christian Marc Gendron and Yoan, who will revisit some Christmas classics, to the great pleasure of parade-goers. Also along for the festivities: Arthur L’aventurier and a host of talented street artists and marching bands from all over Canada, as well as well-known mascots.

The parade gets started on the corner of Rue Guy at 11 a.m. and ends on the corner of Rue Saint-Urbain at about 1:30 p.m.

Don’t miss this grand Christmas celebration complete with music, dance, singing, surprises and magic!

For complete details, please visit the Destination Centre-Ville Web site. Also consult the 2019 Christmas activity guide to make sure you don't miss any holiday activities in downtown Montreal.

Work operations on Rue Sainte-Catherine are being put on hold for the winter, which means this is the ideal time to make the most of Montréal’s famed commercial strip!

From November 21 to January 5, Village_XP will be back in front of Place Montréal Trust to warm the hearts of young and old with Christmas trees and fairy-tale decorations.

Traditional or modern choirs will bring the Christmas spirit to the heart of downtown by revisiting some holiday season classics. Performances are scheduled on the following dates:

• Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Saturdays and Sundays from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.

The choirs will present matinee and lunchtime performances at Central Station on December 4, 6, 11, 13 and 20.

Village_XP is accessible at all times and illuminated after dark.

Also discover the splendid downtown Christmas tree that will play host to various activities, each more festive than the next!

Starting on the evening of November 21, a splendid Christmas tree, specially designed for downtown, will be illuminated. This magical event will mark the start of the festive season and transform Rue Sainte-Catherine into a vast holiday village!

The Christmas tree, located at the corner of Rue Sainte-Catherine and Avenue McGill College, will be accessible at all times and shine brightly until January 5.

This magnificent lighted structure, at a height of more than 60 feet, will be built above Rue Sainte-Catherine and feature a raised pedestrian walkway spanning the famed avenue. Passersby will be able to use the walkway to cross or admire the commanding view of downtown adorned in its Christmas finery.

The Christmas tree will light up at nightfall, and the site will play host to various activities, each more festive than the next. Also Village_XP will be back in front of Place Montréal Trust to warm the hearts of young and old with Christmas trees and fairy-tale decorations.

All good things must end … even Le Petit Montréal. Located at Square Phillips, the summer pop-up space with the friendly vibe will close on August 29, 2019. There are just few days remaining, therefore, so now’s the time to take advantage of the Apéros du square (the Square’s Apéros) on Thursday evening! On August 29 between from 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., Le Petit Montréal invites the public to close out the summer in style at the Soirée de clôture, which will feature games, DJs and plenty of surprises in store.

Complete details are available at lepetitmontreal.com

From August 19 to 24, the 19^th Festival Mode & Design de Montréal will take centre stage on Rue Sainte-Catherine in the Quartier des Spectacles. This is a happy marriage, since Montréal’s iconic commercial strip has long been renowned for its brand-name boutiques and avant-garde role in fashion and design. From winter booties of yesteryear to today’s trendy running shoes, fashion is celebrated in grand style on Rue Sainte-Catherine!

For festival programming details, please go to festivalmodedesign.com

August is sure to be a lively month at Village XP_MTL! From August 19 to 24, the event XP_MTL accueille Little Burgundy will mark the Festival Mode & Design. Participants will be able to admire a giant shoe by Montréal artist SMOLUK, the creator of true-to-life cardboard sneakers. Then, on August 29, 4 à 8 XP_MTL will see participants experience the future Réseau express métropolitain (REM) in virtual reality. Village XP_MTL in August also features an energizing zone complete with urban swings and barbecues!

To make the most of this event, please go to xpmtl.com

This summer, the Société de développement commercial Destination centre-ville (Downtown Montréal commercial development association), in partnership with the city, invites tourists as well as downtown residents and workers to experience Le Petit Montréal, a green and friendly pop-up space at Square Phillips where they can gather and unwind. Le Petit Montréal will also present musical performances and evening tastings, to go along gaming and “discover Montréal” stations. The fun gets started with the public opening on June 20 at 5 p.m. This is the place to relax all summer long!

For complete details