In-Depth Features on Upcoming Major Events in Montreal for 2025

Impressively, Montreal has remained a top spot when it comes to international meetings and events within the Americas. Claiming the number one spot for seven years, Montreal is host to a wide array of different events across multiple disciplines. And 2025 is no exception. In fact, there are many major events, meetings and festivals planned for this year, so let’s take a look at what’s on this year’s slate.

Folk Alliance International Conference

Starting off the year is the Folk Alliance International Conference. With an expected attendance of 2500 people, this takes place at the end of February. It’s all about folk music and covers a wide array of genres. Not only is there Blues, Americana, and Spoken Word, but you can also find Appalachian, Zydeco, and Cajun here too. It’s a highly diverse selection of options, all of which expand and broaden the horizon in folk.

International Indigenous Tourism Conference

Also in February is the International Indigenous Tourism Conference. This is a candid look at the Indigenous tourism experiences available in the country. It specifically looks at the unique nature of the Indigenous peoples and provides a great place to exchange knowledge, network and collaborate. Importantly, it helps anyone attending move forward within the Indigenous tourism sector in a positive way.

Montreal International Games Summit (MIGS)

In November, things take a bit of a different turn, when one of the biggest gaming summits takes place. It’s the 20th Anniversary of this summit in 2025, so it promises to be even bigger and better. The event focuses on B2B opportunities, which is the best way to help develop the video game industry within the province. It offers global networking opportunities, speakers from the industry, and an exhibit space for showcasing new games in categories such as online roulette, slots, live games and more.

Impressively, Montreal is one of the top five game production cities and is known for its creative talent and expertise. This has been an ongoing thing since Ubisoft arrived in 1997. Ubisoft is one of the biggest game developers in the world, setting itself up in the city because of its creativity.

St-Ambroise Montréal Fringe Festival

And speaking of creativity, the St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival is the best place to find a wealth of creativity for three weeks in June. The Plateau-Mont-Royal neighbourhood becomes centre-stage during the Fringe Festival. An impressive 700 or more performers and musicians join in here, meaning there is something different to be found on each corner. There’s a full schedule in place, so it’s wise to be prepared for anything.

MURAL Festival

Taking place each year in July, the MURAL Festival, is all about graffiti artists. You’re literally watching the paint dry, but it’s while some of the top graffiti artists in the world reimagine blank walls, leaving something much more impressive in their wake. It’s a whole event to watch these artists at work as they paint their images throughout the city. As night falls, the event doesn’t stop. Instead, it becomes a MURAL block party, with performers keeping everything entertaining long into the night.

Mondial de la bière

In the middle of July, you can find the Mondial de La bière. This is a beer celebration held each year. There are more than 400 different types of beer on offer here, many of which are from top brewers in Quebec as well as from overseas. It’s not just about beer though. There are also delicious food options available, and all of this is accompanied by some stellar DJ’s keeping things moving. If you want to learn more about beer, then there are also beer-led tastings with chocolate and cheese pairings too.

Just For Laughs Montréal

Finally, July also brings the Just for Laughs comesy festival. In 2025, this festival is celebrating 40 years in the city. It’s always packed with stand-up performers, and other comedic skits and events. The festival welcomes the very best in comedic talent, and is renowned for not just being the biggest festival for comedy, but the best one too. Can you get tired of laughter? You’ll find out here.

While this is just a short list, there are plenty of other festivals, conferences and summits to attend in 2025. From medicine and AI, to comedy and dance, you can find something for everyone.