Montreal events & things to do in December 2026
Start with Mount Royal Park, Notre-Dame Basilica, plus Montréal Museum of Fine Arts. December in Montreal averages -1°C / 30°F highs, -9°C / 16°F nights, and about 12 rainy days.
Expect -1°C/30°F days and about 12 rainy ones in December. Start with these:
- Mount Royal Park★ 4.8 · 26.8k reviewsFrederick Law Olmsted helped design the mountain park in the 1870s, with Kondiaronk Belvedere, Beaver Lake, trails, winter tubing, and views over…
- Notre-Dame Basilica★ 4.7 · 37.7k reviewsJames O'Donnell designed the Gothic Revival basilica, completed in the 1820s on Place d'Armes, with a blue-and-gold interior, carved wood, stained…
- Noël, Une Tradition En ChansonDec 1 – Dec 15CABARET DU CASINO DE MONTREAL · Source: Ticketmaster
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By TripSapien Research · Updated June 3, 2026
Montreal in December 2026
Weather
TempTemperature
30°F / 16°F
-1.2°C / -8.7°C
RainPrecipitation
12d
3.6in · 92mm
LightDaylight
8.5h
December is very cold, with Christmas markets, Notre-Dame Basilica, RÉSO, skating, and metro-linked food stops carrying the trip.
Events & festivals
Event calendar- Dec 1 – Dec 6
Image+Nation Montreal International LGBTQ+ Film Festival
An annual film festival showcasing LGBTQ+ cinema from around the world, featuring screenings, panels, and special events.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 1 – Dec 31
- Dec 1
Show all 38 events for December
- Dec 2
- Dec 2
- Dec 3 – Dec 12
- Dec 3 – Dec 5
- Dec 3
- Dec 3
- Dec 4 – Dec 24
Montreal Christmas Market (Le Marché de Noël de Montréal)
A festive Christmas market featuring artisan vendors, food stalls, live entertainment, and holiday-themed activities in the Old Port area.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 4
- Dec 4
- Dec 4 – Dec 5
- Dec 9
- Dec 10 – Dec 31
Igloofest 2026
An outdoor electronic music festival held in the Old Port, known for its vibrant light shows and winter party atmosphere.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 10
- Dec 11
- Dec 11
- Dec 11
- Dec 12
- Dec 12
- Dec 13
- Dec 13
- Dec 13
- Dec 16
- Dec 17 – Dec 20
- Dec 17
- Dec 18 – Dec 19
- Dec 18
- Dec 19 – Dec 27
Montreal Hanukkah Festival
A city-wide celebration of Hanukkah with menorah lightings, cultural performances, and community gatherings.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 20
- Dec 21
- Dec 22
- Dec 22
- Dec 22
- Dec 23
- Dec 26 – Dec 27
- Dec 31
Holidays, observances & long weekends
Holiday and observance schedules can affect services and venue hours; confirm each place directly.
- Dec 25Christmas DayPublic holiday
- Dec 26Boxing DayPublic holiday
- Dec 25-Dec 27Long weekend
About Montreal
City overview
Montréal sits on the Island of Montréal beside the St Lawrence River and Mount Royal, with Vieux-Montréal, Plateau Mont-Royal, Mile End, Outremont, Le Village, Little Italy, and Quartier des Spectacles linking French-speaking street life, festivals, food counters, churches, markets, parks, and metro stations. The city works best when Notre-Dame Basilica, Old Port, Mont Royal, Schwartz's Deli, Jean-Talon Market, and Place des Arts are treated as neighborhood anchors.
Food & drink
Montréal food is Jewish deli, Quebecois comfort, and market-driven: St-Viateur and Fairmount bagels are boiled in honeyed water and baked in wood-fired ovens, smoked meat stacks peppery brisket on rye, poutine covers fries with curds and gravy, and tourtiere wraps spiced meat in pie crust. Jean-Talon Market, Atwater Market, Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Mile End bakeries, Schwartz's, La Banquise, and Little Italy add sugar pie, maple taffy, Portuguese chicken, steame hot dogs, and Québec cheeses.
Top sights
Ranked for December suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.
- 1Montréal Museum of Fine Arts
- 2Saint-Joseph's Oratory
- 3Place des Arts and Quartier des Spectacles
- 4Jean-Talon Market
- 5Montréal Biodome
- 6Olympic Stadium
- 7Schwartz's Deli
- 8Old Port of Montréal
1Montréal Museum of Fine Arts
4.7★ · 17,212indoorClosed MonThe museum on Sherbrooke Street holds Canadian, Québec, Inuit, European, decorative-arts, design, and temporary exhibition collections across several pavilions. It is close to Guy-Concordia station and downtown hotels.
Wikipedia
2Saint-Joseph's Oratory
4.7★ · 24,033mixedOpen dailyThe large Catholic shrine on Mount Royal grew from Brother Andre's chapel, with the basilica completed in the 20th century and a high dome visible across the city. It sits near Côte-des-Neiges and Queen-Mary Road.
3Place des Arts and Quartier des Spectacles
4.7★ · 24,475indoorPlace des Arts opened in 1963 and anchors Montréal's festival district with concert halls, theatres, public squares, screens, fountains, and outdoor stages. The area is central for Jazz Fest and Francos events.
Show 3 more sights
- 4Jean-Talon Market
- 5Montréal Biodome
- 6Olympic Stadium
Neighborhoods
1Vieux-Montréal and Old Port
Vieux-Montréal is stone-built and river-facing, with Notre-Dame Basilica, Place Jacques-Cartier, Bonsecours Market, museums, hotels, and Old Port piers.
2Plateau Mont-Royal
The Plateau is colorful and residential, with spiral staircases, Saint-Laurent, Mont-Royal Avenue, parks, cafes, bars, and Schwartz's nearby.
3Mile End and Outremont
Mile End and Outremont are food-and-arts focused, with St-Viateur Bagel, Fairmount Bagel, cafes, bookshops, galleries, synagogues, and quiet side streets.
Day trips
250km / about 3h by VIA Rail from Montréal Central Station
Québec City
Old Québec, city walls, Château Frontenac views, museums, and St Lawrence river walks make the strongest heritage day from Montréal.
130km / 1.5-2h by car or bus from Montréal
Mont-Tremblant
The Laurentian resort adds skiing in winter, lake walks, hiking, cycling, and a pedestrian village outside the city grid.
100km / 1.5h by car toward Bromont, Magog, or Knowlton
Eastern Townships
Lakes, vineyards, ski hills, villages, and food producers give a rural Québec day south and east of Montréal.
Getting around
STM metro and buses use OPUS cards and app tickets, with Berri-UQAM, Bonaventure, Jean-Talon, Lionel-Groulx, and Place-des-Arts as useful nodes. Walk Vieux-Montréal and Plateau streets, use the Orange and Green metro lines across the core, and use VIA Rail from Central Station for Québec City.
Planning a Montreal trip?
Add your dates and we'll check every place for closures, limited hours, and booking needs in December.
Common questions about Montreal in December
- Best rainy-day things to do in Montreal in December
December averages 12 rainy days in Montreal, so keep these indoor stops as realistic backups.
- Notre-Dame Basilica — James O'Donnell designed the Gothic Revival basilica, completed in the 1820s on Place d'Armes, with a blue-and-gold interior, carved wood, stained glass, and a major Casavant organ. It anchors Vieux-Montréal near the Old Port.
- Montréal Museum of Fine Arts — The museum on Sherbrooke Street holds Canadian, Québec, Inuit, European, decorative-arts, design, and temporary exhibition collections across several pavilions. It is close to Guy-Concordia station and downtown hotels.
- Place des Arts and Quartier des Spectacles — Place des Arts opened in 1963 and anchors Montréal's festival district with concert halls, theatres, public squares, screens, fountains, and outdoor stages. The area is central for Jazz Fest and Francos events.
- Schwartz's Deli — The smoked-meat counter opened on Boulevard Saint-Laurent in 1928 and remains a city food stop as much as a restaurant. It sits between Plateau Mont-Royal and Mile End routes.
- What to pack for Montreal in December
Pack for December's weather, not a generic Montreal checklist.
- A warm coat and insulating layers for average highs around -1°C / 30°F.
- A heavier evening layer because nights average -9°C / 16°F.
- Compact rain gear and shoes that handle wet pavement across about 12 rainy days.
- How many days do you need in Montreal
- 4 days covers the main Montreal highlights at a realistic pace. Add 3 extra days if you want the listed day trips.
Ready to plan Montreal?
You've seen what's on — now get a day-by-day Montreal plan for December 2026, every place checked for your exact dates.