Calendar of Events

Year-round, it's nearly impossible to miss a celebration of some sort in Montréal and Québec City. If something's not going on in one place, it's bound to be happening in the other, and it's easy to get between cities.

For an exhaustive list of events beyond those listed here, check http://events.frommers.com, where you'll find a searchable, up-to-the-minute roster of what's happening in cities all over the world.

January

La Fête des Neiges (Snow Festival), Montréal. Montréal's answer to Québec City's February winter carnival features outdoor events such as dogsled runs, a mock survival camp, street hockey, ice-skating, and tobogganing. The less athletically inclined can cheer from the sidelines and then inspect the snow and ice sculptures. The event has been condensed onto the Ile Ste-Hélène. Call tel. 514/872-6120 or visit www.fetedesneiges.com for details. January 26 to February 10, 2008.

February

Carnaval de Québec, Québec City. Never mind that temperatures in Québec can plummet in January to minus 40 (fun fact: that's the point where Fahrenheit equals Celsius). Canadians are extraordinarily good-natured about eyeball-freezing cold and happily pack the family up to come out and play when the symbolic snowman called Bonhomme (Good Fellow) shuffles into town to preside over the merriment. Revelers descend upon the city to eddy around a monumental ice palace erected in front of Parliament Building, watch a dog-sledding race on the narrow streets of old town, play the table game of foosball on a human-size scale, fly over crowds on a zip-line, ride down snowy hills in rubber tubes, and dance in the evenings at outdoor concerts. There are even outdoor movies for the truly masochistic.

The party is family-friendly at every turn, even taking into consideration the wide availability of plastic trumpets and canes filled with a concoction called "Caribou," the principal ingredients of which are cheap liquor and sweet red wine. Try not to miss the canoe race that has teams rowing, dragging, and stumbling across the treacherous ice floes of the St. Lawrence. It's an homage to how the city used to break up the ice in order to keep a path open to Lévis, the town across the river.

A C$10 (US$8.70/£4.30) pass provides access to most activities over the 17 days. Hotel reservations must be made far in advance. Call tel. 866/422-7628 or visit www.carnaval.qc.ca for details. February 1 to February 17, 2008.

Festival Montréal en Lumière (Montréal High Lights). Filling a hole in the yearly schedule, the self-dubbed City of Festivals has created a winter celebration of somewhat disparate events including culinary competitions and wine tastings, multimedia light shows, classical and pop concerts, and a "Montréal All-Nighter" that ends with breakfast at dawn. Call tel. 888/477-9955 or visit www.montrealhighlights.com. February 21 to March 2, 2008.

May

Montréal Museums Day. Open house for most of the city's museums, with free admission and free shuttle buses. Visit www.museesmontreal.org or call the tourism office (tel. 877/266-5687) for details. Last Sunday in May.

Montréal Bike Fest, Montréal. Tens of thousands of enthusiasts converge on Montréal to participate in a variety of cycling competitions including a nocturnal bike ride ("Un Tour la Nuit") and the grueling Tour de l'Ile, a 50km (31-mile) race around the rim of the island that draws 30,000 cyclists, shuts down roads, and attracts over 100,000 spectators. The nonprofit biking organization Vélo Québec has details at www.velo.qc.ca. Eight days in late May into early June.

Festival Transamériques, Montréal. Formerly the Festival de Théâtre des Amériques, this avant-garde program was renamed and refocused in 2007, when it presented 20 contemporary theater works by companies from Canada and around the world. Sixteen days in late May into early June. Call tel. 514/842-0704 or visit www.fta.qc.ca.

Mondial de la Bière, Montréal. Yes, beer fans, this is a 5-day festival devoted to your favorite beverage. More than 350 beers, including 100 new debuts, are showcased by both world brands and boutique microbreweries. They employ cooking demos, musical performances, and, of course, tastings, tastings, tastings. Details are available at tel. 514/722-9640 or log onto www.festivalmondialbiere.qc.ca. May 28 to June 1, 2008.

June

Saint-Ambroise Montréal Fringe Festival. In performance spaces clustered along or near boulevard St-Laurent in Montréal's Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood, this is 11 days of out-there theater: one-man Star Wars stand-up, clowns gone bad, drunken drag queens. Not everything's great, but, then, the festival does proclaim that it's "open to absolutely anybody to perform absolutely anything. As always, there will be no artistic restrictions whatsoever." Vive le fringe! Call tel. 514/849-3378 or check www.montrealfringe.ca. June 12 to June 22, 2008.

Grand Prix du Canada, Montréal. The biggest tourist event of the year in Montréal, bar none. For 3 days, the only Formula 1 auto race in Canada roars around a year-round track on Ile Notre-Dame, the small island that's spitting distance from downtown Montréal. Hotel rates typically double during Grand Prix days (with 3-night minimums). Streets get shut down, gleaming race cars are put on display, and the city parties round-the-clock with much of the action on downtown rue Crescent. Details can be found at www.grandprix.ca.

Jean-Baptiste Day. Honoring Saint John the Baptist, the patron saint of French Canadians, this fête nationale on June 24 is marked by more festivities and far more enthusiasm throughout Québec province than Canada Day on July 1. It's Québec's own "national" holiday and is celebrated with fireworks, bonfires, music in parks, and parades.

L'International Des Feux Loto-Québec (International Fireworks Competition), Montréal. Held on nearly a dozen Wednesdays and Saturdays in June and July and pitting the shows of different countries against each other, this annual fireworks competition is a spectacular event on the city's calendar. Tickets are sold to watch from the open-air theater in La Ronde amusement park on Ile Ste-Hélène, although the pyrotechnics can be enjoyed for free from almost anywhere overlooking the river (tickets do include entrance to the amusement park). Kids, needless to say, love the whole explosive business. Call tel. 514/790-1245 for details.

July

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. One of the monster events on the calendar. Montréal has a long tradition in jazz, and this enormously successful festival has been celebrating America's art form since 1979. Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick, Jr., Keith Jarrett, and even Bob Dylan have been featured in recent years, but it costs serious money to hear stars of such magnitude, and tickets sell out months in advance. Fortunately, hundreds of other concerts are free during the late June/early July party, often right on the streets and plazas of downtown. For schedule and ticket information, call tel. 888/515-0515 or visit www.montrealjazzfest.com.

Festival d'Eté (Summer Festival), Québec City. The largest Francophone music festival in the world, or so its managers say. Held in the heart of Vieux-Québec and, since 2007, in the St-Roch neighborhood, the festival brings in artists from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America for more than 500 programs showcasing theater, music, and dance. Over 900,000 people come to watch and listen for 11 days in July. Highlights include the free jazz and folk combos who perform in an open-air theater next to City Hall. Call tel. 888/992-5200, or check www.infofestival.com.

Festival International Nuits d'Afrique, Montréal. A 10-day world-beat music showcase in mid-July with musicians from the Caribbean, Africa, and the Americas. The festival also presents concerts year-round. Call tel. 514/499-9239 or check out www.festivalnuitsdafrique.com.

Festival Juste pour Rire (Just for Laughs Festival), Montréal. This celebration strives to do for humor what the more famous jazz festival has done for that musical form. Well-known comics including Eddie Izzard, The Kids in the Hall, and Howie Mandel have been featured, while smaller name Francophone and Anglophone groups and stand-ups come from around the world to participate indoors and on the street. It's held mostly along rue St-Denis and elsewhere in the Latin Quarter. Call tel. 888/244-3155 for details or check www.hahaha.com.

Les Grands Feux Loto-Québec, Québec City. Overlapping with Montréal's fireworks competition, Québec's event uses the highly scenic Montmorency Falls 15 minutes north of city center as its setting. Pyrotechnical teams are invited from countries around the world in this international festival. Tickets get you admission to the base of the falls; there are 6,000 reserved bleacher seats and 22,500 general admission tickets. Call tel. 888/523-3473 for details; tickets online at www.quebecfireworks.com. Wednesdays and Saturdays from late July to mid-August.

Les FrancoFolies de Montréal. Around since 1988, this music fest features French-language pop, hip-hop, electronic, world-beat, and acoustic chanteurs. There are upwards of 150 free outdoor concerts along with for-fee stadium and club events. It's held in late July/early August. Check www.francofolies.com for the latest information.

Festival International de Courses de Bateaux-Dragons de Montréal. The annual dragon boat festival sees 200 teams pouring into the Olympic Basin on Ile Notre-Dame for 2 days in late July. It features a drawing contest for children and opportunities to try being a paddler on the ancient Chinese boats. Additional details can be found at www.montrealdragonboat.com.

August

Divers/Cité Festival, Montréal. Officially recognized by both government agencies and major corporate sponsors, Divers/Cité is one of the largest parties in North America for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered audiences. With dance, drag, art, and concerts on three stages, all shows are outdoor and free. Held in early August. Call tel. 514/285-4011 or go to www.diverscite.org.

Festival des Films du Monde (World Film Festival), Montréal. This festival has been an international film event since 1977. A strong panel of actors, directors, and writers from around the world make up the jury each year, giving the event a weight that many festivals lack. Various movie theaters play host. Call tel. 514/848-3883 or check www.ffm-montreal.org for details. Late August to early September.

September

Fall Foliage. Starting mid-month the maple trees blaze with color and a walk in the parks of Montréal and Québec City is a refreshing tonic. It's a perfect time to drive to the Laurentians or Cantons-de-L'Est (both near Montréal) or Ile d'Orléans or Charlevoix (easy drives from Québec City).

October

Black & Blue Festival, Montréal. One of the biggest gay festivals on the planet. Black & Blue was named the best international fest by France's gay and lesbian station Pink TV Awards, beating out even Carnival in Rio. It features a series of benefit parties such as the Military Ball for a week in early October. And when we say big we mean big: The main event for the 2007 fest was held at Olympic Stadium. Call tel. 514/875-7026 or visit www.bbcm.org.

Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, Montréal. Screenings of new and experimental-edging-to-avant-garde films ignite controversy, and forums are held on the latest trends in film and video. Events take place at halls and cinemas throughout the city. Call tel. 514/844-2172 or check www.nouveaucinema.ca for details. Twelve days in mid-October.

November

Festival d'Automne, Québec City. A relatively new event, the 3-day Autumn Festival is essentially an expanded Halloween celebration. There are ice-skating performances, concerts by the National League of Musical Improvisation of Québec, light-and-sound shows, and more. Check www.infofestival.com/faq. October 30 to November 1.

December/January

Christmas/New Year's, Québec City. Celebrating the holidays a la Française is a particular treat in Québec City, with its streets banked with snow and almost every ancient building sporting wreaths, decorated fir trees, and glittery white lights.