Montreal Holiday Guide for the Family

Deck the halls with a sparkling array of family-friendly things to do and see in Montreal this season. Dancing rats, ride-able train sets, roasted marshmallows, a veritable choir-palooza and answers to the burning question “Who Is the Real Santa Claus” are all part of the festive fun…

For better and for worse, Christmas music is ubiquitous this time of the year, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be of the piped-in variety. Treat the family to more spirited seasonal sounds at the annual Christmas Benefit Concert presented at the historic St. James United Church located in the heart of downtown Montreal on Dec. 5. Five differently styled choirs (including the Montreal City Voices women’s barbershop quartet!) will help warm you up for the evening’s grand sing-a-long. West of downtown, live musicians (including cello, piano and harp) will augment the Lyric Theatre Singers’ 40-strong ensemble of vocalists at their annual series of Christmas concerts at Concordia University’s Loyola Campus, in the Loyola Chapel, Dec. 5-7. Titled “A Candlelight Christmas,” the performances will feature holiday songs arranged in a variety of styles, from jazz to Latin to gospel and traditional and more.

And music will also figure prominently in Les Grands Ballets spectacular annual presentation of The Nutcracker, which will be performed two times daily, from Dec. 11-30, at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts, in the Quartier des Spectacles. The 70-piece Grands Ballets Canadiens Orchestra will help bring this much-loved Montreal tradition to life, as will the approximately 100 children who are chosen each year to play the roles of mice, rats, angels, reindeer sheep and more.

’Tis also the season at Montreal’s Parc Olympique, where the annual Winter Village – on the Esplanade directly in front of the towering Olympic Stadium – while be bustling with outdoor activities of interest to all. A skating rink, roasting marshmallows over an open fire, music and a 15-metre Christmas tree, among other things to see and do, will all be a part of the fun. Admission is free (but you must bring your own skates) and the village is open every day from Dec. 6 to March 8. Be sure to check the schedule for operating hours.

You can put toy trains under the tree or real ones beneath your feet at Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum, in the town of Saint-Constant on Montreal’s South shore. Throughout December, Exporail is once again fired up with holiday fever, and whether it’s for the kids or the kid in you, there is much to see and enjoy at the museum, from several decorated and fully restored full-size trains in the train-station-like Grand Gallery, to the miniature train room featuring two operating train sets, to riding the mini-railway, to the DIY workshop where kids can create their own Christmas tree decoration. And Santa himself will be on hand during weekends until Dec. 21. Please consult the Exporail website for holiday operating hours… all aboard!

Speaking of Old St. Nick, or whatever you and yours may call him (or her), Old Montreal’s inspirational Pointe-à-Callières archaeological museum is once again never far from the fun with this year’s “Who Is the Real Santa Claus?” tour. Accompanied by interpreter guides, participants young and old will be introduced to the characters Babouchka, Melchior, Black Peter and Santa Claus, who will explain how the holidays are celebrated in their parts of the world on a 45-minute walking tour of the interactive museum and national historic site. English tours run twice daily from Dec. 6-28, please consult the schedule for times.

Photo credits: Eva Blue

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