Places to Go Dancing in Montréal

No matter what your taste in dance music, Montréal’s got you covered when it comes to shaking it off, breaking it down or getting your groove on. Dance in style to electro, hip hop, soul, top 40 and more any night of the week at the city’s best dance clubs.

The big names in EDM show up at New City Gas, a converted factory that’s now a massive club for energetic party-goers. Nearby in Old Montréal, boutique-club Peopl. and subterranean lounge spot Velvet Speakeasy beckon with international and local DJs rubbing shoulders with the city’s beautiful people. And electronic and hip hop merge at one of the city’s newest and talked-about clubs, Newspeak, in downtown’s Quartier des Spectacles – dance to cutting-edge DJs, hip-hop artists, live indie-electro bands and more.

Underground house, techno and dub in the style of the MUTEK music festival keep the grooves smooth and dancers happy at Le Bleury Bar à Vinyle, Salon Daomé in the Plateau on Mont-Royal Avenue and Datcha in Mile End. When last call at 3 a.m. just isn’t late enough and you’ve got plenty of dancing energy left, look no further than Stereo and Circus, two of the best world-class afterhours venues in the city. For even more late-night dancing action, watch for hyped DJ sets and parties at Society for Arts Technology (SAT), Espace Reunion, Eastern Bloc, Hangar 16 and other loft-like spaces around the city that host all-night music and dancing events.

For hip hop, house and RB check out the nightly options at ever-popular St-Laurent Street club Tokyo Bar (beloved also for open-air dancing on the terrasse) and live music venue and dance club Le Belmont further up the street. Or dive into the Gay Village nightlife experience on the rooftop patios of Club Unity or Sky, a three-storey club where electro, disco, hip hop, Latin beats and more give everyone something to dance about. On the other hand, a few blocks away, Sainte-Catherine Street watering hole Foufounes Électriques has been the punk-rock choice for cheap beer and live music downtown for decades – if your dancing is more like moshing, this is the place for you. For a more traditional Québecois night of music and dancing, stroll down to Le 2 Pierrots in Old Montréal, where Francophone folk and rock keep toes tapping.

For a sophisticated and fun night of dinner and dancing to live soul, world beat, classic rock and more, join the crowd at Le Balcon. Themed parties, nightly DJs and great bourbon, beer and cocktails make St-Denis Street bar Le Clébard a good option for groups divided by a love of dancing and a preference for chatting on a terrasse. Find a whole lot of night life all in one place and let loose some fancy footwork at Crescent Street’s Sir Winston Churchill Pub Complex, home to a nightclub, an English pub, a restaurant and bar. Whether you’re staying at the W Hotel in Old Montréal or not, spend a night swaying in swanky lounge style and celebrity spotting at Wunderbar. And for fans of tango and salsa, Montréal tango and salsa clubs sizzle.

Naturally, summertime comes packed with sure bets for great dancing: from internationally lauded weekly outdoor dance party Piknic Électronik every Sunday in Parc Jean-Drapeau to music festivals including the Montréal International Jazz Festival, techno-focused electronic music and arts fest MUTEK and outdoor two-day EDM fest Île Soniq. Winter has its fair share of outdoor dancing fun too, namely Igloofest, welcoming globe-trotting DJs and melting the ice in the Old Port in late January and early February. No matter what season you find yourself in Montréal, there’s always dancing to be done.