Winter holiday activities for families in Montréal
In excited anticipation of Montréal’s 375th anniversary, this winter holiday season feels even brighter and more festive than usual, with activities for kids – and parents – in ever corner of the city.
Une photo publiée par Marion (@marion.lafon) le 28 Nov. 2016 à 5h33 PST
Gather ‘round the massive, illuminated natural Christmas tree at outdoor market Le Grand Marché de Noël de Montréal while eating locally made goodies – there’s also an activity area for kids, live music and more outdoor activities, December 2 to 24. Nearby, peer into the window of Ogilvy department store on Sainte-Catherine Street to behold a miniature winter wonderland. The 13,000 lights of the Place Ville Marie Christmas tree structure glitter among downtown’s skyscrapers. And in Old Montréal, the Merry Montréal festivities mean hot chocolate, cozy fires, Christmas-themed films and a Christmas market at Place Jacques-Cartier. Join in Mount-Royal Avenue’s annual Noël sur l’Avenue celebrations all month long – hear music and take carriage rides – or at Noël dans le Parc at Place Émilie-Gamelin downtown and in Parc des Compagnons and Parc Lahaie in the Plateau neighbourhood, Dec. 1-25.
See Santa early at Plaza St-Hubert’s Christmas Parade on Dec. 2. Santa will also be outdoors at decorated Place Émilie-Gamelin on weekends Dec. 3-18. Visit Santa at his natural habitat in the mall throughout the season, including at the Complex Desjardins Magic Kingdom – complete with a mini train and carousel, the multi-sensorial Fontaine Boréale show along with choir, orchestra and dance performances. Santa also shows up at the Stewart Museum in person and in the hundreds in a free exhibition of Santa figurines. For an even more traditional take on the holiday, see our guide to a Victorian Christmas in Montréal.
The colourful, magical world of insects comes to awe-inspiring life in Cirque du Soleil’s OVO, November 29 to December 4 at the Bell Centre – get a family package for the full experience. Another world-renowned circus company, Les 7 doigts de la main, performs Reversible, a spectacular and emotional acrobatic creation, Nov. 16 to Dec. 30 at La Tohu circus centre. Keeping with long-time holiday tradition, Les Grands Ballets’s The Nutcracker brings dancing soldiers and sugarplum fairies to the stage at Place des Arts, December 10 to 30. Among many seasonal concerts: the Montréal Symphony Orchestra plays a Russian holiday program on Dec. 14 and a multicultural Christmas concert on Dec. 21; the Montréal Bach Festival welcomes Yo-Yo Ma on Dec. 2; Orchestra Métropolitan plays Tchaïkovski and more on Dec. 18; the Place des Arts Junior series makes music for Noël throughout December; and the sounds of Christmas play at Bourgie Hall at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, including the CBC Christmas Sing-In on Dec. 11.
Une photo publiée par Atrium Le 1000 (@atrium.le1000) le 25 Nov. 2016 à 13h16 PST
Montréal co-hosts the 41st IIHDF World Junior Hockey Championships, bringing top teams from around the world to the Bell Centre, Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 – during the rest of the season, you can watch NHL hockey pros the Montréal Canadiens go for the win at home against a roster of opponents. Or go for the less pricey pro hockey of the CWHL’s Les Canadiennes at Centre Etienne-Desmarteau Nov. 27 and Dec. 10-11. Take a trip back in local hockey history via our guide to Montréal’s hockey hotspots. And hit the ice indoors with Santa at Atrium le 1000 downtown or outdoors at the picturesque Old Port of Montréal skating rink and at Beaver Lake in Mount-Royal Park, where you can also rent snowshoes and cross-country skis. And when it’s time to re-fuel, try one of Montréal’s many creative kid-friendly restaurants.
Make music while spinning colourful fairy-tale images in giant zoetropes at this year’s Luminothérapie interactive-art playground at Place des Festivals. At the Space For Life, warm up in the Biodôme’s tropical adventure zone and under the palm trees at the Botanical Garden, see winter-ready insects at the Insectarium, and explore Mars at the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium. More indoor family activities await at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and at Pointe-à-Callière history and archaeology museum. Hear tales of “Alfred’s Adventures” at the McCord Museum, see Barbie through the decades at the Barbie Museum and ride all the way to the top of the Olympic Park Tower for a bird’s-eye view of the city. Mini ComicCon brings fans, comic book and animation creators and sellers together on December 10-11 at Palais des Congrès. And right after New Year’s comes Montréal’s official 375th anniversary celebrations, starting with Les Hivernales – all kinds of activities from hockey and curling to tube-sliding and electro-dancing.
Up next:Canada’s biggest Christmas tree lights up Montréal
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