The corn is sweet, Montreal thrifts are piling reclaimed tartan on the shelves and Cahiers Canada smells like back-to-school… But weekends are still spent at the cottage, sitting by the lake, sweating – a little nauseous after the kilo of s’mores the day before.
It’s officially the beginning of the end of summer, and with it the last long weekend of the season; the Labour Day long weekend.
Labor Day
For those who’ve been working all summer – us included – Labor Day is the last three-day weekend of the season when you don’t go to work.
It’s a holiday for playing hooky, and a day paid for by Quebec employers. Most businesses will be closed -not all, of course- because it’s a holiday for baristas and Montreal employees too. Everyone will be out fishing.
Labour Day this year will be Monday, September 1, 2025. That means we’ll have a long weekend: Saturday August 3rd, Sunday August 31st and Monday September 1st.
What do we do over the long weekend?
We’ve got 10 recommendations for celebrating the last long weekend of summer in Montreal.
1) Have a picnic in the sun…
In Parc Lafontaine, Parc Laurier or Square Saint-Louis, grab a sandwich to go and settle down on a blanket for a picnic that smells like summer school…
2 Get lost in a corn maze
A 30-35 minute drive from downtown Montreal, or 1h40 by metro and bus, is one of the largest corn mazes in the country – a nostalgic core memory of childhood and the Quebec summer…
Where? 4356 Bd Dagenais O, Laval
When? The maze is open from July 18 to October 26, 2025
SCHEDULES – July 18 to August 17 (Times may vary according to weather and field conditions.)
FRIDAY | 9 am to 7 pm
SATURDAY | 9 am to 8 pm
SUNDAY | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
SCHEDULES – August 23 to October 26 (These times may vary according to weather and field conditions.)
SATURDAY | 9 am to 8 pm
SUNDAY | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
How to get in
ADMISSION FEE FOR ACCESS TO THE FIELDS (WITHOUT PICK-YOUR-OWN)
Children 0 to 3 years……………………………………………………………….Free
Children 4 to 17…………………………………………………..$8.95 + tax
Adults …………………………………………………………………… $12.95 + tax
FAMILY PACKAGE (2 adults and 2 children under 18 or 1 adult and 3 children under 18)
Admission only (no U-pick)……………………………………………………………….38.95 + tax
3 . picking sunflowers
An hour’s drive from Montreal, a flower farm offers a day spent in sunflowers, wildflowers and berry fields – the perfect mix of agrotourism and sun-colored serotonin.
Where to go? Ferme Belle de Coteau-du-Lac is about an hour’s drive west of Montreal, on the Autoroute du Souvenir. At 71 Route 201, Coteau-du-Lac
When to visit?
U-pick sunflowers, strawberries and stroll through the corn maze:
- August 14, 15, 16 and 17
- August 21, 22, 23 and 24
- August 28, 29, 30, 31 and September 1
After this date, La Belle de Coteau-du-Lac goes into autumn mode…
How do we do it? Book online on the Belle de Coteau-du-Lac website, here!
Package deals:
- 1 adult + 1 bouquet (10-12 stems), $35
- 2 adults + 1 bouquet (10-12 stems), $59
for all admission prices and packages, click here!
4 . eating ice cream
We asked the coolest Montrealers we know about their favorite ice cream shops, and made a list to keep pinned in the pocket of your jorts for long weekends, and now it’s time to try the ice creams we forgot about this summer…
5 We’re going to see the best photos of the year at the Old Port of Montreal
It’s the city’s biggest photography festival, World Press Photo, like a giant exhibition of all the best international photos of the year! It’s at the Marché Bonsecours, as it has been every year since 1955!
Where? Marché Bonsecours, 325 rue de la Commune Est
When? August 27 to October 13, Sunday to Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Thursday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to midnight
How? regular admission at $16, $13 for students and seniors, free for children aged 10 and under
6 Visit an ephemeral ramen market
After the Japanese (YATAI) and Korean (POCHA) festivals earlier this summer, ASIEASIE presents for the first time a festival dedicated entirely to ramen. .. It’s going to be the biggest culinary ramen market in Quebec!
Where? at Hangar 1825, in Griffintown
When?
Thursday, August 28 – 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Friday, August 29 | 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Saturday, August 30 | 12h00 – 22h00
Sunday, August 31 | 12h00 – 20h00
How? Tickets are available online only, at $4 in presale or at $5 closer to the event date.
7 Exploring the Titanic
TITANIC: An Immersive Voyage is coming to Montreal this summer, after winning over cities including New York and Atlanta (and more recently Toronto). Moving and even playful, it’s an adventure that will challenge your knowledge of the TITANIC (and yes, even the most passionate).
Thanks to recreations of iconic locations such as the grand staircase, an impressive collection of relics, and immersive adventures(virtual reality, cutting-edge technology…), the TITANIC presents itself to us – the opportunity to plunge into the past, right back to that fateful night in 1912 when the ship sank into the depths of theocean.
8. fiesta at TacoFest
One of the last great fiestas of the summer, and one of Montreal’s most beloved traditions, Taco Fest is coming to the Old Port, with tacos, guacamole classes, mariachi shows and lots of Mezcal cocktails…
Where? 1 rue Quai de l’horloge, in the Old Port
When? August 30, 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., August 31, 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and September 1, 11:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
How much? Tickets start at $12.95, and you can reserve your place on the Taco Fest website here!
9 . a walk on a mountain full of mysterious legends
Just outside Montreal, 40-45 minutes by car and 1h11 by train (Exo line 13, departing from Gare Centrale – Bonaventure metro station) from downtown, there’s a legendary mountain you can hike: Mont Saint-Hilaire.
We know Mont-Saint-Hilaire (the village) for its legendary drive-in and its highly recognizable relief, but it’s also a very mysterious mountain: aliens, fairy grotto, bottomless lake…
10.we take part in a seance
DARKFIELD kicks off its Canadian tour this summer with two immersive auditory experiences, one as captivating as the other. Among these experiences, SÉANCE will challenge your reality.
Enter a shipping container transformed into a Victorian occult séance room, aboard a gripping auditory journey that will make you question your beliefs… and your senses.
The experience has just opened its doors – get your tickets now!
Have a good weekend, and happy back to school!