In true Montreal tradition, the lawns in front of the Olympic Village were almost entirely covered with half-dressed people, eyes closed and turned toward the warm summer sun, during the 1976 Olympics. The photos scrolling across a screen feature the vibrant colors of the Olympic rainbow and come from the vast archival collection of the McCord Stewart Museum. We’d give almost anything to spend a week (or a month) poring over them…
In the meantime, we can’t help but be fascinated by the exceptionally cool graphics, vintage photos, scathing caricatures of Jean Drapeau, and magazines created by artists for the 1976 Summer Olympics, held for the first time and with great fanfare in Montreal.
The exhibition is called Montreal 1976: An Olympic Trial and opens on March 17, 2026, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the controversial event, which was unanimously hailed as both a horror and a global success.
Glorious graphics, architecture, and corruption
The OCOG, which we name-drop as if we’ve always known what it stands for, is the Olympic Organizing Committee. And it’s the body responsible for ensuring that the organization of the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal went off without a hitch.
In the 1970s, Montreal was a city where corruption and collusion were rampant. On the other hand, Montreal was under the hyper-inspired leadership of Mayor Jean Drapeau —the man behind the Montreal Expos, Place des Arts, the metro, and the exceptional World’s Fair “Expo 67.”
The result was an organization deeply committed to culture and urban development (with miraculous, almost impossible architecture) for the 1976 Olympic Games. It fell behind schedule, created a massive debt, and was taken out of Jean Drapeau’s hands when the OCOG realized the Games might not take place. As we know, the Olympic Stadium was functional but not finished during the 1976 Olympics, and the rest of the infrastructure was completed the week before.
In addition to being nerve-wracking, the organization of the Olympics was also incredibly artistic and inspired. First, by Drapeau’s decision to appoint designer Georges Huel as General Director of Graphics and Design for the Games. He was the one who conceived the logo for this Montreal edition of the Olympics, and he surrounded himself with modern and highly talented designers and artists to create a vast array of posters, cards, magazines, stamps, and more.
Even before a single stone was turned, hundreds of graphic documents had been created. In the exhibition, you can see a sample of them that, 50 years later, is still absolutely cool.
1976, the Year of the Rainbow
The rainbow seen in the colorful uniforms of the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games was designed to represent diversity and a united global community. The LGBTQ community’s rainbow flag, for reference, was created two years later in 1978.
The cerulean blue bell-bottoms, the Adidas canvas sneakers striped with the Olympic rainbow that we hope will be reissued for the 50th anniversary, the red and white bucket hats , and the garish polyester shirts worn by Radio Canada journalists are just a few of the items on display at the Museum. We recommend that the most stylish people we know go there as soon as possible. We know exactly how we’re going to dress this summer.
At the request of Mayor Jean Drapeau, Montreal’s LGBTQ communities bore the brunt of an “Olympic cleanup” that targeted the city’s most vulnerable people. Harassment, arrests, police violence—1976 was a year of protests and fear for Montreal’s LGBTQ community. The exhibition at the McCord Museum does not forget this, and visitors can view archival photos of gay protests against the 1976 Olympic Games.
Practical Information
Where? McCord Stewart Museum, 690 Sherbrooke Street West
When? Montreal 1976: An Olympic Event / March 27 to September 13, 2026
Guided tours – Saturdays, April 18, May 30, July 4, and August 15, 2026 / in French from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., in English from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Guided tour and discussion: The Montreal Olympic Games: Legacy and Perspectives, in partnership with Heritage Montreal—Wednesday, April 8, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
Screening and discussion – The Other Rio – Wednesday, June 3, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
What? For more information, click here!
Online tickets (+$2 at the door): Adults: $20 | Seniors: $19 | Students (ages 18–30): $15 | Indigenous people: free | Ages 17 and under: free* | Museum members: free
Wednesday evening: free (3rd-floor exhibition and permanent exhibition) or $10 online (+$2 at the door) (2nd-floor exhibitions, Montreal 1976: An Olympic Trial)
First Sunday of the month: “Pay What You Can” option
