Montreal days are still warm and sunny, but we have to put on a jacket in the evening, and that means autumn is fast approaching the city. Soon, we won’t be able to wear our soft ballet flats, and we’ll be breaking out the boots and (faux) fur hats again.
Lattes will be hot, days will be getting shorter, afternoons will be more studious… And it’s (almost) Halloween!
Autumn officially arrives on September 22, 2025, but in the meantime, we’ve put together a Bucket List of all the things we want to do during the season in Montreal!
Montreal Fall Bucket List
1: Find the best pumpkin spice latte in town – and don’t tell anyone!
Montreal is a bit of America, but it’s also one of the most versatile cities on North America’s East Coast. It’s a little Nordic-Scandinavian, a little European, a little regional Quebec, with its pickup trucks and frontier atmosphere of the far north.
To explore the city, a new neighborhood (for students and finance bros arriving in the fall) or just to romanticize autumn, its icy wind, warm sun and colors, we’ve got 5 cozy cafés to visit…
- Nous Sommes Café X Votta
- Moonbrew Magic
- Baristello
- Olive + Gourmando
- Café Alphabet
Most have a version of the pumpkin spice latte you’d get at Starbucks-but we’re not basic this year.
2.knit your own scarf – skinny and striped, of course
Even with the autumn markets (and there are plenty of them in Montreal) with the city’s best artisans and artists, we want to create something this fall.
This season’s craft is going to be knitting – it’s warm, (fairly) easy and will exorcise our creativity without screens for a cozy , meditative autumn.
Les Laines Biscotte offers group classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for beginners and those who already know a thing or two about knitting;
- 2h x 6 weeks – $145
- 2h x 3 weeks – $75
- 1 class of 2h – $35
Where to find us Les Laines Biscotte, 5354 boulevard Saint-Laurent
Website? leslainesbiscotte.ca
3Start a herbarium with autumn’s most beautiful leaves
From what we’ve read in this year’s Farmer’s Almanac, autumn is going to be cool, wet and windy, with days of warm sunshine and long, cold nights.
Conditions will be perfect for the leaves to turn red on the trees fairly early (late September), and the best way to see them is to go walking in the local forests and mountains.
4.talking to ghosts – and reconnecting with ancestors
It’s said that on the night of October 31st to November 1st, the veil between the world of the living and the dead is at its thinnest – and that ancestors take a break from their eternal rest to take a look at us. November 1 is All Saints Day, a Christian celebration of the dead and the saints.
To honor this window into the afterlife, we’ll be taking a class during the Festival Nocturna, from October 1 to 4.
WEDNESDAY, October 1: Candle magick & tarot workshops, boutique specials
THURSDAY, October 2: Immersive mediumship session
FRIDAY, October 3: Palmistry & witch’s mist workshop
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4: Closing evening with MYSTIC & DARK FANTASY costume contest, 
mini market of witchy artisans, on-site presence of tattoo artist @moonfarm_tattoos and her flash for the occasion, buffet, GOTH VINTAGE clothing sale, selfie booth, charm station & 40 gifts for the first 40 participants.
To book the workshops and/or the mediumship session, please write to julie.lumosoracle@gmail.com
Where? Sciences Maudites, 3731 Notre-Dame St. W.
When? October 1 to 4, 2025 / Wednesday, noon to 5 p.m., Thursday and Friday, noon to 7 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
5 Attend a fashion show during Montreal Fashion Week
Montreal is known for its bagels, its summer festivals, its cafés with foam on them and its people – some of the best-dressed in the world, between minimalist chic and post-punk, athleisure and alternative eco. Some of today’s hottest new designers work and create in Montreal.
From September 23 to 30, 2025, Fashion Week will give Montreal its rightful place on the international fashion scene. A week of workshops, fashion shows, launches and exhibition openings dedicated to Montreal designers and fashion.
6Bake a pecan pie for Thanksgiving
Selecting, preparing, cooking and eating seasonal dishes with family and friends is one way to share a moment of gratitude and celebration.
We recommend taking your time, wrapping your neck in a scarf and going shopping at one of Montreal’s public markets.
It’ll be cool, the leaves will be red on the trees and it ‘ ll be time to show off our culinary skills…
7Leaving Montreal for a weekend – to experience a day like the Gilmore Girls
We’re going on a tour (which will be perfectly cinematic) 1h15 from Montreal. Fans of Gilmore Girls and Thanksgiving romantic comedies will be satisfied-we’ll bring our cable-knit sweater and instant kodak, because the magic of ’90s TV autumns is alive and well in Dunham.
Coffee at Épicerie-Café Dunham, walks in the orange vineyards and (why not) a glass of local wine to finish…
Happy autumn in Montreal!