Spring Break is a Canadian tradition that breaks up the country’s endless winter by setting aside a week in early March to head for the sun or get away from it all.
It’s to combat seasonal depression, the almost transparent quality of our skin at the end of February, and the general fatigue of a new year in which we’ve completely reinvented ourselves. We’re exhausted from putting on a facade, and we can no longer see a snowflake without feeling an intense wave of despair.
For Spring Break 2026, however, now that we’re adults and have jobs that require us to write every day, we can’t all go to the Dominican Republic. We’re far too busy, and we’d rather die than take time off before the official arrival of spring. Luckily for us, Montreal is taking a bit of a vacation during the week of March 2-8, 2026…
Wednesday, March 4: Sugar Shack at Nevski’s
Maple taffy, cider on ice, and DJ Duza—sugar season officially begins with an evening at Nevski. There will also be a special menu and sugar-inspired cocktails.
We recommend reserving your table in advance for March 5, 6, and 7.
Wednesday, March 4: Opening of Carrying Home by Yas Kanaan as part of the Filministes festival
From CA$0
As part of the Filministes women’s and feminist film festival, Palestinian artist Yas Kanaan is exhibiting her work in an exhibition. Carrying Home explores the theme of Palestinian identity through resistance and belonging in a diaspora context.
Artist Yas Kanaan will be there for a discussion with Camille Bédard during the opening.
Admission to the exhibition is free!
Thursday, March 5: Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo is showing at the Cinémathèque Québécoise.
From CA$14
As part of a film series by cult director Akira Kurosawa, the Cinémathèque is opening the “Kurosawa: Epic Grandeur” series with Yojimbo (1961) on Wednesday, March 5.
Friday, March 6: Zine Workshop “Fermenting Memories and Recipes” at the Goethe Institute
As part of the BOOK DONGNE event, a celebration of Asian-Canadian voices and people through memory and the fermentation process, we can take a free zine-making class on these themes with Le Lin.
To register, click here!Friday, March 6: Freaks — Midnight Screening
From CA$15.75
A classic of weird cinema…
Screening of Tod Browning’s Freaks (1932), presented as part of the Minuit au Parc retrospective. An opportunity to (re)discover this disturbing classic on the big screen.
Saturday, March 7: Morvern Callar — Surreal Saturdays
From CA$15.75
A punk, atmospheric, and disturbing film to discover on the big screen.
Screening of Lynne Ramsay’s cult film Morvern Callar (2002) as part of the Surreal Saturdays series, presented at the Museum Cinema.
All week: Hall of Mirrors at the Village
To take a walk and see an exhibition during Spring Break, we’ll stop by the Village to see the Hall of Mirrors.
This exhibition will take place in the neighborhood’s storefront windows and will feature the work of an intergenerational group of queer Montreal artists.
There will be new creations and art will enliven the street—especially at nightfall—with projections, sculptures, photography, print projects, and a performance, all visible from the street.
From CA$10.60
Underwater with whales, belugas, and tadpoles—the Panorama Experiences exhibition is at the Grand Quai du Vieux-Port in Montreal.
Eaux Vives, presented by Panorama Experience and Expériences Infinity at the Grand Quai du Vieux-Port de Montréal, brings together four immersive works that explore the seabed. The exhibition features psychedelic videos, guided meditation, documentary narratives, and plastic installations to question our relationship with the oceans.
From CA$31
Discover Richard Avedon’s iconic portraits at the MBAM.
Exhibition featuring a hundred portraits by Richard Avedon at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, announced for February 12, 2026; tickets starting at CAD 31.
From CA$10
Four exceptional dancers dressed in luminous costumes twirl and light up the stage.
Ballet of Lights presents Cinderella, a bright and modern show at L’Olympia: four dancers in luminous costumes for a family experience lasting about 60 minutes.
From €0
The Festival of Lights illuminates the Quartier des Spectacles from February 27 to March 7, 2026—free admission.
The Montreal en Lumière festival lights up the Quartier des Spectacles with arts, music, gastronomy, and Nuit Blanche; February 27 to March 7, 2026, free admission.
From CA$76
Les Bains Ninkasi opened in late December 2025 in downtown Montreal, offering a hop-infused bath accompanied by beer tasting.
Les Bains Ninkasi is a new beer spa in downtown Montreal offering a thermal circuit with a bath infused with hops, malt, and yeast, a hop sauna, and beer tasting. The experience combines relaxation (39°C bath, straw bed) and tasting for a duration of approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.