The time between Christmas and New Year’s is made for doing nothing – and we’re going to forget all about it when the countdown to 2026 begins on the evening of December 31.
But, of course, doing nothing isn’t really possible. And, what’s more, we don’t have many vacations, so we’ll try to enjoy every day, won’t we?
Friday December 26th
Putting paid vacations on hold for the year
We’re turning 16 days of paid vacations into 41 days of vacation in 2026 for Montrealers with a very simple strategy…
We have about 20-25 paid vacation days a year, and we’re going to set aside days around the 2026 holidays. Demonstration here!
Festive brunch at Marcus
For those visiting Montreal or looking for a family brunch, the Four Seasons restaurant in Montreal will be celebrating on the 26th with an all-you-can-eat brunch – if you’re still hungry after your New Year’s Eve dinner…
Where? Marcus, Four Seasons Montreal, 1440 rue de la Montagne
When? December 26, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Watching a Christmas movie before the holidays are over
We’ve got 10 movies to watch during the long afternoons between Christmas and New Year’s…the list is here!
Saturday December 27
Winterlude Party
Where? Wip Works, 3487 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
When? Saturday, December 27, 10pm to 3am
How? Admission $12,tickets here!
December 27-January 4: The Star Wars Saga in its entirety at the Cinéma du Musée
It’s a chance to go back to childhood, to a simpler time in our lives when the good guys were good, the bad guys were bad and Han Solo was the coolest role model of the coolest people we know.
Where? Cinéma du Musée, 1379 Sherbrooke St. W.
When?
Saturday, December 27, 2025
1:00 p.m. | Episode I: The Phantom Menace
4pm | Episode II: Attack of the Clones
8:00 p.m. | Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Sunday, December 28, 2025
13h00 | Episode IV: A New Hope
16h00 | Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
8:00 pm | Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Saturday, January 3rd, 2026
1:00 pm | Episode IV: A New Hope
4:00 pm | Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
8:00 pm | Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Sunday, January 4th, 2026
1:00 pm | Episode I: The Phantom Menace
4:00 pm | Episode II: Attack of the Clones
8:00 pm | Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
How do I get in?
Tickets are per day (so each includes three films), and cost $40/day.
To see a single film, you can buy a one-way ticket on site for $15.75.
For more information and to buy tickets, click here!
Sunday, December 28
December 26-28: Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince revisited at Théâtre Outremont
To fill this liminal period of discovery with lots of magic before the long gray months of the rest of winter, and to revisit an absolute classic, we’re taking the kids to Théâtre Outremont to see Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince …
Where? Théâtre Outremont, 1248 Bernard Street West
When? December 26, 27 and 28, 2025
Friday, December 26 – 7pm
Saturday, December 27 – 3pm
Saturday, December 27 – 7pm
Sunday, December 28 – 11am
How? Ages 7 and up, tickets from $84.68 – and for more information, click here!
Concert de Cantiques Candlelight
Under the golden glow of candlelight, the most iconic holiday tunes take on a new glow. Imagine O Holy Night, The Nutcracker, Let It Snow, or Feliz Navidad played by talented musicians in an intimate atmosphere where time seems suspended.
Candlelight concerts reinvent Christmas the Montreal way: a moment when music, light and emotion come together. Whether you close your eyes to Carol of the Bells or smile at the first notes of All I Want for Christmas Is You, the magic happens – soft, enveloping and universal.
- Concert de Cantiques on December 26, 27, 29 and 30 – The lyric artists of Notre-Dame Basilica invite you to an intimate recital of the most beautiful Christmas carols. Accompanied by the Gaveau piano and the Guilbault-Thérien organ, they offer a warm and spiritual moment, perfect for celebrating the season in beauty and tradition.
For more information and tickets, click here!
Skating at LUMINO
The downtown festival of lights returns in early December with the opening of the Esplanade Tranquille skating rink…
On December 3, starting at 5 p.m., the 16th edition kicks off, and it’s open to all!
Where? Esplanade Tranquille, rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest
When? December 3, starting at 5 p.m., and running until March 8, 2026
How? Free admission
December 29th
Restaurant Gia opens exceptionally for lunch between Christmas and New Year to honor the Italian tradition of 7-fish tables for the festive season.
Where? Gia Vin & Grill, 1025 Rue Lenoir
When? December 27, 28, 29 and 30 (for lunch, between 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.)
How to get there? For reservations, find Gia on Opentable
A Park Chan-Wook film at the Cinéma du Musée
To celebrate the release of this film, and to revisit the director’s exceptional oeuvre, the Cinéma du Musée is organizing a Park Chan-Wook retrospective from December 19, 2025 to January 10, 2026.
There will be some screenings with English subtitles, and others with French subtitles – check below.
The 6 Park Chan-Wook films shown at the Cinéma du Musée are;
- Joint Security Area (2000)
- Decision to Leave (2002)
- Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
- Old Boy (2003)
- Lady Vengeance (2005)
- The Handmaiden (2016)
Where? Cinéma du Musée, 1379 Sherbrooke St. W.
When? December29 – The Handmaiden at 12:30 pm (VOSTA) / Decision to Leave at 3:45 pm (VOSTA)
How to get there? Adult tickets are $15.75
Tuesday December 30th
Grand Marché de Noël at Place des Arts
For those who miss old Europe, and for those for whom the festive season is synonymous with hot chocolate until the New Year, now is the last time to visit this Christmas market.
Where? Place des Arts
When? November 21, 2025 to January 4, 2026
How? free admission
A Lego exhibition, Art of The Brick
🎁 This holiday season, Art of the Brick is offering “holiday family bundles” with the 1st child ticket FREE with the purchase of 2 adult tickets with the family ticket. Take advantage! 🎁
If you’re a LEGO® fan (after all, who isn’t?), you’ll be happy to know thatArt of the Brick has just landed in Montreal. The adventure, which has already seduced over 10 million people worldwide, will leave you breathless.
A Tyrannosaurus Rex more than 6 meters high, musical instruments entirely remade in LEGO®, a life-size reproduction of Van Gogh’s Starry Night… the exhibition rethinks the bricks we know so well as true works of art. Book your tickets now!
A trip to the country
During the holiday season, it would be a shame to stay in the city every weekend – even though Montreal will be transformed into a fairytale setting with huge Christmas trees, Christmas villages and skating rinks…
So we’ll be getting out of town on weekends or, for the lucky ones, on out-of-office days taken as snow days… And of course, we know Quebec as a pretty enchanting region in winter, with its snow-covered hills, fir forests and incredibly charming villages.
We’ve got 3 places in Quebec, within a three-hour drive of Montreal, to visit for a day or a weekend during the holiday season. The list is here!
Happy New Year!