Attention Montrealers! Here's a pop quiz to get you in the back-to-school spirit (no school attendance required): What do a block party, a harvest festival, a charity walk, a car show, and a game night have in common?
If you answered, "They're all free things to do in Montreal this weekend," you get an A+, bragging rights, and free admission to a whole lot of fun weekend events.
But even if you failed the quiz, you can still go to any of these events without spending a dime. Whether you're a slacker, dropout, teacher's pet, nerd, or anything in between, read on to find a list of Montreal's best no-cost weekend activities for September 6 to 8.
Party it up at a daytime rave
When: Sunday, September 8 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Address: Marché des Possibles – 5705, av. de Gaspé
Why You Need To Go: MTL Shake teams up with POP Montreal to bring you Montreal's premiere monthly daytime all-ages rave turned family block party. September's edition features Montrealer, yogi, and international musician extraordinaire, DJ Seriousblack, who'll be cranking out fresh tunes all afternoon. With a kid-led dance cypher and a multigenerational dance battle, this party will be a hit with both the young and the young at heart.
MTL Shake Eventbrite
Attend a free art exhibition
When:
- Friday, September 6 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Saturday, September 7 and Sunday, September 8 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: PHI Foundation – 451, rue Saint-Jean
Why You Need To Go: This weekend is your last chance to catch Efflorescence/The Way We Wake, a free duo contemporary art exhibition by multi-disciplinary artists Rajni Perera and Marigold Santos. Combining recent paintings and sculptures, the exhibition touches on themes of art making, motherhood, and the artists' respective cultural heritages.
Friday is also your last chance to see Sonia Boyce's Feeling Her Way, an immersive installation that uses wallpaper, posters, photography, sculpture, video, and sound to explore "trust, agency, and generosity [...] connection, kinship, and freedom."
Walk for a good cause with Autism Speaks Canada
When: Sunday, September 8 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Where: Dawson College – 3040, rue Sherbrooke O.
Why You Need To Go: Autism Speaks Canada's annual Montreal walk is happening this Sunday. And good news: Registration is free and there's still time to sign up for the walk.
Whether you walk alone or join a fundraising team, your efforts are going to a good cause. All money raised towards the walk will go to supporting the organization's mission of increasing understanding and acceptance of autistic people.
And if a little exercise and a whole lotta good doing isn't enough to entice you, there'll be snacks, refreshments, meet-and-greets with beloved movie and sports mascots, and loads of other activities on site to keep you entertained.
Run don't walk (well technically, walk don't run) to this event.
Party in an alleyway at the Festival des arts de ruelle
When: Until Sunday, September 8
Where: Multiple locations
Why You Need To Go: In Montreal, alleyways aren't just for parking cars, drying clothes, or meeting stray cats. They're for dressing up, partying, and celebrating art in all its forms.
Spend the weekend at the Festival des arts de ruelle (FAR), an artistic block party across alleyways throughout the city.
According to its website, Festival FAR features balcony shows, themed parades, wild performances, and over 250 multidisciplinary artists. If you’ve ever wanted to go to the circus, listen to live music, watch a play, march in a parade, dance in the street, and feast your eyes on street art, you don’t have to look much further than your own backyard.
Geek out with free video games
When: Friday, September 6 and Saturday, September 7 at 8 p.m.
Where: GOGO-VR Arcade – 2010, boul. Saint-Laurent
Why You Need To Go: Get off your couch and head on down to Game Night at GOGO-VR Arcade to chill with friends and play video games into the wee hours of the night. Whether you prefer newer gaming systems like Xbox and Nintendo Switch, retro classics like GameCube and PlayStation 2, or if vintage arcade games are more your style, the GOGO-VR Arcade has got you covered with over 300 games to choose from, all of which are free to play this weekend.
Take a mental health break at Clinique Vivago's opening party
When: Saturday, September 7 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Clinique Vivago – 2170, boul. René-Lévesque O.
Why You Need To Go: Come celebrate the opening of a brand new inclusive health clinic in downtown Montreal dedicated to providing accessible and affordable mental health care to anyone who needs it. Clinique Vivago's opening party is free and open to all ages. Party attendees will be treated to cocktails, mocktails, healthy snacks, and a post-party group workshop on anxiety and stress management. While all of this is free, if you feel like supporting a good cause, drop a few bucks at the party bake sale and silent auction where proceeds will go towards a campaign to provide free mental health services to young adults.
Indulge in fresh, local produce at a harvest festival
When: Saturday, September 7 and Sunday, September 8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Montreal’s Public Markets – Multiple locations
Why You Need To Go: With fall just around the corner, there’s no better time than now to feast on the bounty of the farming season. La Fête des Récoltes (harvest festival) is a celebration of our local farmers' crops with fresh produce and free activities for the whole family across Montreal’s public markets.
Highlights include a series of free cooking workshops, a free gardening workshop, and a tomato sauce competition. And be sure to swing by either Atwater Market or Jean-Talon Market early for a corn roast where a free ear of corn will be given to the first 600 people to arrive each day.
Marchés publics de Montréal Website
Chill out to live music in Trenholme Park
Synths in the Park.
When: Saturday, September 7 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Trenholme Park – 6800, rue Sherbrooke O.
Why You Need To Go: NDG Électronik teams up with the NDG Arts Council to bring you an afternoon of live music in Trenholme Park. Spend this Saturday in the park dancing and chilling to synthwave, ambient, and electro music.
Move your body at an interactive dance workshop
When: Saturday, September 7 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts – 1380, rue Sherbrooke O.
Why You Need To Go: In partnership with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Festival Quartiers Danses brings you Insectoïdes, a fun, free, interactive outdoor dance workshop — Du Musée Avenue's last event of the season. With dancers as guides, attendees are invited to move through the creepy-crawly world of insects out on the pedestrian street.
Feel hopeful for a brighter future at HopeFest
When: Friday, September 6 at 5 p.m. and Saturday, September 7 at 2 p.m.
Where: Armand-Bombardier Park – boulevard Armand-Bombardier & boulevard Perras
Why You Need To Go: According to its Eventbrite page, HopeFest Canada is all about spreading positivity, celebrating resilience, and coming together to inspire hope for a brighter future. The two-day festival features live music, fun activities, prizes, giveaways, community spirit, and even free haircuts and a free BBQ — and there's nothing like a free BBQ to spread a little joy, hope, and optimism. So turn that frown upside down and head to HopeFest where every glass is half full... of BBQ sauce.
Appreciate the work of local artisans at the Montreal Makers Market
When: Saturday, September 7 and Sunday, September 8 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: 5945, rue Cartier
Why You Need To Go: Enjoy free entry to a market featuring over 75 local artisans and vendors. According to the Facebook event page, expect to find all different types of goods including art, clothing, ceramics, jewelry, accessories, stickers, home decor, plants, candles, skin care, herbalism, woodworking, textile art, food products, oddities, and more.
Check out classic cars at a car show
When: Sunday, September 8 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Where: Epicure Market – 5252, rue Paré
Why You Need To Go: Epicure Classics is a car show where all types of makes and models are welcomed as long as they're from 2004 or older and are clean, presentable, and interesting – great standards for both a car show and an online dating profile. Not only is entry to the show free, but free coffee is also available on site. So why not find a clean, presentable, and interesting date and take them out for coffee and a car show this Sunday?
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
