A huge poutine festival is hitting Montreal this month and entry is free

There's never a bad time to chow down on some poutine, but if you were waiting for a moment to satisfy that curd craving, this might be it.

Le Grand PoutineFest is back on the road for its 11th edition, and this year's tour is the biggest in the festival's history. Over 20 cities across Quebec are on the itinerary between April and September, with several stops in and around Montreal — including a run at the Old Port this summer that stretches nearly two weeks.

Entry is free at every location, with food trucks, inflatable obstacle courses, skill games, and enough poutine variations to keep you busy well past dinner.

The first Montreal-area stop is Anjou from April 16 to 19. From there, the tour works its way through Pointe-Claire, Saint-Eustache, and Mirabel before settling into the Vieux-Port de Montréal from July 22 to August 2.

Here's the full tour schedule:

• Anjou: April 16–19
• Terrebonne: April 23–26
• Trois-Rivières: May 1–3
• Beloeil: May 8–10
• Thetford Mines: May 15–17
• Saint-Eustache: May 22–24
• Pointe-Claire: May 28–31
• Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu: June 5–7
• Lachute: June 19–21
• Mirabel: June 26–27
• Granby: July 3–5
• Vieux-Port de Montréal: July 22–August 2
• Gatineau: August 14–16
• Sainte-Julie: August 21–23
• Québec: September 4–6

Five food trucks will be set up at each stop, with a menu that goes well beyond the classic version of Quebec's most popular dish.

Smoking BBQ is bringing pulled pork and ribs poutines, while Greg's Diner has a smoked meat option and what might be the most niche item on the whole menu — a poutine loaded with fried pickle rounds, dill pickles, pickle chips, and garlic herb sauce, for the truly committed pickle person.

Smoking Dragon is leaning into Asian-inspired flavours with General Tao chicken and fried dumplings, Café Hollywood is going upscale with a lobster poutine, and Café Melting Pot has a Mexican-style version with beef, salsa, cheddar, and lime sour cream.

Tasting packages are also available for purchase. They include five sample-sized poutines for $57.50.

Finally, if you need something sweet to finish things off, Mademoiselle Croquignole has churros, and Lolo's Bar à Bonbons is covering cotton candy, popcorn, and mixed candy. Lo's Limonade is on hand for drinks.

The festival is also going fully zero waste this year, with every poutine and drink served in reusable, dishwasher-safe containers. So you can feel slightly better about going back for seconds.