What's open and closed in Montreal this Easter long weekend

Easter weekend is almost here, and with it comes the usual mix of closures and modified hours across Montreal.

This year, the long weekend runs from Good Friday, April 3, through Easter Monday, April 6, for a total of four days, though not everyone gets all four off.

Quebec's holiday rules around Easter are a little different from the rest of the country.

Good Friday is a federal stat, so anyone working in a federally regulated industry gets the day off. But provincially, Quebec is the only place in Canada that doesn't formally designate Good Friday as a statutory holiday. Instead, employers here are required to give workers either Good Friday or Easter Monday, not necessarily both. Most Quebec workplaces tend to go with Monday as the default, but it varies.

With that in mind, here's a breakdown of what's open and closed in Montreal on each day.

Friday, April 3 — Good Friday

Good Friday is one of the busier shopping days of the weekend in Quebec, precisely because so many stores stay open.

Open on Good Friday:

• Grocery stores
• Pharmacies
• Dépanneurs
• Shopping centres
• The SAQ and SQDC
• Restaurants and bars
• Gas stations
• The STM
• Espace pour la vie (Biodôme, Biosphère, Insectarium, Jardin botanique, Planétarium)
• Écocentres (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.)

Closed on Good Friday:

• Banks and caisses populaires
• Canada Post
• Bureaux Accès Montréal
• SAAQ, Service Canada, and other provincial and federal service counters
• Montreal municipal court (detention hearings at 775 Gosford St. are still going ahead)

Saturday, April 4

Nothing out of the ordinary here. This Saturday operates like any other.

Sunday, April 5 — Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday follows Quebec's standard Sunday retail rules, which means big-box stores and shopping centres are closed.

Open on Easter Sunday:

• Small-format grocery stores
• Pharmacies
• Dépanneurs
• SAQ Classique and Express locations
• Restaurants and bars
• Gas stations
• The STM
• Espace pour la vie
• Some cinemas and museums (worth checking directly before heading out)

Closed on Easter Sunday:

• The SQDC
• Shopping centres
• Large-format grocery stores and big-box retailers

Monday, April 6 — Easter Monday

Easter Monday is the stat holiday Quebec employers are most likely to observe, and it also carries federal holiday status, meaning federal employees get a four-day weekend. Despite that, quite a bit is open.

Open on Easter Monday:

• Shopping centres
• Most grocery stores
• Pharmacies
• Dépanneurs
• The SAQ and SQDC
• Banks and caisses
• Restaurants and bars
• Gas stations
• The STM
• Espace pour la vie
• Garbage, recycling, and compost collection (regular schedule across the island)

Closed on Easter Monday:

• Canada Post
• Bureaux Accès Montréal
• SAAQ, Service Canada, and other provincial and federal service counters
• Montreal municipal court

As always, hours can vary by location, so it's worth checking directly with your local store or branch before heading out.