Montreal's Poutine Week Festival Is Coming Back This Winter & It Can Get Pretty Wild

La Poutine Week, an annual celebration of the iconic québécois dish, is returning for its 11th edition from February 1 to 14, which means soon Montrealers will have the chance to indulge in some of the cheesiest, most scandalous, unhealthy yet delicious poutines our city has ever known.

Presented by Sysco and DoorDash, the event invites local restaurants to create one original poutine. City folks will have two weeks to try them out, share mouthwatering pics on their socials and vote for their favourite dish on the festival's website.

Last year, Montreal food venues came up with some eyebrow-raising ideas, such as one poutine inspired by the Sunwing influencers or the Bolduc PBJ topped with peanut butter sauce and bacon jelly.

Restaurants on our island still have time to sign up here for the 2023 contest. They don't even need to have poutine on their regular menus. Vegetarian, vegan and dessert poutines are welcome, too, the festival says online.

Accolades include "The Most Original Poutine," "People's Choice" and "Judges' Choice."

Though restaurant partners must pay $250 to join the saucy fun, the idea, the festival suggests, is that they'll benefit from its marketing to increase sales and brand awareness.

And what do we gain as customers? Plenty of tasty and unique poutines to eat your winter blues away.