Downtown Montreal will smell exceptionally inviting at the end of the month. Café Collectif is brewing up a storm with a coffee festival featuring over 30 local roasters. Café Pista, Zab, and a caffeinated conga line of specialty coffee vendors from Fantôme and Rabbit Hole to Saint-Henri and Nucleus are ready to spill the beans on what sets their brews apart.
The festival, from May 31 to June 1, will also pack a punch with interactive barista workshops. Hosted by experts from Edika and Lelit, the sessions at the Société des arts technologiques (SAT) promise to upgrade your home coffee game from amateur pourer to pro espresso puller. It’s a hands-on opportunity for attendees to operate professional-grade machines under the guidance of seasoned baristas.
Alongside coffee cupping, a chocolate session led by Allo Simonne will showcase the intricacies of cocoa, from sourcing beans to producing bars, complemented by tastings that highlight different origins.
Whether you're in for a quick sip or full festival immersion, there's a pass with your name on it. Two-day entry, priced at $39, lets you take your time at every booth. Or a one-day pass for $22, is perfect for either a Friday or Saturday stop-in.
Barista and chocolate workshops start at $17. And for coffee connoisseurs, a "pro pass" ranges from $88 to $105, and comes with exclusive perks like autographed bags of coffee, premium access to every session, and a swag bag filled with coffee essentials. With limited slots, especially for workshops, early booking is your best shot at securing a reservation.
If you love coffee, or just need to wake up, downtown Montreal is where you’ll want to be at the end of the month. With this much coffee in one place, who needs sleep anyway?
Café Collectif
When: May 31 and June 1, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Société des arts technologiques (SAT), 1201, boul. Saint-Laurent
Cost: $22+/early bird | $25+/after May 22
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The Silver Room is room adjoining the main hall, with floor to ceiling lights and stainless steel accents. 
A large circular window at the entrance to Le 9e.
Chairs facing one mural in the dining room of Le 9e.
Chefs in the kitchen of Le 9e, as seen through a foyer with old photographs of Montreal. 
The main foyer of Le 9e prior to closure. Right: The same areas now feature a new bar and zig-zag flooring.Courtesy of Le 9e, 
The view from one Le 9e bathroom.
Sofia faces two screens wearing a pair of large fluffy red headphones and watches an AI version of Montreal artist Dayna McLeod, next to a shot of a machine emitting smoke.
Someone on a floor cushion looking at two screens. Seating is low to the floor across the entire exhibit to create a sense of safety and sleepiness.
Sofia's distorted reflection in a mirrored surface meant to evoke the sense of falling asleep, with blue objects from "How To Stay Sleepy" visible in the background.
Someone interacts with a transluscent material that distorts their reflection, as if in a dream.
"The Lantern" is a mushroom-shaped chandelier in an intimate part of the exhibit where visitors can sleep.
Looking at the exhibit in a projection room with dark benches.
An abstract projection at the exhibit.
The final projection room at the Van Gogh exhibit.
