Everything You Need to Know to Go to Montreal Jazz Festival 2025

Few North American cities rival Montreal as a summer destination. That’s because pretty much every weekend in the warmer months features a festival in the downtown Place des Festivals (a little sur le nez, if you ask us), and the granddaddy of them all is Festival International de Jazz de Montréal or, as it’s also commonly known, Montreal Jazz. Now in its 45th edition for 2025, the mostly free event is Guinness Book-recognized as the world's largest jazz festival—but it's been about much more than just jazz for quite some time.

From June 26 to July 5 this year, more than 350 concerts will take place across the 10-day fête. Two thirds of those are free, taking place on both large-scale and intimate outdoor stages, while the remainder find illustrious names playing ticketed shows in world-class concert halls and renowned clubs in downtown Montreal. Better still, the music doesn’t jump off until 5 p.m. each day, meaning plenty of time to explore the city before devoting your attention to hotly tipped 2025 acts like Queensbridge rap legend Nas backed by a symphony, living soul legend Mavis Staples, future-funk bassist Thundercat, Grammy-winning roots singer Allison Russell, and shapeshifting stand-up bass star Esperanza Spalding.

Moreover, Montreal Jazz takes over the heartbeat of Montreal itself, and experiencing the festival means you’re also experiencing the best of what the city has to offer. Few festivals can claim to weave this city/event relationship as seamlessly. With that in mind, dive into our guide to everything you need to know in order to make the most of Montreal Jazz 2025.

Most international flights into Montreal arrive at Montréal-Trudeau Airport, about a 30-minute rideshare to the downtown area without traffic. From there, you’re a short walk from any of the festival’s many venues. There’s also the convenient 747 bus line which takes you to and from the airport in 45 minutes without traffic. Tickets can be purchased for $11 CAD (about $8 USD) by card at vending machines near stops, or by cash with exact change on the bus. (Be aware that if you don’t have Canadian dollars you can pay with greenbacks, but the exchange rate won’t apply.) There’s also the Chrono app, which, with the purchase of a single fare, gives you unlimited 24-hour use of public transit (bus and Metro) within Zone A, which includes downtown Montreal.

It’s free to get into the Place des Festivals. Anyone can come in through the multiple clearly marked downtown entrance gates. Be prepared for a quick bag check—prohibited items include outside alcohol and glass containers, although, "a maximum of 30g of cannabis is accepted on the site"—but rest assured that with nearly 200,000 folks in attendance each day, it’s a brisk process.

For ticketed shows, browse the schedule on the Montreal Jazz Fest website. Prices for individual concerts range from $49 to $197 CAD. There are also premium passes available for purchase that entitle the holder to some very specific options. An Honorary Member package ($550 CAD), for example, gives you eight tickets to be used for specific concert series at eight different venues. There are also a couple of passes that offer unlimited access to all shows within a specific series at a single venue for $120 CAD or $150 CAD (more info here). All of this said, we recommend purchasing tickets for the paid shows you most want to attend, and then taking advantage of as much free programming as possible—especially if it's your first time.

If you're staying downtown, you can pretty much get anywhere within the grounds on foot. (Montreal Jazz is also one of the most friendly festivals for attendees with reduced mobility.) Renting a Bixi bike or e-bike can speed up the process in some scenarios, but they’re best used during the day to explore Montreal via the city’s excellent bike-lane infrastructure—especially when navigating beyond downtown. Likewise for buses, and note that the 55 line, which runs the expanse of Avenue Saint Laurent, will take you from downtown to the historic-but-touristy old town and—more importantly, as you can read about below—up to the Mile End and le Plateau-Mont-Royal neighborhoods. The Metro (subway) is great for longer trips.

For the free outdoor concerts, there are five primary stages. The TD Stage is the main event, stretching all the way across the middle of the Place and featuring the fest’s signature overhanging lights, which look like giant toothbrushes. Headlining sets typically draw 20,000 to 30,000 people comfortably. The Scène Rogers and Rio Tinto Stage are the next biggest and feature acts from across the musical spectrum who can command a sizable crowd in the thousands. A short stroll down Saint Catherine Avenue will bring you to Pub Molson, which is designed to feel like a partially open-air jazz club. Lastly, the Club Montreal Stage is tucked right off of the Place des Arts concert hall complex and showcases emerging talent and late-night sets.

Speaking of the Place Des Arts, it's a cutting-edge performing arts facility (with its own subway stop!) that features four concert halls, each with immaculate sound. The most notable is the 3,000-seat Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier opera hall that will play host to some of the festival’s most high-profile artists, including Nas, Thundercat, four-time Grammy-winning Mexican singer Natalia Lafourcade, and folk-punk greats Violent Femmes. There’s also the 2,100-seat Maison Symphonique, hosting acts such as timeless trumpet great Wynton Marsalis and jazz vocalist Samara Joy; the 1,450 person Théâtre Maisonneuve, where you can catch folk eclecticist Rhiannon Giddens and singer-songwriter Madeleine Peyroux; and the more playhouse-like 765-seat Théâtre Jean-Duceppe.

Other club venues in the area include the 2,300-capacity MTELUS, where electronic shapeshifter Bonobo, and modern soul collective Budos Band will perform. The nearby Club Soda is the place to go for jazz-adjacent indie acts like Nai Palm, Arooj Aftab, and Makaya McCraven. Also worth noting is Gesú, a Baroque revival church converted into a 400-seat room that will welcome Brazilian funk legends Azymuth as well as L.A. nu-jazz pianists Kiefer and Elijah Fox. For the late-night crowd, Studio TD is a free indoor venue inside of the Maison du Festival building that looms over the grounds. It’ll feature 10 p.m. sets from of-the-moment names like pianist Julius Rodriguez, Aussie singer Allysha Joy, and saxophonist Isaiah Collier.

With a range of food stands inside of the festival gates serving everything from poutine to African street food, you could easily just munch near the outdoor stages. That said, many of the most accessible options aren’t super memorable, so we much prefer to dine elsewhere before heading to the fest.

There are two incredible food halls nearby. Le Central is within the Quartiers des Spectacles neighborhood, and its 16 different food stands are good bets for a quick bite before a concert or a leisurely sit-down meal. Pintxo is great for Spanish tapas with expertly paired wines or cocktails, while Morso Pizzéria has quickfire Roman-style slices with inviting topping combos like pancetta, coppa, and hazelnuts or a margherita with stracciatella.

Just outside of the festival gates toward McGill University, the TimeOut Market food court at the Eaton Centre mall features smaller versions of some of the city’s best locally-owned eateries. Here, you can grab an incredible porchetta sandwich with marinated eggplant or a prosciutto and mortadella hoagie with fior di latte mozzarella from Bossa without having to cross town to hit up their Verdun brick and mortar. Or you can procure the wildly delicious smash burgers and poutine from Chez Simone Cantine Urbaine without trekking 30+ minutes north to their shop in Mercier. When you're done, walk across the street and grab a famous latte freddo (coffee slushie) from Café Olimpico’s downtown location in a building that looks like a castle. And if you’re hungry late at night after a show, the Nyk’s gastropub next door to Gesú offers bistro fare, a fine selection of Quebecoise gin, and pints of St. Ambroise ale.

But don’t limit yourself to neighborhoods near the fest. Montreal is one of the best food cities in the world, and it’s best to let your gut be your guide. Of course, you have to start with bagels: Fairmount and St-Viateur are the main shops in the city, but make sure to check out the St-Viateur “Café” location rather than the flagship bakery if you're looking for dressed-up bagel sandwiches. Otherwise, you'll just be getting bagels to go.

Another must visit is Marche Jean-Talon, just past Mile End near Little Italy. This outdoor public market’s food stands boast the freshest Canadian oysters, baked goods galore, and much more. There are also some local specialties that are nothing short of Montreal rites of passage, and trekking out to try them is a great way to see more of the city. For Portuguese chicken, check out Ma Poule Moillee. For smoked meat (think pastrami), the line at Schwartz’s is worth braving. Le Majestique might be the greatest after-hours restaurant on the planet, serving a full menu of oysters and small plates till 2 a.m., with cocktails and expertly curated wine till 3 a.m. For fancy fare, take Metro or a rideshare to Little Burgundy for Joe Beef, Liverpool House, or Le Vin Papillon—all owned by the same group, but each with its own Québécois identity.

If you want a taste of local history, Old Montreal and the Notre-Dame Basilica are a 15-minute walk from downtown. But the area can get very touristy. We prefer the officially “non-touristy” walking tour from Spade & Palacio that begins at the Basilica and takes you through Montreal’s underground walkways, Chinatown, and then up Saint Laurent Boulevard to the vibrant Le Plateau neighborhood, with a lot of street art and good bites in between.

You should also explore Avenue Mont-Royal; in the summer, the avenue is closed off to cars and is one of the most splendid pedestrian and bike thoroughfares you’ll ever find. You can spend hours just strolling, relaxing on one of many artist-customized adirondack chairs or benches, or diving into the many enticing shops, cafés, and eateries. For a birdseye view of the city, take a car or a bike up to Park Mont Royal. Among the many leisurely hikes, the lookout point at the Kondiaronk observation deck reveals the skyline, including the larger-than-life Leonard Cohen mural on a Crescent Street building in the distance.

We also recommend checking out Verdun, an exciting up-and-coming neighborhood chock full of restaurants and brewpubs, with another pedestrian- and bike-friendly thoroughfare, Wellington Street. Rent a Bixi bike and peddle the mild-yet-thrilling 25-minute ride largely along the Saint Lawrence River. You can then dock your wheels and visit the very urban Verdun Beach for a dip or a sun soak.

The weather is generally gorgeous this time of year, but the sun can shine very brightly so you’ll want to wear plenty of sunscreen. Temperatures generally hover in the 70s, but can reach the low 80s during the day and drop to low 60s at night. You may want to pack a light rain jacket because summer showers do pop up every now and then.

The festival is cashless, so you can easily go the entire trip without ever having to exchange USD for CAD. Definitely pack a reusable water bottle; water refill stations are plentiful and you’ll want to stay hydrated in the summer heat. And if you need a bag, the official festival tote is delightful and features Montreal Jazz’s mascot Ste-Cat.

Lastly, make a point to explore the towering Montreal Jazz HQ, Maison du Festival. There’s typically a museum-like exhibit on the middle floors, and this year it will house both a record fair (June 28 and 29) and the Phono late-night club, with DJ sets from festival performers running 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. nightly. The party, it seems, never ends.

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