Page 68 - 2026-2027 Travel Guide to Canada

QC
66
Special Events
JANUARY – FEBRUARY
• IGLOOFEST, MONTRÉAL
FEBRUARY
• IGLOOFEST, QUÉBEC CITY
• QUÉBEC WINTER CARNIVAL, QUÉBEC CITY
FEBRUARY – MARCH
• MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE
MARCH – SEPTEMBER
• MONTRÉAL OLYMPIC GAMES 50 YEARS,
MONTRÉAL
MAY
• BLOOMAFEST, TREMBLANT
• CANADIAN FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX,
MONTRÉAL
JUNE
• FRANCOS MONTRÉAL
• KWE! MEET WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES,
QUÉBEC CITY
• MURAL FESTIVAL, MONTRÉAL
• SAGUENAY JAZZ & BLUES FESTIVAL
JUNE – JULY
• MONTRÉAL INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL
JULY
• MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CIRQUE
FESTIVAL
• QUÉBEC CITY SUMMER FESTIVAL
• TREMBLANT INTERNATIONAL BLUES
FESTIVAL
JULY – AUGUST
• LE FESTIVAL DE LANAUDIÈRE
AUGUST
• OSHEAGA, MONTRÉAL
• FIRST PEOPLES FESTIVAL, MONTRÉAL
• LASSO MONTRÉAL
• MONTRÉAL PRIDE
• NEW FRANCE FESTIVAL, QUÉBEC CITY
• TENNIS: NATIONAL BANK OPEN, MONTRÉAL
SEPTEMBER
• GATINEAU HOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL
www.quebecoriginal.com/en-gb/events
country skiing, dogsledding and snow-
shoeing (www.sepaq.com).
Every August, the sky becomes a canvas for
the shooting stars of the Perseid meteor showers
and the Velan astronomy pavilion at Domaine
Saint-Bernard offers regular stargazing
sessions (www.mont-tremblant.ca/en/
what-to-do/f/199/velan-astronomy-
pavillion-domaine-saint-bernard).
CANOEING IN JACQUES-CARTIER NATIONAL PARK • REGION DE QUÉBEC COPYRIGHT GOUVQC/
JEAN-FRANCOIS FRENETTE
Campers can bring dogs along to certain
Québec national parks, with the exception
of the Anticosti and Île-Bonaventure-et-du-
Rocher-Percé national parks (www.sepaq.com/
animaux/).
Two-wheelers take to “la Route verte,” a
5,300-km (3,293-mi.) web of cycling and multi-
use paths that criss-cross the province, creating
the largest cycling network in North America.
Spectacular sightlines are the norm at
Québec public golf courses. One of the most
challenging is Le Géant at Mont-Tremblant,
a master’s 18-hole championship course
carved out of the Laurentian landscape.
Chemins d’Eau is a tourist route
dedicated to the Ottawa River (the province’s
longest river), retracing the steps of the First
Nations, explorers and wood barons
(www.tourismeoutaouais.com).
In the Laurentian Mountains, north of
Montréal, Le P’tit Train du Nord Linear Park
is a former railroad track converted into a
234-km (144-mi.) level biking and walking
trail—and a cross-country skiing, fat biking
or snowmobiling trail in winter—between
Saint-Jérôme and Mont-Laurier (www.lauren
tides.com/en). Or ride a panoramic gondola
to the summit of Mont-Tremblant.
Whale watching from Tadoussac, Baie-
Sainte-Catherine and Rivière-du-Loup, gets
visitors close to nature with sightings of minke,
humpback and even the rare blue whale, as do
boat cruises from the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula
to the seabird sanctuary at Bonaventure Island
(www.quebecmaritime.ca).
Wedge Hills Lodge, nestled on the shores
of the mythical George River, now offers
excursions leaving the lodge by float plane to
explore the Torngat Mountains—the natural
border between Nunavik, Québec and
Labrador. Explore and photograph this
territory known as the Golden Peninsula by
fat bike, packraft and/or hiking, or a
combination of it all—from the comfort of
the lodge, where you can also catch some
pretty impressive Atlantic salmon
(www.wedgehillslodge.com/tours).
Winter transforms the newly opened Parc
régional de Kilkenny into a snowy playground
in Lanaudière. Glide through silent forests on
cross-country skis or snowshoes, tracing
trails past frozen lakes, a winding river, and a
thriving wildlife habitat born from a former
quarry. It’s an untamed, crowd-free winter
escape (www.parckilkenny.com).
HERITAGE AND CULTURE
“Cité Mémoire” is an interactive way to learn
about the history of Montréal. Also in Charlevoix,
use a free mobile app that guides users
through points of interest. It includes
daytime and nighttime scenarios, with short
movies projected on buildings, streets and
trees (www.montrealenhistoires.com).
Québec City is the only walled city north
of Mexico, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
and a textbook of 17th and 18th century
architecture. Begin with a visit to Battlefields
Park, also known as the Plains of Abraham,
the site of pivotal clashes between French
and English forces (www.ccbn-nbc.gc.ca).
Catch the view from Dufferin Terrace
overlooking the St. Lawrence River, or stop
for tea at Le Château Frontenac, one of the
world’s most photographed hotels
(www.quebec-cite.com/en).
The summertime New France Festival
(Les Fêtes de la Nouvelle-France) in Québec
City is a showcase of the roots of francophone
culture. Costumed revellers celebrate all that