MapleSquare

Arts and Culture

Montreal is considered the cultural hub throughout Quebec.

The Place des Arts consists of five theatres, the Musee d'art contemporain de Montreal, and several other halls, shops, and facilities connected through an underground mall with a large open square in the centre. It is the home of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and public works by artists like Claude Battinger, Pierre Granche, and Genevicve Cadieux. Finally, it is the site of the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

Other renowned celebrations held in Montreal include the Just For Laughs Festival (street comedy, film festival), the Francofolies (French music), Montreal International Fireworks Competition, and several film festivals.

Sports and Recreation

Montreal was host to the 1976 Summer Olympics and 2006 World Outgames, and is the site for the annual Canadian Grand Prix and the Rogers Cup Tennis Masters tournament.

The city's favorite sport is hockey, whose team the Montreal Canadiens won the most number of championships ever. Other sports teams include Montreal Alouettes (CFL), Montreal Impact (USL), Montreal Expos (MLB), and Montreal Royal (ABA).

The largest sports venues in Montreal are the Gilles Villneuve Circuit (car racing), the Olympic Stadium, the Hippodrome de Montreal (horse racing), and the Bell Centre (Montreal Canadiens).

As with the rest of Canada, Montreal has a fully-developed network of parks, which provide areas for cross-country skiing and ice skating especially during winter, and bicycle paths. It has five beaches as well as spots for canoeing, kayaking, and river surfing.