Sake and Japanophiles fasten your drink belt, you are about to enter a SAKE festival because WHY NOT?
Montreal has a festival for pretty much everything. Jazz? Obviously. Poutine? Naturally. Tattoos? Been there. But saké? Now we’re talking.
After a three-year absence, Kampai Montréal, Festival du Saké is making its return October 4 and 5, taking over the Salle Panorama on the second floor of Marché Jean-Talon. And if your relationship with saké begins and ends with that mysterious little carafe you order with sushi, this might be the weekend to change that.
Wait — There Are 150 Sakés?
Kampai is bringing together around 20 exhibitors and nearly 150 different sakés, many of which are normally available in Quebec only through private importation. Translation: you’re going to taste bottles you probably aren’t casually grabbing at the SAQ on your way home.
And this is where things get interesting.
Saké isn’t one thing. Depending on how it’s made, it can move through wildly different aromas, textures and flavour profiles — which also means there’s a lot more you can pair it with than sushi.
The festival is designed for both the saké-obsessed and the saké-curious, so nobody needs to arrive pretending they know what they’re doing.
Taste first. Become insufferably knowledgeable later.
Come for the Saké, Stay for the Mini Masterclass
So many to try, make sure to take an Uber, or Metro, no drivers here lol.
Two workshops are happening throughout Sunday.
Benoît Champagne — who comes armed with some serious credentials, including WSET Saké 3 and certification from the Nanbu guild in Iwate, Japan — will break down the different Japanese saké categories, accompanied by a tasting of three sakés.
Then there’s Kuniko Fujita, aka “Madame Saké au Québec,” who tackles one of the questions we’re much more interested in: what do we eat with it?
Her workshop explores saké pairings ranging from Asian cuisine to local Quebec ingredients, demonstrating just how versatile the drink can actually be. So, How Does Kampai Montréal Work?
Sunday, October 4 is the big public day, running 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, October 5 shifts gears with a 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. industry session for professionals.
For the public event, you choose your level of commitment.
Tickets start at $35 + tax for the Discovery package with a glass and 10 tasting coupons. The Amateur package is $60 with 20 coupons, while the $80 Connoisseur package gives you 30. Extra packs of 10 coupons are $25.
Our advice? Come curious and don’t automatically gravitate toward whatever tastes most familiar.
Step outside the familiar and taste something you may not love at first—but could crave later. The tongue is a fickle believer, loyal to what it already knows. Push its boundaries beyond the expected: sweet, salty, sour, umami, spicy and bitter. Sometimes the best tastes are the ones we have to discover.
The whole point of having nearly 150 sakés in one Montreal room is discovering that the one you thought you liked might not even be the one you leave talking about. As a lover of sake myself, with a cute little handmade sake kit in mu kitchen – I can’t wait to find some new sakes to love and pair with sushi!
Kampai Montréal
📍 Salle Panorama, Marché Jean-Talon
📅 October 4–5, 2026
🍶 Public tasting: Sunday, October 4, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
🎟 From $35 + tax
Have a few drinks and apps and then go EnJOY yourself at the social spa ;)
