Montreal Holiday Party Guide | Top 10 Events & NYE Blowouts!
The Montreal holiday party guide is jam-packed with amazing events this season. After 20+ years of DJ’ing, I’ve learned a thing or two about how to select the right Montreal holiday party for you and your crew! So here are my top 10 picks to keep you entertained all throughout the festive season.
Let’s start by diving into the noteworthy Montreal holiday events leading up to the big New Year’s Eve blowouts, in no particular order!
1- REUNION ST LAURENT WITH JOJO FLORES
House music heads need no introduction to the killer events hosted by Gotsoul & Josh Silver featuring globe-trotting Montréal DJ’s like Jojo Flores and Michael Terzian! On December 22 they are throwing a party at at Bar Baby to celebrate the legacy of Montreal’s infamous St. Laurent Boulevard! Relive the glory days of classic clubs like Business, Di Salvio’s, Zoo Bar, Steel Monkey, Wax Lounge, etc.
Saturday Dec 22 @ 8pm.Find tickets here.3002 Rue St-Antoine O, Montréal, QC H4C 1A5
2- THE DOROTHY PROJECT – A UNIQUE JOURNEY TO THE EDGE OF SPACE
Fresh from their successful viewings at Astro-Fest at the Planetarium and then at Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, The Dorothy Project invites the public to experience Mission Umbra, an immersive 360° film presented under the dome at the Société Des Arts Technologiques (SAT).
This special afternoon will offer an unprecedented journey through science, art & environmental awareness, featuring a 12-minute immersive short film and a 45-minute behind-the-scenes documentary revealing the technical feat and human adventure behind it.
On April 8, 2024, the Dorothy Project team launched a stratospheric module equipped with 360° cameras to capture the total solar eclipse from an altitude of 34 kilometres. This setup recorded the Moon’s shadow moving across the Mégantic region at over 4000 km/h. The resulting images offer an extraordinary immersive perspective, allowing viewers to experience Earth and this celestial phenomenon as if standing on the edge of space.
Founded in 2017 by Mathieu Baptista, The Dorothy Project aims to explore and document Earth’s natural phenomena from the stratosphere. The project embraces an Ecopoetic approach, aiming to create the “overview effect” : a sense of ecological awareness inspired by awe-inspiring images of our planet.
Saturday Dec 28 @ 11am. SAT. Find tickets here.1201, Boul. Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC, H2X 2S6
3- GOSPEL BRUNCH @ LE BALCON WITH MICHELLE SWEENEY
Whenever I take a trip to the stratosphere to experience a solar eclipse, it leaves me famished! So why not head to Le Balcon for an exquisite brunch while your soul is nourished by the heavenly voice of Michelle Sweeney. This original disco soul gospel diva has been an integral part of the Montreal music for decades!
While collaborating with Quicksound I had the pleasure of performing with her at the opening of Club Unity back in the 90s. Then in 2011 we hired her to sing the theme song Quicksound created for Jean Paul Gaulthier’s PINKARNAVAL at Just for Laughs. She always delivers an unparalled vocal performance!
Le Balcon invites you for an exhilarating spectacle of gospel music, accompanied by a delicious table d’hôte menu specially designed for this occasion.
December 28 @12h30pm. Le Balcon. Find tickets here. 463 Ste-Catherine Ouest, Montreal, QC, H3B 1B1
4- LUPE FUENTES X-MAS PARTY @ NEWSPEAK
In the evening of December 28th my top pick is to check Colombian tech-house DJ and producer Lupe Fuentes. Her music is complemented with Afro-Latin rhythms and deep tribal percussion that always gets me dancing!
Her music career started with a bang, releasing her debut record, “So High,” on Junior Sanchez’s Brobot Records and reaching the top5 on Traxsource’s Tech House Chart with “Don’t Hold Back”. From there she blew up with releases on renowned labels such as Nervous, Mad Tech, Lost Records, Simma Black, Inhouse, Guesthouse, Undercool, Defined, Positive, and WIN Music.
From being featured in Pulse Radio, Mixmag, and DJ Mag to live streams on Insomniac TV to performing live, Lupe has no plans to slow down. ”I don’t do this for any other reason than I love house music, I love to DJ and I’m compelled daily to produce. be it in one person or 50,000 on the dancefloor. I’ll make sure they feel like I`m playing just for them!”
Presented by I Love Neon, the event features local support by Diskommander and Stéphane Lippé.
December 28 @ 22h. Newspeak. Find tickets here.1683 Rue Berri, Montréal, QC H2L 4E9, Canada
5- OLD PORT ACTIVITIES FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE
Igloofest has outdone themselves creating a free outdoor event in the Old Port with a massive fireworks display, live music, DJ’s, a NYE countdown and a multimedia performance. The event lasts from 8pm until 2am at Quai Jacques-Cartier and features performances Alaclair Ensemble, Arielle Roberge, Champion et ses G-strings, CRi and special guests DJ PØPTRT, Laure, Robert Robert, Tallandskiinny. For VIP ticket access click here.
6- KAYTRANADA NYE 2025
Montreal’s own Kaytranada is set to headline a massive NYE party at the Grand Quay in the Old Port. Hosted indoors by local promoters Avec Courage, the event celebrates the Grammy-winning producer’s return to his hometown.
Known for his genre-blending beats across house, hip hop, and R&B, Kaytranada promises an unforgetattable night featuring tracks that have made him a global icon. Adding to the excitement, the Grand Quay will transform into a high-energy dancefloor, creating the perfect backdrop for this year-end celebration. With hits like Glowed Up and You’re the one, blending cutting-edge music with the city’s vibrant spirit.
Grand Quai de Vieux Port, Find tickets here. 200 de la Communne St. Montreal, QC, H2Y 4B2
7- VISION FESTIVAL
The most ambitious party is the revamped VISION event which is now three events at Entrepots Dominion on December 28,29 and 31. If you are looking for a mainstream big room style event with major production values, this event is perfect for you! The lighting design was created by Bun Bun and should be spectacular!
The opening night features Serge Devant (United States) and Cristina Lazic (Italy), both from British label Crosstown Rebels. Montreal DJs Guillaume Michaud and Elio Elia will open from 10 p.m – 8 a.m.
Entrepot Dominion. Find ticket here. 3970 rue St-Ambroise, H4C 2C7.
On December 29th they have created a day time event in partnership with the SXM Festival in St-Martin created by acclaimed Montreal DJ Julian Prince. The lineup is made up of two headliners under the All Day I Dream and Anjunadeep banner, including one of my favorite artists Sébastien Léger (France), and Sinca (Montreal).
On December 31st for NYE the main room will be hosted by the Satya label run by YokoO (Portugal) featuring performances by Matthew Dekay (Netherlands), Mihai Popoviciu (Romania), and a special secret guest. The second room will be presented by Montreal collective Hidden Garden, with performances from local DJs Dexter Crowe, Famu, Depalma, SEVN and MOTI.
Entrepot Dominion. Find ticket here. 3970 rue St-Ambroise, H4C 2C7.
8- LEVITATE
On the flip side if you are looking for an underground rave on the psychedelic tip, then Levitate has you covered! Organized by Ancient Om Productions, Bad Rabbit and the team that creates the Triskel Festival, the events features incredibly trippy decor, immersive video projections by VJ’s DMTeam and two rooms with a stacked line up of DJ’s.
Entrepot Dominion. Find ticket here. 3970 rue St-Ambroise, H4C 2C7.
The main room is on the Psy Trance / Prog / Techno side of the spectrum and features seasoned veterans and some of my local favorites like Melow, Rikam, Virtual Light, Enakim, Mujunda vs Transpose, Beathead b2b Ben Solo and more!
Entrepot Dominion. Find ticket here. 3970 rue St-Ambroise, H4C 2C7.
The second room is more on the organic tip and features World Beat, House, Techno, Bass Music and Chillout vibes. I’m performing as DJ Guapo at 2:30am and my set will feature funk and disco remixed as Bass House and UK Garage, ending with some reggae inspired Drum n Bass. Super stoked to perform once again alongside so may of my talented friends like Aikido, Sabi Non-Stop, Semira, Prana Papa and Xnorophis!
9pm-10am. Find tickets here.1088 Rue Clark, Montréal, QC H2Z 1K2, CanadaK2, Canada
9- COSMOVISION NYE 2025
If you are looking for a Downtempo/ Chill rave / Folktronica type of Burning Man meets Tulum vibe, local label Cosmovision has what you need! They specialize in the symbiosis created by blending electronic music with folk traditions and world culture.
The event features performances by some of my favourites like Don Mescal, Caterina Infinity, Khalil.m, Ra*faelle and Swa Swally. With Visuals & mapping by Kerimbonia & BXL, live painting by Simon Provost, body-painting by Amarena De Luca and circus performances by Yin Yang Duo, Alexia, The Twisted Jesters, Eol.
9pm-6am. Tickets here. 2023 Blvd St-Laurent, Montreal, QC, H2X 2T3
10- BASSIX NYE
For the bass music heads who need that deep wobbly bass all night long, this is the event for you! Local speaker phreaks Bassix Productions design and build their own sound system. Without a doubt the best sound system I have ever had the pleasure of performing on! I had mad respect for this crew!
The musical journey will be a wild ride across genres and tempos from dubstep, to dnb, to jungle, to juke, to acid techno provided by Bassix members Wally, Snowphish, Pyrotritch, Lockout and Sequel with their invited guests Krad, Kiviv and Shigero. Video projections by Visu.Alchemy and Resist & Dismantle.
Secret location to be revealed! Find tickets here. 11pm-7am
BONUS! HABITAT SONORE : NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS
On the flip side if all night electronic music parties aren’t really your cup of tea, may I recommend a visit to the Phi Center to check out the Dolby Atmos experience created by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds? I’ve written about this artist several times over the years. Most recently I covered the North American premiere of his art exhibition Stranger Thank Kindness.
Following up on the success of that experience, Nick and the band invite you to a Dolby Atmos listening experience of the new album, “Wild God”. Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology that creates a three-dimensional audio experience by adding height channels to existing systems. It is the ultimate way to be fully immersed in music.
The listening experience program will begin with a series of carefully curated audio pieces featuring Nick Cave, drawn from his thoughtful Q&A exchanges and behind-the-scenes moments with the Bad Seeds. Presented in English, with French transcriptions available on-site, each piece invites listeners to a contemplative and immersive experience. The short documentary revealing the behind-the-scenes of Wild God will be screened in the lobby, accessible to all visitors.
The exhibit runs from December 26-January 19, 2025.
PHI CENTER. 407 Rue St-Pierre, Montréal, QC H2Y 2M3. All Ages. General admission: $20. Find tickets here.
