15 Best Performing Arts Venues in Quebec City, Quebec

A flurry of activity, mainly on the Plains of Abraham but also on several of the city's main drags, surrounds Carnaval de Québec, which occurs over two weekends every February. Snow- and ice-sculpture contests, dog sled relays, and canoe races on the icy St. Lawrence River chase away winter doldrums. Visitors brave the cold to get a glimpse of Bonhomme, the friendly carnival master, and tour his Ice Palace, which is rebuilt each year. Caribou, a strong mixture of red wine, hard liquor, and maple syrup, is a popular libation during the festivities.

An annual highlight each July, the exuberant Festival d'été de Québec electrifies the city for over seven days. It's a vibrant celebration of music in various sizes and genres, welcoming a host of internationally acclaimed acts such as 50 Cent, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Metallica, Lady Gaga, Shania Twain, and Bon Jovi, alongside French-speaking legends from Québec and France, and a string of emerging artists. The main concerts thunder across three outdoor stages in or near the Old City each evening, including one on the Plains of Abraham that can accommodate up to 80,000 people.

A pass ( C$165) grants admission to all festival events. While some indoor theater concerts cost extra, the festival also offers an abundance of free music and activities, such as family concerts and lively street performers during the day. By night, Rue St-Jean near the city gate transforms into a free street theater, pulsating with drummers, dancers, and captivating skits. If you plan to attend, be sure to book your accommodation several months in advance.

Canada's oldest symphony orchestra, directed by the dynamic German conductor Clemens Schuldt, performs mainly at Louis-Fréchette Hall in the Grand Théâtre de Québec. Expect some of the most acclaimed classical works, but also fun surprises like hip-hop renditions and movie scores.

Tickets for most shows in town are sold through this company. There are outlets around town.

This international theatrical festival takes over several spaces in late May and early June: the Salle Albert-Rousseau, the Grand Théâtre de Québec, the Théâtre Périscope (near avenue Cartier), and Complexe Méduse. There are usually at least one or two productions in English or with English subtitles, and an outdoor show that takes over different parts of the downtown area.

This state-of-the-art arena opened in the fall of 2015, with the hope of attracting a National Hockey League franchise. For now, the hockey is from a junior league, but there are world-class concerts and popular acts playing here regularly.

For two weeks every June, students of this circus school and others take to the trapeze to promote their art form through the Circus Days festival. Throughout the year, students and teachers put on various shows, training camps, and workshops, including a Christmas Cabaret, in the former church that now houses their school.

Québec City's main theater has two stages for symphonic concerts, opera, plays, and touring companies of all sorts. The Grand Théâtre also presents a dance series with Canadian and international companies. Inside, a three-wall mural by the Québec sculptor Jordi Bonet depicts death, life, and liberty. Bonet wrote "La Liberté" on one wall to bring attention to the Quebecois struggle for freedom and cultural distinction.

Le Diamant is a multidisciplinary space that welcomes the world's most prestigious contemporary creations to its strikingly modern stage in the heart of Old Québec. It is also the home of EX MACHINA, the production company of Robert Lepage, director and author known worldwide for his large-scale projects (including the Image Mill, the largest architectural projection ever created). At Le Diamant, dance, theater, and opera productions are enhanced by new technologies, continuously pushing the limits of the imagination.

This multidisciplinary arts center, built in a row of historic houses mixed with new structures, is a hub for local artists and presents edgy installations and live shows, including a modern dance series.

This venue stages a diverse repertoire, primarily showcasing some of the biggest French-speaking acts in the province, though occasional English-speaking productions also grace its stage.

This cabaret-style theater schedules pop music and musical comedy shows by the most famous French-speaking artists in Québec.

This multipurpose theater hosts about a dozen different productions a year, staged by several different theater companies. New creations and experimental productions are always a strong part of the mix.

The charming and intimate Théâtre Petit-Champlain is a fine spot to hear contemporary francophone music and comedy acts during the year and take in a play in summer.

This movie theater screens lots of interesting foreign and offbeat films, and it's the only one within easy reach of Old Québec. Many of the films are shown in English.