215 Best Performing Arts Venues in Canada

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.

A favorite of Montréal moviegoers for years, this theater focuses on art films from around the world. Retrospectives based on interesting themes and prominent directors are also screened. Located inside the Galeries du Parc mall, near McGill University, it primarily caters to an anglophone audience.  Free parking for four hours; ask for coupon at the box office.

This sensational circus is one of Montréal's great success stories. The company—founded in 1984 by a pair of street performers—has completely changed people's idea of what a circus can do. Its shows, now an international phenomenon, use no animals. Instead, colorful acrobatics flirt with the absurd through the use of music, humor, dance, and glorious (and often risqué) costumes. The Cirque has companies in Las Vegas and one each in Orlando and Los Angeles—but none in Montréal (though its HQ and a circus school are located in the northern part of the city). Nevertheless, every year or two, one of its international touring companies returns to where it all began, the Old Port, and sets up the familiar blue-and-yellow tent for a summer of sold-out shows.

This award-winning troupe has been touring the globe since 1993, and with well over 4,000 performances under its belt, shows no signs of slowing down. Constantly evolving, Cirque Éloize uses artistic mediums like video and music to bring the circus arts to the masses.

This gem of Toronto’s arts scene includes two former vaudeville halls, built in 1913 and stacked one on top of the other. It's the world’s last operating double-decker theater complex—Elgin Theater on the lower level and Winter Garden Theater above—and a designated Canadian National Historic Site. Until 1928, the venues hosted silent-film and vaudeville stars like George Burns, Gracie Allen, and Edgar Bergen with Charlie McCarthy. Today, audiences still enjoy performances in stunning surroundings: the Elgin’s dramatic gold-leaf-and-cherub interior and the Winter Garden’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream–inspired décor, complete with tree branches overhead. The stages host Broadway-style musicals, comedians, jazz concerts, operas, and Toronto International Film Festival screenings. Monday-afternoon guided tours (90 minutes long) are usually offered a few select days each month.

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.

Francos de Montréal is one of the city's cultural beacons, offering a range of free grand-scale outdoor performances mixed with ticketed shows in stunning indoor venues. More than 1,000 musicians, many from France, Belgium, Senegal, and Haiti, weave the rich tapestry of the French-speaking world with rock, hip-hop, jazz, funk, and Latin performances, alongside Québec household names such as Daniel Bélanger, Robert Charlebois, Coeur de Pirate, and Charlotte Cardin.

Spread over five floors, Montréal's largest public library is a modern, light-filled, and spacious place to while away an afternoon perusing an impressive film collection. With 18 screening stations and new titles acquired monthly, it offers a wide range of genres to suit film buffs.

Saint John's theater, opera, ballet, and symphony productions, along with touring bands and comedians, take place at this beautifully restored theater—and the 1912 vaudeville venue offers the most comprehensive programming in Atlantic Canada. Tours (C$2) are available from May through August during regular business hours, or by appointment September through April.

This handsome 1,135-seat concert hall pleases performers and audiences with rich acoustics and undulating wood "strings" floating overhead. Acts have included such greats as Yo-Yo Ma, Chick Corea, Ravi Shankar, Midori, Taj Mahal, and Savion Glover. It's known as the crown jewel of The Royal Conservatory's headquarters.

Showcasing the work of regional and international artists, the nonprofit Le Centre d’Exposition de Val-David is the largest art gallery and exhibition hall in the area. Admission is free.

Since 2019, Le Monastère has been putting on mesmerizing circus cabaret performances at St. Jax (formerly St. James the Apostle Anglican Church) underneath its magnificent wooden ceiling complemented by intricate stained-glass windows. The shows vary from month to month and feature different performers, but one thing is certain: an evening out at Le Monastère is an experience you're not likely to forget.  In summer, Le Monastère presents outdoor shows outside in Le Jardin.

One of Canada's premier ballet companies, Les Grands have been moving audiences since 1957. Under the artistic direction of Ivan Cavallari, the company has continued to evolve a rich body of both classic and contemporary work. Its annual presentation of The Nutcracker, which often sells out, is a longstanding Christmas tradition. Performances take place at the Place des Arts.

A landmark in downtown St. John's, the spectacular marquis sign on this recently renovated historic theater can't be missed. Its events lineup includes live music, stand-up comedy, musical theater, and original stage plays. Pop in during daytime hours to enjoy a hot beverage or cocktail at the Theatre Hill Bar + Café. 

In the large plaza fronting city hall, neat rows of darling little wooden huts exactly like those you'd find in Germany offer steaming hot pretzels, gingerbread, mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, and other aromatic foods, while jewelry designers, wood sculptors, glassmakers, and other artisans chat animatedly with customers, as German Christmas carols play in the background. If you can’t get to Europe for the holidays, this market is probably the most magical and most authentic you'll find in North America. It market opens in the third week of November and lasts until December 23.

This historic, world-renowned concert venue has delivered near-perfect acoustics and hosted top artists since 1894—from Dizzy Gillespie to Justin Bieber—along with comedians, indie bands, dance performances, and theater productions. Massey Hall reopened in 2021 after a three-year closure, unveiling a beautifully restored facade, carefully hand-repaired ceiling arches, and the new Allied Music Centre, a seven-story glass tower that adds space for events.

Featuring bespoke prix-fixe menus at renowned restaurants, this is the flagship event of the Montréal culinary scene. This beacon of terroir gastronomy beckons foodies to discover exclusive dining experiences throughout the city. For those on a smaller budget, it's an excellent opportunity to dine at high-end restaurants and fork out just a fraction of the usual damage.

Montréal's beloved OSM, under the direction of internationally acclaimed conductor and musical director Rafael Payare, plays programs that include masterful renditions of the classics, with contemporary works thrown into the mix. The orchestra's home, the Maison Symphonique de Montréal, is part of the Place des Arts complex.

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.

See classic Shakespeare, along with an inspired selection of more modern plays, performed in this rustic and intimate open-air venue based on Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. Theatergoers are encouraged to bring blankets or cushions to cozy-up the wooden bleacher-style seating. 

Enriching the Townships' cultural landscape since 1965, this theater, in a former pig barn in the mountains, is known for showcasing English-language plays, with a focus on Canadian playwrights. Concerts, magic shows, and comedy acts also feature in a season that runs mid-May through October.

A wide range of entertainment is staged at this fine theater next door to the provincial legislature, including international comedians and musicians, tribute bands, and cultural performances by Symphony New Brunswick, Theatre New Brunswick, and traveling ballet and dance companies.

You'll get a bit of everything at the Rio Theatre: Hollywood flicks, cult classics, as well as live entertainment like burlesque, comedy, and more. This is a real East Vancouver institution. When the building went up for sale in 2018, the community rallied together to raise more than $3 million to save the historic theater. There's also a bar and concession stand. (If you're hungry, order the grilled cheese.)

Toronto's premier concert hall, home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, also hosts visiting orchestras, popular entertainers, and Toronto International Film Festival red-carpet screenings. The 2,630-seat auditorium opened in 1982 and is named after Roy Thomson, who was born in Toronto and founded the publishing empire Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters).

From July through early September, actors perform works by the Bard and others in Point Pleasant Park, at the southern end of the Halifax peninsula. The natural setting—dark woods, rocky shore, and ruins of fortifications—provides a dramatic backdrop. Performances take place from Tuesday through Sunday at 7 pm, with an improv night on Monday (weather permitting), and you can arrive up to two hours before to secure a good spot (at least 30 minutes before is recommended).

Niagara-on-the-Lake remained a sleepy town until 1962, when local lawyer Brian Doherty organized eight weekend performances of two George Bernard Shaw plays, Don Juan in Hell and Candida. The next year he helped found the festival, whose mission is to perform the works of Shaw and his contemporaries, including Noël Coward, Bertolt Brecht, J. M. Barrie, J. M. Synge, and Anton Chekhov. Now, the festival has expanded to close to a dozen plays, running from April to October, including some contemporary plays by Canadian playwrights and one or two musicals. All are staged in one of four theaters within a few blocks of one another. The handsome Festival Theatre, the largest of the three, stands on Queen's Parade near Wellington Street and houses the box office. The Court House Theatre, on Queen Street between King and Regent Streets, served as the town's municipal offices until 1969 and is a national historic site. At the corner of Queen and Victoria streets, the Royal George Theatre was originally built as a vaudeville house in 1915. The Studio Theatre, the smallest of the four, hosts mostly contemporary performances. The festival is one of the biggest events in the summer.  Regular-price tickets cost C$39 to C$182, but discounts abound.

Founded in 1998 by twelve Canadian artists, Soulpepper is one of Toronto’s most well-known, independent, not-for-profit theater companies. Known for its bold and thoughtful programming, Soulpepper stages a dynamic mix of classics, original plays, musicals, and concerts throughout the year. One of its most famous productions was Ins Choi's play Kim's Convenience, which became a popular TV show. With a commitment to artistic excellence and community engagement, this company is a cornerstone of the city's vibrant performing arts scene.

One of the two largest classical repertory companies in the world—England's Royal Shakespeare Company is the other—the Festival presents not only Shakespeare plays, but also works by other dramatists (including new plays) and popular musicals and musical revues in its four theaters.

The 1,800-seat Festival Theatre ( 55 Queen St.), with its hexagonal wooden thrust stage and permanent wooden stage set, is the largest and the oldest of the theaters—in its first incarnation in 1953 it was just a stage under a tent. The 1,100-seat Avon Theatre ( 99 Downie St.) has a traditional proscenium stage, while the Tom Patterson Theatre and Lazaridis Hall ( 111 Lakeside Dr.) has a long, runway-style thrust stage and 600 seats. The petite Studio Theatre ( 34 George St. E), with only 260 seats, is the go-to space for experimental and new works. It has a modern appearance and a hexagonal thrust stage.

Throughout the season, 12 to 16 productions are mounted, always with at least a couple of family-friendly productions. At the height of the festival in July and August you may be able to choose from among eight performances. The festival also offers numerous concerts, workshops, tours, lectures, and talks, such as Meet the Festival, where the public can ask questions of actors and artists. The festival has both matinees and evening performances (and many visitors do see two plays per day).

For five weeks in July and August, Stratford Summer Music brings musicians—from elegant string quartets to folky bluegrass bands—to indoor and outdoor venues around town. Outdoor performances, like those sounding from a barge on the Avon River, are free. Series may include Friday night cabarets at Revival House and classical music lunches. Some performances sell out, so get tickets in advance.