Famous for their joie de vivre and warm hospitality, Montrealers delight in welcoming visitors to their city and initiating them to the countless pleasures that Montreal has to offer. All year long, world-renowned festivals and major events for all interests and ages bring together enthusiastic lovers of music, humor, cinema, bright lights and sports.

Major Festivals and Sporting Events

Every year, Montreal's festival season gets underway with the Montreal International Jazz Festival. Considered the largest celebration of jazz in the world, the festival attracts more than a million and a half spectators. Every year, the festival has grown to include some 400 concerts, with 300 offered free of charge at various outdoor venues.

The Grand Prix of Canada is an international sporting event that brings together the biggest names in Formula 1 auto racing and the biggest fans of the sport from around the world. It's the drivers that compete on the Gilles-Villeneuve Circuit at Jean-Drapeau Park on Notre-Dame Island, but it's the whole city that moves to the beat of Formula 1 racing during the festivities.

A true celebration of humor, the Just for Laughs Festival welcomes artists from the four corners of the globe. Every year, some 2,000 performers and over a million and a half spectators take part in some of the funniest shows on the planet at a number of venues throughout the city. The festival is followed by the FrancoFolies, a major celebration of French-language song from here and abroad.

Every year, Montreal hosts the Rogers Cup, an international-caliber tennis tournament that attracts the top-ranking stars in men's and women's tennis. An ever-popular event with players and fans alike, the tournament set an attendance record in 2007 with over 185,000 spectators.

Montrealers can't get enough of cinema and enjoy a number of internationally renowned film festivals, including the World Film Festival and the Montreal Festival of Nouveau Cinema. These two events offer cinema buffs a unique opportunity to take in the latest works of some of world's most celebrated directors, discover new talent or just ponder the planet from a different angle.

The Montreal High Lights Festival has become the city's official winter extravaganza. Unique in its genre, this celebration of the senses is actually three festivals in one: the performing arts, fine dining and bright lights all take center stage for ten days in the month of February. Participants are invited to take part in a wide range of activities - including the now-famous All-Nighter - at both indoor and outdoor venues in the heart of the city of festivals.

Tourist Attractions

Science Activities
The Montreal Botanical Garden is considered one of the largest botanical gardens in the world. It brings together a collection of 22,000 plant species, ten exhibition greenhouses and some 30 thematic gardens. The Botanical Garden is home to the Insectarium, which stages entomological exhibitions and activities to awaken visitors to the wonders of the world of insects. Nearby, the Montreal Biodôme recreates the flora and fauna of some of the most spectacular ecosystems on the planet, including tropical forests and polar regions. The Laval Cosmodôme, which houses the Space Camp and the Space Science Center, provides young people with an opportunity to discover space technology and science, as well as the history and development of space exploration.

Gastronomy
Renowned as one of the gastronomic capitals of North America, Montreal has developed an innovative cuisine that reflects its multicultural identity. From its high-end restaurants that feature delectable creations by world-renowned chefs to its friendly neighborhood cafes where delicious home-style cuisine is the daily fare, Montreal has something for all tastes and budgets.

City Under the City
Unique in the world, Montreal's underground city is a vast network of 30 kilometers (20 miles) of pedestrian walkways and shops below the city. Users have access to the downtown metro stations, a number of office buildings, seven large hotels, two universities, 200 restaurants, 1,700 boutiques, 37 movie theaters, two train stations, 62 building complexes and much more. Thousands of pedestrians use the network daily to get to work or to shop at their favorite boutiques.