Hope you had some good heartwarming and relaxing times yesterday, Montreal. ❤️

As many of you are likely just *barely* reading this over the paunch you've acquired from eating and drinking to excess with family and friends, this weekend invites you to sweat it all off with a lot of activities and occasions to dance—yup, that's BEFORE New Year's Eve takes place.

As for NYE, we've collected a lot of parties, dinners, and all-nighters for you to check out with the link below, and even more in our Where to Eat & Drink section further down.

Wait. There's more! We've collected hot takes and warm memories from what the best restaurants and bars of 2024 were, plus some notions on who to expect on the Michelin Guide in 2025 and other curiosities... 👀

Here's what's up (and scroll down for more).

New’s Years Eve in Montreal 2024: Parties, dinners, and more

Parties and dinners for New Year’s Eve in Montreal, perfect for bidding 2024 adieu and welcoming 2025 with fireworks, bubbles, and more.

The MainThe Main

Activities, parties, points of interest, art exhibitions, you name it: These are the weekend events you don't want to miss.

Thursday

🎨 Enjoy free admission to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts from December 24 to 31! Reservations are required online.

🎞️ The PHI Centre the new album Wild God, featuring exclusive audio of Nick Cave’s Q&A moments and behind-the-scenes insights with the Bad Seeds.

🕺 Le Cypher X brings its signature blend of live hip-hop, soul, and freestyle jams to O Patro Vys to create a vibrant dancefloor.

Friday

🔥 Maghreb Night: Special New Year’s Edition promises an unforgettable evening with performances by Meryem Saci, Boulila, Ali Mossi, and 2Fakh.

🚲 Critical Mass Montreal invites everyone to a bike ride starting at 5pm with music, lights, and a community that blends fun with social & environmental advocacy. ✨

Saturday

🔮 Festival Vision returns to Entrepôts Dominion with a three-day New Year’s celebration featuring international headliners paired with visual scenography.

🪩 REWIND: 80’s New Wave Dance Party brings non-stop New Wave, Brit Pop, Synth Pop, Goth, Alternative, and Italo Disco vibes 'n' hits to Cabaret Berlin.

💡 Festival LUMEN at New City Gas blends music, art, and technology for a celebration of the year’s end.

😵‍💫 Teknoël Agricole returns to Bar La Shop with an acid-tribe-inspired lineup featuring live and vinyl DJ sets, plus visuals from VJs.

🌴 Back In The Day brings an old-school holiday party to The Farsides with 90s and 2000s hip-hop and R&B classics from Wu-Tang to Destiny’s Child.

📚 Phoenix Books hosts another Holiday Pop-Up Weekend with a local vendor for holiday gifts and plenty of great books.

Sunday

☃️ SOUS ZÉRO, a free winter music festival organized by Aire commune, will transform Place Jacques-Cartier into a vibrant celebration of music, art, and New Year festivities from December 29 to 31.

🏯 The Japanese Canadian Cultural Center of Montreal's hosting a EOY party with festive vibes and food for just $10—you gotta secure your spot early, though.

📽️ See Comme le feu at Cinéma Moderne, a film exploring the tensions of youthful ideals and adult egos in the wild, isolated domain of a legendary filmmaker.

💀 A Cannibal Holiday Feast at La Sotterenea features heavy sounds with thrash metal, thrash core, street punk, and more. Doors at 7:30pm, noise starts at 8pm.

It's never too late to give this gift 👇

There’s no better gift than an unforgettable experience, and Montreal’s top-rated restaurants excel at creating nights to remember.

Give a gift your special someone will always remember with digital gift cards from TREATER: Select a restaurant, choose an amount you want to offer, and watch their face light up twice—first when they receive it, and then after they experience it.

Best of all? TREATER gift cards do not expire and can be redeemed at any of their 75+ partner restaurants.

WHAT TO EAT & DRINK IN AND AROUND MONTREAL: THE NYE EDITION 🎉

Scope the latest restaurant openings, recommendations on where to eat, plus new menus, old classics, and everything in between.

Montreal's Village is pulling an all-nighter this NYE: Nearly 20 bars and restaurants will be celebrating until 6 a.m.—here's the list of participants.

Messorem Bracitorium presents Le Grand Ménage, a year-end fridge-clearing event from Dec 27 to 29 featuring limited quantities of past releases.

Celebrate New Year’s Eve at Oorja with a vibrant Desi Night featuring an electrifying DJ set of Indian music, free food (9–11 PM), and free beer (9 PM–midnight).

Ring in the New Year at Beba, where past favourites like truffle-topped lasagna Bianca meet new classics. Celebrate the evening and bid farewell to Antoine, their bar maestro of five years, with one last bang!

Bid farewell to 2024 at Nora Gray with a special 5-course tasting menu crafted by Chef Dmetro Sinclair and perfectly paired wine selections.

End 2024 in style at Moccione with a festive 4-course menu featuring a seafood platter with citrus, beef tartare, duck with foie gras, and more. $180pp includes a glass of bubbly on arrival.

Celebrate NYE Y2K25 at Romies with a nostalgic throwback! Join early for dinner or come later to dance into 2025 with iconic hits from the 90s and early 2000s.

New Year’s Eve at Kabinet has an elegant atmosphere starting with caviar and bubbles, followed by choices like lobster bisque or duck breast, and finishing with desserts like chocolate mousse.

Jiao Dim Sum has an NYE ’24 celebration with a special dim sum-inspired menu with highlights like truffle cacio e pepe, crab ravioli, and matcha cheesecake.

Grab the gang and celebrate NYE at BarBara Vin with a festive sharing menu for $95 per person (excluding drinks, taxes, and service). Details here.

Ring in 2025 at Chez Magpie Magique: Enjoy complimentary cava for the countdown, exclusive charcuterie and cheese boards, and signature NYE cocktails.

Maison Saint-Paul rings in 2025 with a Casino Night NYE Celebration, featuring champagne, oysters, caviar, multi-course meals, wine pairings, and DJs.

Le Roseline invites you to ring in 2025 with a carefully prepared feast with two seatings, both accompanied by live jazz.

A bit of sad news out of Verdun: Pavillon Snack Bar has closed its doors.

Start 2025 with free & healthy groceries 🛒

As a reader of The Main, you’re eligible for a free $40+ grocery basket! All you need to cover is a $6 delivery fee.

How? We’ve partnered with Lufa Farms to bring fresh, sustainable groceries directly to your door. Bonus: Your first basket will have everything you need to make an awesome BLT.

Don’t miss out—baskets are available while supplies last.

Here, you'll find a weekly round-up of the latest local news, from entertainment to current affairs and more.

Which restaurants caught locals' attention in 2024? We asked a bunch of writers, influencers, photographers, critics, and more. Read more.

From perfect martinis to hidden speakeasies and whisky cocktails that "are pure poetry", these bars defined locals' nights in 2024. Read more.

We had a lot of exciting openings and heartbreaking closures this year in the restaurant and bar scene—celebrate these new arrivals and reminisce about those now gone. Read more.

Big questions: What will Montreal's hospitality scene look like in 2025? Who's likely going to be listed on the upcoming Michelin Guide? Read more.

Montreal's nightlife is mutating thanks to cultural changes and the pandemic reshaping what locals consider entertainment these days. Read more.

Cocktail bars here have more hot options than ever before, but the scene at large still has to navigate the challenges of introducing them to a city still catching up with global trends. Read more.

The STM has big real estate ambitions: It can develop its holdings with private developers, provided money is reinvested into public transit. Read more.

Don't break my bank, my achey breaky bank. Shoppers here say the savings from the GST break are minimal compared to rising prices and inflation. Read more.

The metro's got more than growing pains. Multiple expansion plans are continually delayed, but that indicates bigger issues across Canada. Read more.

If you want to stay up to date on Montreal's music scene, check out these highlighted picks from when M For Montréal took place. Read more.

The cross on Montreal's Mount Royal turns 100; here's a short history lesson on the monument and its origins going back to 1643. Read more.

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And that wraps yet another weekly bulletin. We’ll be back with more curiosities, local stories, and events to discover next week.

If ever you catch something we should know, don't hesitate to reach out to us on Instagram.

👋 Masthead: Philip Tabah, Founder & Head of Creative / Jean-Philippe Lauzon, Co-Founder & Head of Tech / Daniel Bromberg, Co-Founder & Head of Operations / JP Karwacki, Managing Editor / Amber Spector, Social Media Manager