MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE, presented in collaboration with Scotiabank, is delighted to announce that the 24th edition of the festival will take place in the Quartier des spectacles from February 16 to March 5, 2023, under the theme The best of Montreal in winter!

Once again this year, festival-goers will be able to set off on the magnificent skating trail overlooking the Place des Festivals and enjoy light installations, the Ferris wheel and many activities offered free of charge during spring break. It should also be noted that the Nuit blanche will celebrate its 20th anniversary and that several shows will be presented in different halls of the Quartier des spectacles. In short, everything will be done to make you rediscover the beauty and vitality of the city center.

As for the Gastronomy section, presented by Scotia Wealth Management, it finally revives its legendary tradition of hospitality. Indeed, some forty Montreal restaurants and establishments will welcome international and local chefs and producers while the downtown core will be buzzing with gourmet activities. The theme of this part, as joyful as it is welcome: Montreal receives!

“This edition of MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE consolidates the pillars of its mission: celebrating gastronomy, hosting numerous shows and rallying all audiences around an inclusive and participatory winter activity with skating. Everything is in place to show that Montreal knows how to receive and be warm even in winter,” rejoices Jacques Primeau, general manager of the festival.

ON THE MENU THIS YEAR:

Good Food Air France
Invite a chef, a winemaker or a producer from here or elsewhere, pair him with a restaurant owner from the metropolis, and let the mayonnaise take hold, both in the kitchen and in the dining room: this is the success formula of Les Bonnes Tables Air France, back in force. This year, Montreal welcomes France, Canada, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, and especially Scandinavia: there will be about thirty of them in all, including ten chefs from northern Europe, to shine their creativity in our establishments. Among the number, let us mention Benoit Neusy (Michelin-starred chef, Impératif restaurant at Domaine d'Arondeau, Belgium) at La Chronique, Romain Meder (Michelin-starred chef, Domaine de Primard, Guainville, France) at Mastard, Ina Niiniketo (Canvas, Helskinki) at Ratafia and Lionel Lévy (Michelin-starred chef, InterContinental Marseille) at Osco! Winegrowers will also be there, such as Julien Labet, who will be hosted by Menu Extra, and Laurent Cazottes, who will be Chez Victoire. In addition to the traditional tasting menus, other formulas will delight the gourmets who will be seated at the Air France Bonnes Tables, including exclusive lunches, brunches, happy hours, exquisite sweets in partnership with Cacao Barry, and Esprits Libres , which will allow guests to have fun outside of any setting.

Here is the list of participating restaurants:
At the Little Extra | Auberge Saint-Gabriel | George's Bar | Baroque
Beaufort Bistro | Beaver Hall | Bivouac | White Beak (ITHQ)
Cabaret Hell | At Victory | Staff | Ferreira Cafe
livergwa | FOXY | Galaxy Brewery | Helicopter | Ikanos
Kamuy | The Chronicle | The Mousso | Virunga | Lloyd
House Boulud | Mastard | Extra menu | Monarch
Moneme | My Rabbit | Okeya Kyujiro | Osco! | Pastel
Ratafia | Renoir (Sofitel Montreal) | ITHQ restaurant
Restaurant h3 | Rosélys (Queen Elizabeth Hotel) | Rose Ross
Nordheimer Terrace | Cracked!

Bed & Gastronomy Packages
If, during the summer, tourists from here and elsewhere explore the regions, in winter, with the unparalleled urban experience it offers, it is the metropolis that becomes the center of attraction thanks to MONTREAL IN LIGHT. This year again, the popular Bed & Gastronomy Packages will delight visitors. Hoteliers and restaurateurs join forces to make their mouths water with gastronomic experiences to be enjoyed in the dining room. A dozen hoteliers are waiting for you, including:

Auberge du Vieux-Port (and its restaurant Taverne Gaspar)
DoubleTree by Hilton Montreal | Embassy Suites by Hilton
Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth | Hotel Monville
Hotel William Gray (and its restaurant Maggie Oakes)
The Intercontinental Montreal | The Little Hotel
Old Port Lofts

Family break package
For the very first time, the festival is offering an exclusive package at the Monville and DoubleTree by Hilton Montreal hotels during spring break. This includes:
• 1 night in a standard room for 2 adults and 2 children
• 4 breakfasts
• 4 tickets for Coucou Passe-Partout, the show (Tuesday, February 28 at 3 p.m. at Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts)

Special events
The MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE Apéros, presented by Vins Côtes du Rhône and hosted by Michelle Bouffard, will take place at the Backstage of the Tranquille esplanade, ten convivial meetings scheduled from February 16 to 26.

Then, a symposium on culinary identity in collaboration with the ECONOMUSEUM Network Society will be offered on February 23 to complete the menu.

Also worth mentioning, as part of Riopelle's 100th birthday, À table avec Jean-Paul Riopelle presented by Air France, a collaboration with the restaurant Toqué! and the Riopelle Foundation, which promises a menu in the colors of the painter, unifying and collaborative. This exceptional gastronomic event will be held on February 22 at the Toqué! restaurant, not far from the La Joute work, installed on Place Jean-Paul Riopelle. Reservations will be open from January 22, 2023 via the restaurant Toqué!

Gourmet district
The icing on the cake, the Quartier Gourmand will settle for the first time in the large indoor public space of Place des Arts, (Espace culturel Georges-Émile Lapalme), a place that will give it the opportunity to fully carry out its mission. : democratize the Quebec terroir. For two weekends (February 18, 19, 25 and 26, from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.), the specially designed site will offer more than 20 free activities: talks, tastings, as well as cooking demonstrations and workshops.

Among these free activities, four workshops that are as captivating as they are appetizing will be by Mordu, Radio-Canada's gourmet platform. On Saturday, February 18 at 3:45 p.m., for the day on emerging products from Quebec, chef Jérémie Jean-Baptiste will introduce us to and taste Asian vegetables with Stéphanie Wang, from Le Rizen. On Sunday, February 19, a day devoted to the theme Chocolate and pastry, Loounie will present a workshop on vegan pastries and shed light on substitutions, both in everyday and gastronomic desserts. On Saturday, February 25, which takes place under the theme of Aboriginal cuisine, chef Amine Laabi will discuss Aboriginal culinary traditions, in the company of chef Anora Lia Collier and her mother, Line Gros-Louis. Finally, on Sunday February 26, Geneviève O'Gleman will offer original and simple ideas, under the theme of sustainable food, to transform vegetable scraps, ugly fruits and foods that tend to be sent to the trash into delicious dishes. appetizing.

“Convinced that the arts and business communities can mutually elevate and enrich each other, Scotiabank places arts and culture at the heart of its community involvement in Quebec. Our partnership with MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE allows us to support artisans who greatly contribute to the cultural and economic vitality of Montreal. We are also proud to be associated with the gastronomic program which highlights a great diversity of chefs who will encourage cultural exchanges,” underlines Geneviève Brouillard, Senior Vice-President, Quebec Region and Eastern Ontario.