SeasonMapWhat's on in Quebec City, Canada through the year
Quebec City, Canada has 7 curated events through the year — 4 festivals, 1 natural spectacle, 1 holiday and 1 season. The ones to plan around: Carnaval de Quebec (February) and Festival d'ete de Quebec (July). June, July, August and December are its peak-crowd months.
Updated September 2026 · every event curated and sourced · dates for 2026 where they are announced, the usual window where they are not
Quebec City events and crowds by month
| Month | What starts | Crowds |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | Busy |
| February | Carnaval de Quebec | Busy |
| March | Maple sugar season | Busy |
| April | — | Shoulder season |
| May | — | Shoulder season |
| June | Saint-Jean-Baptiste | Peak crowds |
| July | Festival d'ete de Quebec | Peak crowds |
| August | New France Festival | Peak crowds |
| September | Fall colour | Busy |
| October | — | Shoulder season |
| November | German Christmas market | Busy |
| December | — | Peak crowds |
January in Quebec City
Quebec City weather in January →Busy — Winter / Christmas break in Canada, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it
Nothing new starts in January.
February in Quebec City
Quebec City weather in February →Busy — Carnaval de Quebec
- Festival
Carnaval de Quebec
1–15 Feb · usuallyCarnivalCrowdedBook earlyTen days of ice palace, night parades and caribou drunk out of a plastic cane, in the coldest fortnight of the year. The old town's hotels sell out months in advance for it. Source ↗
March in Quebec City
Quebec City weather in March →Busy — March break / semaine de relâche in Canada
- Season
Maple sugar season
5 Mar – 20 Apr · usuallyHarvestFreezing nights and thawing days start the sap, and the cabanes a sucre on Ile d'Orleans and south of the river open for six weeks of ham, syrup and taffy rolled on snow.
April in Quebec City
Quebec City weather in April →Shoulder season — an ordinary month
Nothing new starts in April.
Still on: Maple sugar season (5 Mar – 20 Apr (usually))
May in Quebec City
Quebec City weather in May →Shoulder season — an ordinary month
Nothing new starts in May.
June in Quebec City
Quebec City weather in June →Peak crowds — Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Summer break in Canada
- Holiday
Saint-Jean-Baptiste
23–24 JunMajor festivalCrowdedClosuresQuebec's national holiday, and in this city the one that matters most. Bonfires and a large free concert on the Plains of Abraham on the night of the 23rd, then everything shuts on the 24th. Source ↗
July in Quebec City
Quebec City weather in July →Peak crowds — Festival d'ete de Quebec, Summer break in Canada
- Festival
Festival d'ete de Quebec
5–18 Jul · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedBook earlyEleven days in July with the main stage on the Plains of Abraham and a single pass covering everything. It is the fullest the walled city gets all year. Source ↗
August in Quebec City
Quebec City weather in August →Peak crowds — New France Festival, Summer break in Canada
- Festival
New France Festival
5–9 Aug · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedFive days in early August when the lower town dresses as the seventeenth century, half the residents included. It is more costume market and street theatre than history lesson. Source ↗
September in Quebec City
Quebec City weather in September →Busy — Summer break in Canada
- Nature
Fall colour
25 Sep – 20 Oct · usuallyAutumn colourThe maples on the north shore and up the Jacques-Cartier valley usually peak in the first ten days of October, a fortnight ahead of the city trees on the Plains.
October in Quebec City
Quebec City weather in October →Shoulder season — an ordinary month
Nothing new starts in October.
Still on: Fall colour (25 Sep – 20 Oct (usually))
November in Quebec City
Quebec City weather in November →Busy — German Christmas market
- Festival
German Christmas market
20 Nov – 23 Dec · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowdedWooden huts through the lower town and around the Hotel de Ville from late November, in a walled city that already looks the part. Weekend evenings in December are shuffling pace. Source ↗
December in Quebec City
Quebec City weather in December →Peak crowds — German Christmas market, Winter / Christmas break in Canada
Nothing new starts in December.
Still on: German Christmas market (20 Nov – 23 Dec (usually))