Quebec Summer Festival
and music scene
The FEQ turns Quebec into the world music capital every July. But the city’s music scene vibrates far beyond this annual event.
On the program
Every July since 1968, the FEQ transforms the Plains of Abraham into one of the largest outdoor music stages in the world.
The Quebec Summer Festival is the largest outdoor music festival in the French-speaking world and one of the most attended in Canada. Eleven days of concerts on multiple stages, from the Plains stage that can hold 90,000 spectators to more intimate neighborhood stages.
World-renowned artists like The Rolling Stones, Metallica, Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, and Celine Dion have graced the Plains’ stages. The diversity of programming is as remarkable as the numbers: rock, hip-hop, pop, world music, French chanson—all coexist in a harmony that closely resembles Quebec itself.
The FEQ is also an extraordinary moment of social communion. The whole of Quebec is outside, terraces overflow, and the streets of Old Quebec are celebrating. It’s the city in its most vibrant and festive expression.
Quebec Summer Festival (FEQ)
11 days, over 300 shows, 7 stages, dozens of international artists, and a crowd exceeding 700,000 visitors each year.
Beyond the FEQ, Quebec has permanent high-quality venues to enjoy music all year round.
Palais Montcalm
The Raoul-Jobin Hall at Palais Montcalm is one of the best chamber concert halls in Canada. Its exceptional acoustics delight music lovers, from intimate jazz to piano recitals and engaged French-language song.
Theatre Capitole de Quebec
The Theatre Capitole, an Art Deco jewel from the 19th century in the heart of the Upper Town, hosts major touring shows, musical revues, and performances by renowned Quebec artists. A prestigious stage in an exceptional setting.
Quebec has a lively live music scene, from Old Quebec folk bars to Saint-Roch jazz clubs.
Le Cercle
In the Saint-Roch neighborhood, Le Cercle is a hybrid venue: restaurant, bar, gallery, and concert hall. Its musical programming dares to cross genres, from experimental jazz to indie rock, with a focus on emerging local artists.
Old Quebec music bars
Old Quebec bars like Pub d'Orsay and Bar Ste-Angele keep alive a tradition of live folk and Celtic music in historic settings. Irish fiddle, acoustic guitar, Quebecois song: a typically Quebecois evening.
Quebec hosts several other cultural and musical festivals that enrich its calendar throughout the year.
The Envol et Macadam Festival welcomes metal, punk, and alternative rock artists every summer on outdoor stages in the Saint-Roch neighborhood. It’s an engaging counterpoint to the FEQ: more underground, more community-focused, faithfully Quebecois.
The Quebec Winter Carnival in February includes outdoor musical shows that defy the cold: concerts on the Plains, musical entertainment in ice cabarets and event villages. A unique way to experience music in an extreme winter setting.
La Nuit blanche on a blackboard, a poetry and song event, the Quebec Grand Prix with its circuit concerts, and many summer concert series complete a cultural and musical agenda of remarkable richness.
The pre-show ritual
On FEQ evenings, Carrera Cafe in Petit-Champlain becomes an essential pit stop. A Testa Rossa espresso to recharge, a board of organic Charlevoix charcuterie to last the whole evening. We recharge like a grid driver: focused, precise, ready for anything. The music starts in an hour. Your fuel is served.
During the FEQ and all year round, Carrera Cafe is your base of operations in Old Quebec. Espressos, boards, Italian atmosphere.
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