Place des Arts

On any evening in Montreal, thousands of people converge on a cluster of concert halls and theatres in the middle of downtown. Place des Arts is the city's main performing arts complex, at 175 Sainte-Catherine Street West, and it anchors the Quartier des spectacles, the district of festivals and venues that fills with crowds throughout the year. The complex was a project of the early 1960s, a symbol of Quebec's cultural awakening during the Quiet Revolution, and the first hall, the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, opened in 1963.

Several venues share the site. The Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier is the largest, with nearly 3,000 seats, and it hosts opera, ballet, big concerts and musical theatre. The Théâtre Maisonneuve is a mid-sized hall for dance and drama, and the Théâtre Jean-Duceppe is a smaller space known for plays and contemporary theatre. The Maison symphonique, the concert hall of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, opened in 2011 with a wood-lined interior and acoustics that have won praise from musicians and critics, and it is part of the wider complex. Smaller studios and rooms, together with the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal next door, round out the offerings.

The complex is the centre of the city's busiest festival season. The Montreal International Jazz Festival, Just for Laughs, the FrancoFolies and a variety of other events use the halls, the outdoor stages and the Esplanade Tranquille, a public square beside the buildings that hosts concerts, markets and, in winter, skating. Exhibitions in the public areas are free and are changed regularly, and the passages that link the buildings contain shops, cafés and restaurants.

Visitors planning an evening should arrive early. The Place-des-Arts metro station, on the Green Line, opens directly onto the complex through the underground network, and there is public parking in the area, though traffic around show times can be heavy. Tickets can be bought at the box office or online, and many people now carry them on a smartphone, so it is worth checking how your seats will be delivered. Box office hours vary by day and performance. Some exterior work has been under way at times, though performances usually continue as scheduled.

Music, theatre and dance lovers will find the programme full, and a pre-show meal in the quarter is an easy addition.