Halloween has had its moment on the blog, so here is what comes after the candy. The first week of November is quietly loaded: a circus show scored by one of Quebec’s biggest pianists, an orchestra playing superhero themes, two film and culture festivals, and a giant-screen wildlife movie that works for every age. Six picks, all with confirmed 2026 dates.

🎪 Entre chiens et louves: Cirque Le Roux and Alexandra Stréliski

This “ciné-cirque” show plays like a movie performed live. Eight acrobats move through three eras (1850, 1960 and 2026) while Stréliski plays her neo-classical piano on stage with a string duo and an electronic musician. It has been performed more than 250 times worldwide, and Montreal gets it before Paris does.

📍 Where: Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts, 175 rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, Montreal (Place-des-Arts metro)
🗓️ When: Nov 4 to 14. Ticket listings show 8 p.m. evening shows and a Sunday matinee on Nov 8 at 2 p.m.; confirm times at placedesarts.com.

🦸 Symphonic Superheroes & Villains (OSM)

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal goes full comic book, with conductor Lucas Waldin leading a playful run through hero and villain themes from the 1960s to today. The program includes the Canadian premiere of Anne Dudley’s Hail the Superheroes. Great for a group outing, and a good pick for older kids who are ready for a real concert hall.

📍 Where: Maison symphonique, 1600 rue Saint-Urbain, Montreal (Place-des-Arts metro)
🗓️ When: Thursday, Nov 5, 8 p.m.

🌿 Symphony of Life (Orchestre Métropolitain)

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the Orchestre Métropolitain live over a film of Canadian nature, with underwater imagery and an original score by Anaïs Larocque. It runs 1 hour 50 minutes with no intermission. Fair warning: it is listed as sold out, but the venue offers a ticket alert for returns.

📍 Where: Maison symphonique, Place des Arts, Montreal
🗓️ When: Sunday, Nov 1, 3 p.m.

🌍 Arab World Festival of Montreal

Now in its 27th edition, this multidisciplinary festival fills the Quartier des spectacles with concerts, dance, theatre, films, talks and workshops. It is one of the easier ways to catch music you will not hear anywhere else in the city. The full lineup and tickets are on the festival’s website.

📍 Where: Place des Arts and other venues across Montreal
🗓️ When: Oct 30 to Nov 15 (festivalarabe.com)

🎬 CINEMANIA

The long-running French-language film festival returns with features, shorts and documentaries from Quebec, France and other Francophone countries, plus preview screenings and chances to meet the filmmakers. English subtitles are part of the draw, so you do not need to be fluent to join in. Check the festival site for the venue and showtime of each screening.

📍 Where: Screenings around Montreal (see festivalcinemania.com for venues)
🗓️ When: Nov 4 to 15

🦁 Wild Asia (IMAX at the Montreal Science Centre)

A BBC Studios Natural History Unit film that follows wildlife through Asia’s deserts, mountain peaks and seas, including behaviour that has never been filmed before. The screen is about seven storeys tall, so it is a solid rainy-day plan for families, and it sits steps from the Old Port. It runs well past this week, which makes it easy to fit in.

📍 Where: IMAX TELUS Cinema, Montreal Science Centre, 2 rue de la Commune Ouest, Old Port, Montreal (Place-d’Armes metro)
🗓️ When: Daily through Feb 27, 2027; check montrealsciencecentre.com for showtimes