Bonjour from the Island of Flowers, and listen close. Martinique is packing her bags and stepping into Montreal this September, bringing the exact heat, rhythm, and flavour people fly home raving about.
From September 8th to 19th, 2026, the Martinique Gourmande Festival returns for its 19th year. Quebec gets a full taste of Creole life: food first, everything else right behind it. The heart of it all is the Creole Market at the Belvedere du Centre des Sciences in the Old Port on September 12th and 13th. Free entry. No excuses.
Four chefs fly in from the island to cook what they know: Priscia Morjon, the private chef and storyteller; Sébastien Jean-Joseph of L’Entrepôt; Johann Octave of O STAR; and Ruddy Nonone, executive chef at Le Dôme, Hotel Karibéa Valmenière. These are people who understand that a good sauce can settle an argument and a perfect accras can make strangers family for an afternoon.
Walk the market and the island walks with you. Live music from Tessiva, Jean-Christophe Germain, Gwoup Miel. Drum calls. Domino tournaments that get loud. Yoga that moves like the sea. Bracelet-making. Carnival instruments in your hands, and for the little ones three and up, free half-hour cooking workshops with C’est Moi le Chef! where kids and parents make Creole tartlets together. Educational and delicious—exactly how culture should travel.
When the sun drops, DJ Chromix takes over. Zouk, Konpa, Reggae, Dancehall, Soca, Shatta. The Old Port becomes a yard. The weekend closes with a Carnival parade so nobody leaves without moving their body at least once.
If the market wakes something in you, Martinique is ready. From September 1st to 30th you can enter to win a dream getaway for two valued at $8,200. Air Canada flights from Montreal or Québec City plus seven nights all-inclusive at Club Med Les Boucaniers. Draw is October 1st. Details live on the festival site.
Air Canada already makes the real trip easy: nonstop service from Toronto in winter, year-round from Montreal and Québec City. The island is waiting with its volcanoes, rainforests, beaches, 365 restaurants, and 15 rum distilleries. French on the surface, deeply Creole at the root. UNESCO-recognized. New York Times-listed. Twice awarded by Travel Weekly for food and family.
This is a reminder that the Caribbean does not need permission to show up and feed people: body and spirit. Come hungry. Come curious. Come ready to dance. Martinique is in Montreal for two days in September. The rest is up to you.
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