The Best Race Week Events at the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix

Montreal is ready to embrace Formula 1’s arrival to the city with a range of events. We take a look at the biggest and best events for motorsport fans during the week of the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix!

2026 Canada F1 Tickets / F1 Experiences / Montreal Hotels / Canada Facebook group

The 2026 Canadian Grand Prix is set to take place on May 22-24

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The Canadian Grand Prix is one of the best-attended and most-loved events on the Formula 1 calendar. Since an enforced two-year absence due to the coronavirus pandemic, race attendances have been rising. This year, the Canadian Grand Prix moves to new dates in the second half of May. As always, Montreal embraces F1’s visit with a range of events and activities across the city in the days leading up and across race weekend.

Of course, the main event is the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix itself, taking place at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on the Ile Notre Dame island, as it has done since 1978. The three days of Formula 1 action will be complemented by a range of support series, including the late addition of Formula 2 to the schedule. A pit lane walk will take place on Thursday morning, though fans needed to apply for a ticket through a random draw via the circuit newsletter. Read our Trackside Guide for the full on-track schedule at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and more advice about attending the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix.

CGV Experience at Circuit Gilles Villenueve

An open-air music festival comes to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (CGV) on race weekend in 2026 with the launch of the CGV Experience at Jean-Doré Beach in Parc Jean-Drapeau (close to the inside of the opening turns). The musical lineup celebrates homegrown Canadian artists, with performances from Simple Plan with Matt Lang (Friday, May 22), Bryan Adams with Dean Brody (Saturday, May 23) and Alessia Cara with The Beaches (Sunday, May 24). The catch is that the CGV Experience is not open to all ticket holders for the race. General Admission tickets with access to the CGV area and nightly concerts are availablevia the promoter for $250 CAD (Friday), $350 CAD (Saturday or Sunday) or $700 CAD for a 3-day pass.

Crescent Street Grand Prix Festival: May 21-24, 2026

Crescent Street is the place for Formula 1 fans to be over the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix weekend. The street gets closed off over the race weekend, having hosted top tier entertainment for motorsport fans at each running of the Grand Prix since 1999. Since 2023, under the event’s new owner-operator Feldman Entertainment Quebec Inc., the event has run for four days. This year’s Crescent Street festival runs from Thursday, May 21 to Sunday, May 24 and is open daily from 11am until 11pm.

The Crescent Street Grand Prix Festival features DJ sets, local musical acts, pit stop challenges and nightly stage shows. The full programme for this year is yet to be announced, but among the highlights for F1 fans last year were opportunities to get up close to F1 show cars, along with other luxury vehicles. F1 merchandise is usually on sale at various stalls throughout the area. Be sure to check out the best pubs, clubs and restaurants in the vicinity during your visit. A full programme of festival events will soon be available on the official website.

Formule Peel

Crescent Street is not the only street party in Montreal on race weekend! Just ten minutes’ walk away, Peel Street also gets closed off each evening (between Sainte-Catherine and Saint-Jacques) on race weekend to celebrate Formula 1’s yearly visit to the city. Restaurants along the street will be opening their terraces (weather permitting!) and reservations are essential as racing and car-themed activations take over the street. A lively atmosphere is guaranteed. Recommended restaurants on Peel Street with the best race-week atmosphere and parties include French brasserie Chez Alexandre and Japanese restaurant RYU Sushi Peel, which has DJs on the decks from Thursday to Sunday nights. Details of this year’s Formule Peel festival have not yet been confirmed.

Old Montréal

Whilst there’s no official street party in Old Montréal, the cobblestone streets of the historic district next to the river do come alive during race week with F1-themed displays, pop-up shops and bustling alfresco dining and bar terraces. A trip to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix wouldn’t be complete without a few hours in Old Montréal, day or night! Be sure to pay a visit to FANABOX, where you’ll find both current and vintage F1 merchandise and collectables.

Eateries in Old Montréal that embrace race week with special menus and events include modern Greek resaturant Mama C at 100 Rue St-Paul Ouest and French restaurant Dorsia. The latter also transforms from restaurant to late-night hangout with cocktails, DJs and dancing. If you’ve already eaten, head downstairs to the Bowie Speakeasy, for late-night supper club vibes with DJs and dancing until 3am. Also in Old Montréal, Japanese restaurant and bar Flyjin hosts Circuit FLY1 exclusive club nights on race weekend 2026. Brought to you by House of 10, a membership club and nightlife series sponsored by Belvedere Vodka, expect renowed DJs and high-end late night vibes. Contact the restaurant for more information.

Bal Interdit: Evening After Dark at Ritz-Carlton

Got space for formal wear in your suitcase? On Friday May 22, The Ritz-Carlton on Rue Sherbrooke Ouest hosts one of the most exclusive F1 parties in town, the Bal Interdit (known as “Ritz Royale” in 2025). This year’s black-tie event offers ‘two opulent floors inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins; each space revealing a different shade of desire.’ Presented by Mercedes Benz Canada, the event features gourmet food stations by The Ritz-Carlton’s celebrated culinary team, all-night open bar with signature cocktails & premium spirits and live DJs and immersive performances throughout the night. Tickets are priced at approx. $1,200 CAD, including taxes and fees, and are available here.

Nightlife Events

Sand Storm at Le Richmond: Upscale Italian restaurant Le Richmond in the Griffintown district, will host a number of lavish events over the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix weekend, running from May 21-23. This year’s Sand Storm events are ‘powered by McLaren Montreal’ and themed around the ‘mystery and intensity of the desert.’ Sand Storm begins with a Kick Off Party on Thursday night (May 21), followed by Gentlemen’s Club on Friday (May 22) and finishing with the red-carpet Tapis Rouge event on Saturday night (May 23). General admission and VIP tickets (table reservations) are available from the restaurant, with prices starting from $150 CAD per person plus taxes and service. More details can be found here.

Club Nights at New City Gas: The New City Gas super club in Griffintown hosts several club nights on F1 weekend, including James Hype, Dansyn and Stef Agostino on Saturday, May 23 (sponsored by Oracle Red Bull Racing) and Timmy Trumpet, Twinsick and MVNGO on Sunday, May 24.

Piknic Électronik

The summer season of this popular weekly outdoor electronic music festival kicks off the weekend before race weekend this year, with a full lineup performing on Sunday, May 17 and Monday, May 18 (a public holiday). Solomun also performs on Thursday, May 21. Piknic Électronik takes place at Jardin Le Petit Prince, right next to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Parc Jean-Drapeau. Learn more here.

What Else is Happening on 2026 Canadian Grand Prix weekend?

Get on your bike! Taking place from May 24-31, the Montreal Go Bike Festival is an annual celebration of the city’s thriving cycling culture. The week-long event includes several popular all-ages cycling events that take over the city’s streets, including Tour la Nuit and the Tour de l’Île de Montréal.

Visit Mount Royal Park: One of Montreal’s most beloved landmarks, which offers some of the best views of the city, celebrates its 150th anniversary on race day this year, May 24! Learn more here.

Concours Royalmount: From May 14-24, the Royalmount shopping center in Mont Royal (location map) will be hosting F1 and automotive themed activations, including a collection of twenty supercars and hypercars (Concours Royalmount), a junior race circuit (for children up to the age of eight), F1 race simulator and Mercedes AMG F1 showcar. There will also be a pop-up store offering all of this year’s official CGV (Circuit Gilles Villeneuve) merchandise.

The Pit Stop at Centre Eaton: Another shopping mall, this time in the heart of the city’s retail district on Sainte-Catherine Street (location map), will be taken over by F1 fever on race week. The Pit Stop at Centre Eaton (Centre Eaton de Montréal) runs from Wednesday, May 20 to Sunday, May 24, 12:00-18:00 and features interactive exhibits such as racing simulators, digital wall, racetrack challenge and AI photo booth. Within the mall, you’ll also find a GV27 Gilles Villeneuve Pop-Up Boutique celebrating the legacy of the legendary driver from Canada and a special Italian-inspired food and drink theme (plus DJ sets) at Time Out Market Montreal, a trendy food hall in Centre Eaton.

More events will be added to this list as race week draws closer! For more ideas on how to spend your time away from the track on 2026 Canadian Grand Prix weekend, read our Off Track Activities Guide.