Orientalys Festival - August 11-14, at the Old Port

6^th Orientalys Festival

Enjoy the music, dance, cuisine, art, and culture of countries from North Africa to China. Free, varied, and unique activities for young and old!

Orientalys is a free Festival fully devoted to the meeting of Eastern and Western cultures, celebrating a diverse, avant‐garde and open-minded Montreal.

Every year in summer, the Jacques-Cartier Quay moves to the beat of bold fusions and original shows crossing three continents from North Africa to China, by way of Spain, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Iran Cambodia, India and Japan as well as many other Eastern countries! Performances, workshops, animation, exhibitions and activities for children and adults are on the program each year – all around a veritable Oriental Medina!

In this place of sharing and exchanging, festival-goers can wander around a unique spot, enjoying the benefits of argan oil and soft soap, discovering the atmosphere of gentle evenings under a nomad tent, or negotiating for a distinctive handicraft item. And booths offering fine dishes from around the world will flatter the taste buds of food-lovers.

TD Stage

Every evening, we will follow along the Silk Road, on a festive journey celebrating the Orient with its thousand and one colours through an array of artists from Canada and abroad.
From the shores of the Ganges to the Moroccan desert, we will cross three continents with shows, music and dance: we will visit India with the Bollywood-inspired group Delhi 2 Dublin, young Amin Benarqia will lead us into a trance with his gembri, El Dey and Raïna Raï will sing Algeria in fusion form, the Germans of Äl Jawala will ignite the stage to frenetic Balkan sounds. Finally Al Arz and its dancers will take us deep into the Land of Cedars, while Océanides will carry us along mythological Mediterranean tides.

Medina Stage

The Medina Stage offers a continuous program, giving musicians, dancers and multiple talents an opportunity to present all the wealth and creativity of Montreal’s cultural diversity. It will tremble to the beats of Kattam’s tam-tams, to Vietnamese drums or to the steps of bharata natyam. Palestine, Syria and China will take over for demonstrations, ceremonies and popular traditional celebrations. Lovers of dance and music, or anyone eager for cultural discovery, will find something to please them thanks to a rich and varied program.

Delicacies from the Orient

Cuisines from around the world, with their captivating aromas, are sure to charm even the most demanding of eaters with true delicacies to be enjoyed on site or reproduced, recipe in hand, when you get back home. The result is an array of flavours and colours with everyone encouraged to dive in and learn more about techniques and tips for these sun-drenched cuisines, delighting in ancestral culinary traditions.

Visitors are sure to be tempted by the sumptuous mix of exotic aromas from the restaurants. Lebanese, Moroccan, Indian and even Japanese flavours waft harmoniously alongside one another. Merguez, couscous, baklavas, fruits and refreshments are just some examples of the choices offered on the site – a true pleasure for the senses that cannot help but satisfy festival-goers and give them a change of pace.

Lands of the Orient

From the moment they set foot on site, visitors are captivated by the buzz of activities in the “Lands of the Orient” space, recalling the effervescence of Middle East neighbourhoods. In a Medina that gives free rein to the imaginations of exhibitors and visitors alike, music, dance, precious fabrics, exotic spices, handicrafts, leather goods, sculptures, traditional costumes and musical instruments embark festival-goers on a journey to far-away lands without leaving the Old Port of Montreal.