Montreal Night Summit

November 21, 2025
Société des arts technologies (1201 boul. Saint-Laurent)
ACT➔⏾◖⬤ NIGHTLIFE

Communuity - Exchange - Culture

CONFERENCES - PANELS - DISCUSSIONS

Ticketing

MTL at the Night Summit is a forum for ideas aimed at night-time users and professionals, as well as public decision-makers. The event features talks led by specialists in night-time culture and organizes networking sessions in order to position Montreal as a leading city in night-time governance.

In recent years, several nightlife venues and independent events have had to close or scale back their activities, revealing the fragility of an ecosystem that remains essential to economic, social, and cultural vitality. Yet the night-time space-time continuum is still a place of innovation, diversity, and encounter — one that deserves to be recognized, celebrated, and supported.

The Summit aims to strengthen solidarity between different sectors and broaden mobilization to build a shared vision of a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable nightlife.

Program

9h00–10h00

REGISTRATION

Doors open, coffee and croissants served.

LOST HEROES

DJ (music from 10h–16h)

10h00–10h15

OPENING REMARKS

JOHANIE BOUFFARD

Moderator (MTL 24/24)

mathieu Grondin

Co-founder of MTL 24/24
Nightlife Commissioner of the City of Ottawa

Shedding light on the mission of MTL 24/24, the day’s objectives, and how it fits into a collective reflection on the future of Montreal’s nightlife, along with an overview of the day’s program.

10h15–11h00

Panel – Placemaking and revitalizing spaces

Carole Villemonteix

City of Montreal (Plateau–Mont-Royal Borough)

Jérôme Glad

Belleville Placemaking

MIKE LARRY

NWHR

OLIVER ANTHONY

Parquette

How can we activate vacant or transitional spaces and turn them into places for expression, creation, and gathering? This panel will highlight placemaking approaches that blend creativity and community engagement to redefine how the city is used — sometimes temporarily, sometimes durably — through culture and nightlife.

11h00–11h15

COFFEE BREAK

11h15–12h00

Panel – A look at underground scenes through their collectives

ANTHONY D'URBANO

Front Rite

SARAH WARDA

Afrotonik

SEBASTIAN NAVARRO

Frikiton

ZIRY

Flush

Behind the independent events that energize Montreal’s nights are passionate collectives that create, organize, and sustain underground culture. This panel will explore the realities on the ground — administrative processes, space negotiations, financial balance, and coexistence with neighbours — while highlighting the creativity and solidarity that fuel Montreal’s alternative scenes.

12H00–13h00

LUNCH AND NETWORKING

13h00–13h45

Presentations – State of Nightlife Governance, Night Council, Maison de la Nuit

Xavier bordeleau

MTL 24/24

Ipek Türeli

McGill University

I. State of nightlife governance in Montreal
An overview of key developments in nightlife governance and the projects led by MTL 24/24 over the past year.

II. Night Council
Announcement of the 2025–2027 cohort of the Night Council and presentation of its new format, now centered on organizing the Night Exchanges.

III. The Maison de la Nuit
Led by MTL 24/24, the Maison de la Nuit will give Montreal a flagship venue dedicated to nightlife culture — a space to reflect on, celebrate, and shape the night of tomorrow. The presentation will be followed by a look at the collaborative project with McGill University, where students and researchers imagined the first sketches of this future space at the intersection of inclusion, participation, and urban design.

13h45–14h45

Panel – Operating and sustaining a nightlife venue in Montreal

DAVE LEE

12th Round Hospitality

Morgan Buchoux​

Maison France-Montréal

NICOLAS HAMEL

Vino Disco

Patrick Grégoire

Datcha

Thomas Peltier

City of Montreal

How do we ensure the longevity and vitality of nightlife venues in Montreal? Between regulation, financial viability, and shifting audiences, the challenges are many. This panel brings together operators who will share their experiences and strategies for navigating these realities and keeping their spaces dynamic, accessible, and open to everyone.

14h45–15h00

COFFEE BREAK

15h00–15h20

PRESENTATION – LES VEILLEURS

Christian Cloutier​

Projet Veilleurs

Tasha MORIZIO

Saint-Laurent Boulevard Development Corporation

Two of the project leads present recent developments in this initiative for a safer and more welcoming nightlife.

15h20–16h05

PANEL –ARTISTS' VOICES

Fred Everything

Artist

Keshia Parris​

FORT Agency

Lunice

Artist

Raccoon​

Artist

This panel gives the floor to the artists who keep Montreal’s nightlife beating. Coming from different scenes, they will discuss their paths, challenges, and aspirations within a nightlife landscape undergoing major transformation.

16h05–16h15

CLOSING REMARKS

Johanie Bouffard

Moderator (MTL 24/24)

Summary, reflections, next steps

16h15–19h00

Networking Cocktail

FRED EVERYTHING

DJ (music from 16h15–19h00)

Summit Team

MARTIN CHARTRAND

General Directeur

MAX HONIGMANN

Communications Officer

XAVIER BORDELEAU

Content Officer

PAULINE BARTHE

Communications Consultant

JOHANIE BOUFFARD

Moderator and Programming Officer

CATHERINE SERVEDIO

Production Assistant

PIERRE CARRERE

Research Assistant

ELSA FORTANT

Research Assistant

Acknowledgments

The Montreal Night Summit is made possible thanks to financial support from the City of Montreal.