COMMUNITY CALENDAR of EVENTS 

Compiled by Shirley Nadeau with QCT staff     shirley@qctonline.com   

Dec. 4 to 7 – Les Grands Ballets Canadiens present seven performances of Tchaikovsky’s beloved Casse-Noisette (The Nutcracker) at the Grand Théâtre, accompanied by the Orchestre symphonique de Québec. With more than 165 performers on stage and some 350 costumes, this event never fails to amaze young and old alike. For details and tickets, visit   grandtheatre.qc.ca/programmation/casse-noisette. 

Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. – Tchaikovsky & Saint-Saëns | The Magic of Two Pianos at the Palais Montcalm. Pianists Serhiy Salov and Jean-Philippe Sylvestre combine their talents in a dazzling duet with the rich universe of Camille Saint-Saëns, the mysterious Danse macabre and The Carnival of the Animals. Tchaikovsky’s timeless Nutcracker Suite closes the concert in a dazzling two-piano arrangement. For details and tickets, visit  palaismontcalm.ca/concert-spectacle-quebec/casse-noisette-magie-a-deux-pianos-4-decembre-2025.

Saturday, Dec. 6, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – La Charpente des fauves announces its very first Christmas Market. Traditional crafts – crochet, woodwork, earrings – will rub shoulders with more alternative offerings such as tattoos, zines, collages, audio documentaries, and fashion advice. In a festive atmosphere, homemade food, mulled wine, and Santa Claus will add to the joy of making unique purchases while (re)discovering local artists at 206 Rue Christophe-Colomb Est. 

Dec. 6 and 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Get a head start on your holiday shopping at the Salon des artisans de Shannon  at the Shannon Community Centre (75 Gosford Rd.). Discover unique creations: paintings, handmade jewelry, honey products, scented candles, herbal teas, knitwear, personalized plush toys, cakes, jams, laser-engraved items and much more. Plenty of free activities for kids and kids at heart are planned, including a circus skills workshop (Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon), storytelling and photos with Santa, balloon animals and face painting.

Dec. 6 and 7 – The Ensemble de musique sacrée de Québec directed by Richard Duguay, presents MAGNiFiCAT, featuring five magnificats by Palestrina, Praetorius, Gjeilo, Esenvalds, Bédard and Tavener on Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Église Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures (325 Route 138). (Tickets $30 via lepointdevente.com) and Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. at the Monastère des Augustines, 77 rue des Remparts (tickets via monastere.ca/activite/concert-classique-magnificat-ode-a-marie-dec-2025). 

Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. – Le Choeur polyphonique de Lévis and the Ensemble Ménestrel, directed by Guillaume Boulay, present Noël sans fin, at Église Notre-Dame-de-la-Victoire. Tickets ($25, free for children 12 and under) are available from choristers, at the presbytery of the church and at the door the day of the concert. For details, visit choeurpolyphoniquedelevis.org. 

 Sunday, Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. – Noël: A Dragon’s Christmas, an adaptation of The Reluctant Dragon by British composer John Rutter at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. This tale, full of humour and poetry, immerses us in a world where a young boy and a dragon discover friendship and peace rather than imminent combat. Musical direction is by Antoine Trépanier, stage direction by Miriam Blair. Tickets $30, students $15, free for children 12 and under. For details, call 418-692-2193, ext. 233, or visit cathedral.ca. Please bring a food item to donate to the Community Christmas Hamper Campaign. 

Sunday, Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. – Le Choeur Ad Vitam presents Noël autour du monde at the Salle Dina Bélanger, 2047 Chem. Saint-Louis. For details and tickets, visit lepointdevente.com/billets/choeur-ad-vitam-noel-autour-du-monde. 

Saturday, Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m. – Les Rhapsodes choir, directed by David Rompré and accompanied by organist Marc D’Anjou, presents Noël à Oxford, with William Byrd’s magnificent Mass for four voices, and a selection of traditional English carols such as “Coventry Carol,” “I Saw Three Ships,” “The First Nowell” and “What Child is This?” For details and tickets, visit lesrhapsodes.org. 

Thursdays to Saturdays, until Dec. 23 – The Québec City German Christmas Market takes place at five different sites within Old Quebec. For details, visit mnaq.ca/en. 

Thursday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m. – Les Violons du Roy directed by Bernard Labadie presents Pour la Nuit de Noël at the Palais Montcalm, featuring Baroque concertos by Charpentier, Torelli, Correlli and Pez. For details and tickets, visit palaismontcalm.ca/concert-spectacle-quebec/pour-la-nuit-de-noel. 

Sunday, Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. – Le Choeur Ad Vitam presents Noël autour du monde at the Salle Dina Bélanger, 2047 Chem. Saint-Louis. For details and tickets, visit lepointdevente.com/billets/choeur-ad-vitam-noel-autour-du-monde. 

Saturday, Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m. – Les Rhapsodes choir, directed by David Rompré and accompanied by organist Marc D’Anjou, presents Noël à Oxford, with William Byrd’s magnificent Mass for four voices, and a selection of traditional English carols such as “Coventry Carol,” “I Saw Three Ships,” “The First Nowell” and “What Child is This?” For details and tickets, visit lesrhapsodes.org. 

Saturday, Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m. – The Choeur Intercommunautaire Saint-Ambroise, directed by Marc-André Marquis, presents Les Classiques de Noël, featuring works by Raymond Daveluy, Omer Létourneau, Ernest Gagnon and Maurice Delà. Guest soloist Guylaine Girard and organist Claude Lemieux, at Église Saint-Ambroise, 277 Rue Racine. Tickets $20 at the door or online at eventbrite.com/e/les-classiques-de-noel-tickets. 

Sunday, Dec. 14 at 2:30 p.m. – The Ensemble Vocal Dal Segno presents À l’aube de Noël at Église St-François-Xavier, 2180 Boul. Père-Lelièvre. Savour the richness of female voices with arrangements of traditional pieces by Dan Forrest, Winnie Brückner, and Charles Gounod alongside contemporary works by Thomas Juneau, Sarah Quartel, and Anna Rocławska-Musiałczyk. Tickets $25 adults, $15 students, free for children 12 and under, are available at  zeffy.com/fr-CA/ticketing/concert-de-noel-a-laube-de-noel or at the door.

Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 7:30 p.m. – Irish Heritage Quebec will hold its Annual Meeting in McMahon Hall at St. Patrick’s Church, 1145 Ave. de Salaberry. President Bryan O’Gallagher will present the annual report. Upon the conclusion of business, Irish Heritage Quebec will honour Les Patriotes de Québec GAA – Football Gaélique & Hurling with a plaque in appreciation of their maintenance of Irish heritage in Quebec City. Members and friends are invited to attend. Refreshments and a festive cake will be served. Admission is free and parking stubs for Îlot St-Patrick will be validated. If arriving on foot, please be advised the church door will be locked when the meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. 

Sunday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. – Plunge into the magic of the Christmas holidays with Bruno Pelletier’s Concert de Noël with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, directed by Simon Leclerc at the Grand Théatre. 

Thursdays to Saturdays, until Dec. 23 – The Quebec City German Christmas Market takes place at five different sites within Old Quebec. For details, visit mnaq.ca/en. 

Tuesday, Dec. 23 at 6 p.m. – Les Violons du Roy present their annual FREE concert Le Chemin de Noël at the Palais Montcalm. First come, first served. If you can’t get into the concert hall, the sound will be projected outdoors so everyone at Place D’Youville, can also enjoy the music. 

Dec. 27-31 – Kaleïdoscopes – an eclectic festival of local music, street art and theatre – returns to the German Christmas Market sites in Old Quebec. This year’s eclectic lineup includes Indigenous rapper Samian, DJ and multidisciplinary artist Socalled, folk rockers Mon Doux Saigneur, Afro-futurist electro trailblazer Kizaba, Québécois traditional music legends Hommage aux Aînés and Les Tireux d’roches, two outdoor square dances (veillées de sets carrés) at Place D’Youville, walk-through theatre by Théâtre pour pas être tout seul and much more. Visit kaleidoqc.ca for the full program. 

Dec. 29-31 – Slide into the New Year 2026 with Toboggan parties at Place de l’Assemblée Nationale and Place George V in downtown Quebec City. For details, visit tobogganfestival.com.

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