The Plateau’s beloved winter music circuit is hitting double digits. Taverne Tour returns February 12–14, 2026, celebrating a decade of shaking Montreal out of its seasonal doldrums with the kind of eclectic, adventurous programming that’s become its calling card.
This year’s anniversary edition leans into that reputation with a characteristically sprawling lineup. Detroit post-punk veterans Protomartyr headline at Belmont, performing their 2015 album The Agent Intellect in full, another 10-year-old landmark getting its due. They’ll be joined by Toronto’s Hot Garbage, local noise explorers Yoo Doo Right, and synth-punk artist Alix Fernz. The same stage hosts Montreal rapper Nate Husser, fresh off collaborations with Charlotte Cardin and a summer slot at Madrid’s Mad Cool Festival, alongside Chung, Blaise Rival, and R&B singer Kaya Hoax.
La Sala Rossa gets intimate with Christopher Owens, the former Girls frontman presenting his first album in seven years, I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair. He shares the bill with cult favourite Sean Nicholas Savage and new Arbutus signees Fine Food Market. The venue also hosts a North American premiere from Lydia Lunch & Marc Hurtado, resurrecting the music of Alan Vega and Suicide, plus industrial act Belly Hatcher and London’s Nuha Ruby Ra.
Check out the teaser video below:
As always, Le Ministère serves as festival headquarters, hosting everything from Brooklyn’s Firstsex and Swiss-Canadian noise artist Camilla Sparksss to French electronic duo Kap Bambino and a Valentine’s Day Pizza Party featuring masked New York trash-punks Balaclava. Queens rockers The Mystery Lights bring their Nuggets-era sound on Friday the 13th, followed by DJ Jonathan Toubin’s New York Night Train soul party.
Elsewhere across the Plateau, Canadian legend Julie Doiron plays Baptiste Mont-Royal, Nashville duo Twen hits Casa Del Popolo with their acclaimed Fate Euphoric, and Chicago’s FACS present Wish Defense, one of the final albums recorded by the late Steve Albini, at l’Escogriffe.
It’s a fitting snapshot of what Taverne Tour has always done well: mixing international draws with Montreal’s deep bench of experimental talent, all in the neighbourhood venues that make the festival feel less like an event and more like a very good weekend. Ten years in, that formula hasn’t needed much tinkering.
