Le National

Le National was inaugurated in 1900 and was the very first professional French-speaking theatre in Canada. Its programming began with Quebec-made Broadway hits, as well as Quebec burlesque and melodrama. 

The introduction of in-home televisions in the mid-1950s transformed Le National into a neighbourhood cinema, a Chinese cinema, and a gay cinema through the 1960s and 1980s. In 1997, it resumed operation as a performance theatre.

The venue began hosting concerts, dance, comedy and variety shows when the Compagnie Larivée Cabot Champagne took over in 2006. Le National has booked acts such as Mustafa, Silverstein, Amyl and the Sniffers, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Slowdive and Caribou in more recent years. 

Other notable events that have been held at Le National include the Nuits d'Afrique International Festival, the Montreal Arab World Festival, Just For Laughs and Pop Montreal.