2025–2026 Programming: African Fashion, Montreal Restaurants and Olympic Memories on View at the McCord Stewart Museum

Montreal, August 14, 2025 – The McCord Stewart Museum is unveiling an ambitious 2025–2026 season featuring five new exhibitions celebrating the history, creativity and continued influence of people and communities who have shaped Montreal, as well as those from Africa. This year’s headline events include Africa Fashion, curated by London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and presented exclusively in Canada at the McCord Stewart Museum; On the Menu – Montreal: A Restaurant Story, tracing the city’s vibrant dining scene from the 1960s to today; and a retrospective on the 1976 Olympic Games marking the 50th anniversary of an event that transformed Montreal’s urban landscape and international image.

The Museum remains committed to making culture accessible to all, offering free admission for visitors aged 17 and under, “Pay What You Can” days on the first Sunday of every month, and a new value-packed membership program.

→ Fall 2025 | → Spring 2026 | → Not to Miss
→ Educational, Cultural and Community Activities

Opening Fall 2025

• Making its only Canadian stop at the McCord Stewart Museum as part of its world tour (London, Brooklyn, Portland, Melbourne, Chicago and Paris), Africa Fashion is one of the largest exhibitions ever devoted to this subject. Curated by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, it celebrates the creativity of African designers and shows how fashion became a powerful vehicle for self-expression in the postcolonial era and gained prominence on the global stage. September 25, 2025, to February 1, 2026
• Aunties’ Work is a project by guest curator Nadia Bunyan that honours the support systems created by the matriarchs of Montreal’s Black communities. Socially and politically engaged, these “aunties” wove strong networks of solidarity through their actions. Through clothing, material culture, personal stories and testimonies, the exhibition explores how they anchored and united their communities while creating spaces for reflection, imagination and creativity. October 23, 2025, to May 24, 2026
• Created with the support of the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) and presented by the FONDS OVI – Ionescu Family Foundation, On the Menu – Montreal: A Restaurant Story invites visitors to explore the evolution of Montreal’s dining scene in all its forms since the 1960s. From humble delis to haute cuisine, it reveals how much of the city’s identity has been forged around the table. November 26, 2025, to October 18, 2026
• Thanks to Holt Renfrew’s 2018 gift of the beloved animated Christmas displays from Ogilvy, visitors can enjoy The Enchanted Village inside the Museum and The Mill in the Forest in the Museum Alley. November 29, 2025, to January 11, 2026.
  Presented by Place Montréal Trust
  Holiday season launch on Saturday, November 29: free admission for everyone!

Opening Spring 2026

• To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Summer Olympics, the Museum wishes to explore the impact of this landmark event on the contemporary history of Montreal, Quebec and Canada. This exhibition looks beyond the athletic feats to examine how the Games showcased local creativity, reshaped Montreal’s urban and architectural landscape, and sparked controversy during their preparation. Visitors will see a rich selection of artefacts, clothing, archives, posters, cartoons and photographs. March 19 to September 7, 2026
• Mount Royal 150th Anniversary Tour – An outdoor walking tour celebrating the history of Montreal’s iconic green space. Spring 2026
• In partnership with the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the Contemporary Native Art Biennial, the Museum will offer its Artist-in-Residence program to an Indigenous artist, giving them carte blanche to take a critical, conceptual look at the Museum’s collections and their connection to their artistic practice. June 18, 2026, to January 10, 2027

Power Corporation of Canada is the Premier Partner – Montreal Stories for the McCord Stewart Museum.

Exhibitions Not to Miss

• Last chance to visit this exhibition this summer!
  Costume Balls: Dressing Up History, 1870–1927 recreates the opulent world of early 20th-century costume balls. Lavish costumes, photographs, documents and artefacts immerse visitors in these grand events, while also offering a critical perspective on the colonial and imperialist narratives they perpetuated. Until August 17, 2025.
  Presented by La Presse in collaboration with LaSalle College Montréal, a member of LCI Education.
• Little Burgundy: Evolving Montreal, a captivating exhibition by Andrew Jackson, documents the transformation of one of Montreal’s most storied Black neighbourhoods through 61 photographs and three short films, giving voice to its residents. Until September 28, 2025.
  Presented by Power Corporation of Canada, Premier Partner – Montreal Stories
• Pounding the Pavement: Montreal Street Photography traces the evolution of street photography from the 19th century to today. Over 400 images, mostly from the Museum’s own collections, capture the city’s urban and social transformations from the photographers’ point of view. Until October 26, 2025.
  Presented by Power Corporation of Canada, Premier Partner – Montreal Stories
• The permanent exhibition Indigenous Voices: Knowledge, Trauma, Resilience gives voice to members of the 11 Indigenous Nations of Quebec, highlighting their still under-appreciated knowledge, as well as their deep trauma and remarkable resilience.
  Official broadcaster: Radio-Canada

Educational, Cultural and Community Activities

Fashion Events

The Museum will once again participate in Montreal Fashion Week, hosting two events that celebrate Afro-descendant designers and eight Indigenous creators from Collectif Autochtone with public runway shows.