TEMPÉO, Dance and Music Festival: it’s back for the new season!

The place to meet is that open-air dancefloor in the heart of downtown Montreal!

Montreal, August 18, 2026 – From September 16 to 20, Place des Arts invites the public to discover the 8th edition of TEMPÉO, Dance and Music Festival: five free evenings where dance, music and cultures meet up in a unique collective experience. An invitation to wiggle your hips, discover new rhythms and celebrate together, as the Esplanade transforms into a true dancefloor. On the program, five musical themes: reggaeton, Afro-house, cumbia, K-pop and kompa.

Artists on the music scene, DJs and figures from the dance community will spell one another every evening. Free dance workshops will kick off the festivities, followed by a music performance before DJs take over to get the crowd dancing until the end of the evening. A food and beverage area will add to the enjoyment between performances.

Hosted once again this year by Philippe Fehmiu, TEMPÉO stands out as one of the unmissable gatherings of the new Montreal cultural season. Among the highlights, Isabella Lovestory will take the stage during the reggaeton evening, the collective Moonshine will assume control of the turntables for the Afro-house evening, and Latin Groove Montréalwill invite the public to give cumbia a try. Alex Francoeur, revealed to the public on the dance show Révolution and choreographer of the FIFA World Cup opening ceremonies in Toronto this summer, will open the K-pop evening on September 19 with a commercial dance workshop. The next night, the event celebrating the 70th anniversary of kompa will shine a spotlight on that iconic music and dance genre from Haiti.
 

“TEMPÉO has become the event of the new fall season in Montreal! Every year I see music, dance, cultures and audiences come together there: a great moment of sharing in the center of downtown Montreal. It’s that diversity, that taste for discovery and the joy that comes from dancing together that are at the very heart of the festival.”
– Philippe Fehmiu, music advisor and host of TEMPÉO, Dance and Music Festival
 

“I’m really happy to be joining TEMPÉO for the first time and inviting the public to find their way to the world of K-pop through dance. That evening will be an opportunity to discover the energy, the codes and the choreographies in an accessible, interactive experience. I can’t wait to see so many people dancing together!”
– Alex Francoeur, Canadian choreographer and artist participating in TEMPÉO, Dance and Music Festival
 

“TEMPÉO fully reflects our commitment to making the performing arts accessible and providing more opportunities for people to discover them. With five free evenings, each featuring a different musical world, this 8th edition invites the public to explore practices and cultures from here and elsewhere. It’s also a way of bringing the Esplanade de la Place des Arts to life in a different way and of taking people’s involvement with the arts outside our venues.”
– Clothilde Cardinal, Senior Director, Education and Special Projects, Place des Arts

 

PROGRAM DETAILS 

REGGAETON-themed evening 
Wednesday, September 16

To open the festival, TEMPÉO plunges into the world of reggaeton and its irresistible rhythms, dance and urban sounds, with an evening that promises to get the Esplanade grooving from the very first notes.

6 p.m. to 7 p.m.: reggaeton dance workshop with Carolina
Carolina will be kicking off TEMPÉO with a workshop that invites the public to enter the reggaeton world by way of dance, letting themselves be guided by its distinctive beats.

7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: music performance by Isabella Lovestory
Born in Honduras and now a Montreal resident, Isabella Lovestory has made a name for herself as a leading figure in experimental reggaeton, racking up millions of views on YouTube. Her style, neoperreo – inspired by perreo, a South American dance from the world of reggaeton – blends bold sounds and a self-assured esthetic. With her experimental and staunchly free-spirited approach, this multidisciplinary artist has been pushing the boundaries of the genre since her first album, Amor Hardcore.

8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.: DJ set by Frikiton
Frikiton will next be spinning records to keep the evening going to the rhythms of reggaeton plus Latin and urban sounds.
 

AFRO-HOUSE-themed evening 
Thursday, September 17

Afro-house takes over the Esplanade with its fusion of traditional African rhythms, electronic grooves and percussive sounds for an evening driven by a contagious energy.

6 p.m. to 7 p.m.: house dance workshop with BadKass
A dancer and choreographer specializing in street dance and its offshoots, Kassandra Boivin-Cénélia, alias BadKass, has made a big impression on the TV shows Révolution and World of Dance. Founder of the troupe BAD, she also teaches at Studio Party Time.

7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: music performance by Aiza
Known as an “Afrobop Queen,” the singer-songwriter born in Montreal and now living in Toronto mixes soul, Afropop and R&B in energy-packed performances. Her debut album, Sovereignty, has accumulated more than 2.5 million listens on digital platforms.

8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.: DJ set by Moonshine
Founded in 2014 by Pierre Kwenders, Moonshine has established itself as a reference on Québec’s electronic music scene, with evenings presented from Montreal to Kinshasa by way of Lisbon, Paris and New York. The collective, represented by Pierre Kwenders and San Farafina, will have the public dancing to the rhythms of its afrodescendant electronic sounds.
 

CUMBIA-themed evening 
Friday, September 18

Born in Colombia out of the intermixing of Indigenous, African and Spanish cultures, cumbia has crossed borders and eras to become one of Latin America’s most unifying rhythms. TEMPÉO is devoting an evening to it where traditions and contemporary sounds come together.

6 p.m. to 7 p.m.: cumbia dance workshop with Latin Groove Montréal
Since 1999, Latin Groove Montréal has been getting Montrealers moving by sharing Latin dance with passion and a spirit of friendship. For TEMPÉO, Nataly Ruiz will guide the public to a discovery of cumbia in all its infectious energy and passion.

7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: music performance by Niña Volcán
An emerging force of “Canadian cumbia,” the Toronto band Niña Volcán stretches the bounds of contemporary cumbia by mixing it with electronic music, jazz and Afrobeat. Their electrifying performances are tailor-made for the dancefloor.

8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.: DJ set by Boogát
A musician, rapper and DJ, Boogát will be placing his vast musical culture in the service of a journey through the hypnotic rhythms of cumbia and music from Latin America. A veteran of the Québec global pop music scene, he serves up a world both festive and innovative.
 

K-POP-themed evening 
Saturday, September 19

A cultural phenomenon that’s gone global, K-pop will take the Esplanade by storm with its spectacular choreographies, its boundless energy and its musical world where pop, hip-hop and electronic music – among others – all come together.

6 p.m. to 7 p.m.: commercial dance workshop with Alex Francoeur
Introduced to the general public on the dance show Révolution in 2019, Alex Francoeur has since created choreographies for productions in Canada, the U.S. and Europe, including the TV shows En direct de l’univers and La Soirée Mammouth. This summer he also handled choreography duties for the opening ceremony of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Toronto.

7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: dance performance by East2West + 2KSQUAD

East2West
Bringing together a dozen or so Montreal artists with a passion for dance, performance and Korean culture, East2West builds bridges between Western and Asian cultures. Among the troupe’s achievements: snagging a Golden Buzzer on the program Quel talent!.

2KSQUAD
Rooted in the Montreal community, 2KSQUAD are distinguished by their original choreographies relying on visual storytelling and audience participation. Their performances make K-pop an experience equal parts spectacular and unifying.

8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.: DJ Seolying
A resident of Kpop Club Night since 2019, Toronto DJ Seolying broadcasts his passion for K-pop both in Canada and the U.S. His sets journey among the genre’s different eras, from the great classics to the most recent remixes.
 

KOMPA-themed evening, kompa 70th-anniversary special 
Sunday, September 20

To bring TEMPÉO to a close, time for a very special celebration of the 70th anniversary of kompa, one of Haiti’s iconic cultural expressions. Born in the 1950s under the leadership of saxophonist Nemours Jean-Baptiste and included on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2025, kompa brings people together with syncopated rhythms that are a natural invitation to dance.

6 p.m. to 7 p.m.: kompa dance workshop with MC Konpa
Founder of the school MC Konpa, Meggie is a pioneer of a movement whose aim is to promote the dance in Canada and internationally. She’ll be introducing the public to a style marked by sensuality and rhythmic richness, as she passionately shares her Haitian heritage.

7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: music performance by Richy Jay
A native of Haiti now living in Montreal, Richy Jay crafts a festive universe fueled by zouk, kompa and Afropop. Named Haitian-Canadian Artist of the Year at the 2024 Haitian Music Awards, on his album Caribbean Love he explores the themes of love, identity and resilience.

8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.: DJ Nalee
Afro, Caribbean and kompa sounds make up the signature of DJ Nalee, a Montreal DJ originally from Haiti and a rising star on the Afro-Caribbean scene. Her approach, rooted in culture, rhythm and connecting with the audience, promises a finale that will bring people together in every sense.

TEMPÉO, Dance and Music Festival is made possible thanks to the support of the Place des Arts Foundation and La Presse, media partner. 

Source :

Place des Arts : Géraldine Zaccardelli, Communications and Public Relations Manager at Place des Arts, gzaccardelli@placedesarts.com

Media relations :
Roy & Turner : Mélissa Roy, Account director, mroy@roy-turner.com