Festival Accès Asie 2026:
Stories and emotions

A month of discoveries where diaspora artists own the stage in Montreal

May 6, 2026

In May, Montréal moves to an Asian rhythm. From May 1 to 31, 2026, Festival Accès Asie marks its 31st edition and turns the city into a true laboratory of artistic and cultural encounters. Created in 1995, this festival showcases creators from Asia and its diaspora during Asian Heritage Month in Canada.

From May 1 to 31, 2026, Festival Accès Asie celebrates its 31st edition and transforms the city into a genuine laboratory of artistic and cultural exchanges.

The idea is simple: give artists a voice, tell their stories, and let their works circulate through a multitude of venues, from downtown to the neighbourhoods. Visual arts, dance, theatre, film, music, literature, performance, new media, culinary arts: the program touches on everything, relying on the audience’s curiosity and the pleasure of discovery.

Accès Asie doesn’t happen in just one place. In 2026, the festival spreads out to the Gesù, OBORO, La Sala Rossa, the Cinémathèque québécoise, several maisons de la culture, Kawalees, the Jardins Gamelin and Salle Bourgie, among others. This scattered geography turns the festival into a genuine urban journey: over the month, you move from gallery to cabaret, from cooking workshop to movie theatre.

Events for every taste

The festival’s strength lies in its ability to reach very different audiences. Visual arts lovers will, for example, be able to discover Intervalles – Silicon Shield by Kevin Day on May 2 at OBORO. Contemporary dance enthusiasts will meet on May 7 at Centre Sanaaq for Mélange Mystique by David Norsworthy‑Shibatani and Leo Leung, a free evening that plays on the crossing of bodies and imaginations.

Arya-et-Sraya-Cirat--Archipel-sonore--Ben-Jackson

Arya and Sraya-Cirat, Archipel-sonore • photo: Ben-Jackson

On May 8 at La Sala Rossa, Archipels sonores brings together Maya Kuroki, Navid Navab, Rainer Wiens and Sam Shalabi for an evening of sonic exploration. On May 9, the Open Mic Asiatique at Maison de la culture de Parc-Extension, hosted by Claudia Chan Tak and Rich Ly, opens the stage to a mix of voices, styles and backgrounds in a welcoming, free and inclusive format.

Food lovers are in for a treat on May 10 with an Iranian cooking workshop led by Nima Emrani at Les Affûtés – Village, in both French and English. Participants cook, exchange and discover culture through taste and gesture, in a hands-on, participatory atmosphere.

‘Accès Asie doesn’t just program shows; the festival also creates spaces for reflection and discussion.’

Accès Asie is about more than putting performances on a calendar: it also builds spaces for thinking and dialogue. On May 14, a professional development workshop on music at Kawalees brings together Aditya Verma, Mahshad Nadalian and Xuan Lucie Liu, with the aim of equipping artists for the next steps in their careers.

Chi Long, She and the other(s) • photo: Marlène Gélineau-Payette

On May 15, the bookstore Un livre à soi hosts a conversation on Asian women and the legacy of colonialism, with Sophie Hamisultane, Julie Quynh Nhi Tran, and Sandra Desmazières.

The discussion focuses on representation, storytelling and transmission. The following day, the Café littéraire of the collective Lire l’Asie at Kawalees extends these exchanges in a more intimate setting, centred on books and words.

Stage, screen and big emotions

On stage, the program shifts between intimate formats and more festive evenings. On May 15, She and the other(s) by Chi Long at Maison de la culture Ahuntsic blends dance and theatre, in French and English, around the question of otherness. On May 17 at La Sala Rossa, Cabaret Splendeur brings together Joy Rider and guests for a multidisciplinary cabaret that promises to dazzle.

Cinema lovers also have plenty to look forward to. On May 17, Khoa Lê’s documentary Má Sài Gòn screens at Cinéma Moderne. Then, on May 28, 30 and 31, the third edition of Asiate en court at the Cinémathèque québécoise puts the spotlight on short films, an ideal format for discovering new voices and new stories from Asia and its diasporas.

Maya Kuroki, Archipels sonores • photo: Serge Nakauchi Pelletier

On the music side, the end of the month is especially rich: La flûte à travers le monde with Bruno Deschênes on May 19 at Salle Bourgie, Longing and Belonging by Eve Egoyan on May 22, Dhrupad: Chant des Origines with Uday Bhawalkar on May 23 at the Gesù Amphitheatre, then a major outdoor event on May 29 with Accès Asie aux Jardins Gamelin.

‘The festival showcases demanding, sensitive works, often deeply rooted in migratory, family or community experiences.’

Beyond its rich programming, Festival Accès Asie remains a vital event in Montréal’s cultural landscape. By giving a platform to artists from many Asian communities, it offers a multiple, nuanced picture of what the word “Asia” can mean today. Far from clichés, the festival foregrounds rigorous, sensitive works, often deeply grounded in migratory, family or community histories.

For a city like Montreal, where identities constantly intersect and reinvent themselves, Accès Asie serves both as a mirror and a meeting place. Audiences come not only to discover performances, but also to see themselves reflected, to listen to other stories, and to step outside their comfort zone.

Festival Accès Asie 2026