An exceptional array of voices from Quebec, Canada and around the globe

The highly respected Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival is one of the largest multilingual literary events in North America. This year, writers of all genres and styles from around the world converge in Montreal, with online events starting Monday, April 14 and taking place in person from Thursday, April 24 to Sunday, April 27, 2025 at Hôtel 10 and various locations around the city. Attendees are treated to live interviews, round-table discussions, public readings and book signings, performances, writing workshops, cocktail evenings and more. Each year, the festival is programmed around themes that bear testimony to keen social awareness and a passion for literature in all its richness; this year’s theme is “Time, the Tree, the Page”. In the spirit of openness and curiosity that characterizes the Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival, the adult program reflects a wide range of subjects, from war to happiness, the forest to the family, and love to the tree of life.

What if literature has the power to right the world?

The 27th edition of the Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival showcases 160 authors and artists in 120 events (many festival events are free) in no fewer than eight languages. Highlights this year include conversations with Blue Metropolis 2025 prize recipients, including Indian-British novelist Salman Rushdie and German author Peter Wohlleben.

The great Anne Michaels, winner of the 2024 Giller Prize for Held, will discuss the joys of translation with her translator Dominique Fortier, as well as with novelist Kev Lambert and his translator Donald Winkler. Michaels will also participate in a discussion with American poet, visual artist and photographer Rachel Eliza Griffiths on the special quality of time as seen from the point of view of art. Other notable attendees are Zibby Owens (USA), Davide Longo (Italy), Julia Malye (France), David Chariandy (Canada), Michael Prazan (France), Mateo García Elizondo (Mexico), François Kersaudy (France), Ben Caplan and his lively klezmer band (Canada), Felipe Restrepo Pombo (Colombia), Juana Libedinsky (Argentina), Moustafa Bayoumi (USA), and many others from Quebec, Canada, Europe and the Americas.

“How long does it take a tree to grow? To ask this question is to ask about one’s relationship with time. Writing takes time, so does reading. Along with time, trees will be at the heart of this year’s edition. Trees tell us as much about ourselves as they do about the state of our climate. This grand plant comes in a great variety of species and reflects the diversity of human beings, who should also be able to coexist and grow together in harmony in our forest-world.”

– Blue Metropolis, on their 2025 festival theme

All the world’s literary roads lead to Montreal…

Other highlights of this year’s festival are the interviews with novelists Madeleine Thien and Claire Messud conducted by the acclaimed Eleanor Wachtel as part of the wonderful and ever-popular Eleanor Wachtel Blue Metropolis Series. Thien will preview her latest novel, The Books of Records, a story which brings migrants together in a mysterious building outside of time and space. Messud will be presenting her most recent novel, This Strange Eventful History, which tells the story of a family over seven decades.

Concurrently, the TD-Blue Metropolis Children’s Festival shares its special family-friendly programming in the Maisons de la culture and libraries of Greater Montreal.

About the Blue Metropolis Foundation

Founded in 1997 by author Linda Leith, the Blue Metropolis Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to gathering diverse people together to share and enjoy reading and writing. It hosts two annual events: the Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival in the spring and Salon du livre in the fall. The Blue Metropolis Literary Festival was launched in 1999 with events in French, English or both, plus other languages. In addition, the Foundation offers year-round educational and social programs involving reading and writing for youth and adults.

(Photo credits: Blue Metropolis Foundation.)

 

Event details

Hosted by: Blue Metropolis Foundation

Type of event: international literary festival

Dates & times: See the 2025 schedule for event, date and time details, as well as language availability. Use their filter and drop-down options to find an event that speaks to you.

• Online events start Monday, April 14
• In-person events from Thursday, April 24 – Sunday, April 27

Cost: Most events are free.

• Individual tickets: Start at C$8.00
• Festival pass (limited time offer until midnight April 14): C$30.00 (+ fee) – includes a $25.00 discount on book purchases at the Paragraph kiosk at the festival
• Festival pass (after April 14): C$50.00 (+ fee) – includes a $25.00 discount on book purchases at the Paragraph kiosk at the festival

Festival location:

• Festival programming includes events online and in person at Hôtel 10 (see location below) and various other locations around Montreal, QC. Please refer to the festival schedule for individual event locations.
• Hôtel 10 location: 10, rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal, QC, H2X 4C9

Video: Watch the overview video.

Booking links:

• Book festival passes here.
• Book individual tickets here by clicking on the event you wish to attend.

Contact Details: Blue Metropolis Foundation, 661, rue Rose-de-Lima, bureau 204, Montréal, QC, H4C 2L7, Canada; Festival info line: 438-453-7721, info@metropolisbleu.org, bluemetropolis.org

 

Accessibility: For Hôtel 10, please contact them at 514-843-6000 or toll free at +1 855-390-6787. For other venues, please refer to the venue website or contact the venue.

Refund policy: Please contact the organizer.