Christmas and winter in La Petite-Nation: events and things to do, 2026-2027

In the region, holiday lights usually go up once Halloween is over. Here, therefore, date by date, are the activities planned in La Petite-Nation from late November to the end of winter.

We distinguish between activities confirmed for 2026 and those that take place every year but have not yet been announced. The Christmas markets have their own guide, with hours and addresses: Christmas markets and local makers 2026.

December 2026: confirmed dates

Friday, December 4 and Saturday, December 5, Ripon. The guignolée food drive goes door to door, according to the municipal calendar. Please set aside some non-perishable food.

Saturday, December 5, Ripon. The Children's Christmas Party takes place at the community centre, 31 rue Coursol. Registration with the municipality is mandatory.

Saturday, December 5, Chénéville. The Christmas market is held at Centre St-Félix-de-Valois, with the Grinch in attendance.

Saturday, December 12, Thurso. The Knights of Columbus hold their young-at-heart supper. For the venue and tickets, please contact the Knights or the town.

Saturday, December 12, evening. Two performances take place the same evening: VioleTT Pi at Place du Marché in Ripon, and comedian Alexandre Barrette at Salle Desjardins in Papineauville. According to Tourisme Petite Nation's calendar, both begin at 8 p.m.

Sundays, December 13 and 20, Thurso. The Optimist Club distributes its Christmas stockings on the 13th, then holds its turkey bingo on the 20th.

Friday, December 18, 7 p.m., Saint-Sixte. A traditional dance evening takes place at the community centre, 30 rue Principale. A caller explains the figures, so no experience is required. Reservations are necessary, as capacity is limited to 70 people.

Saturday, December 19, 6 to 9 p.m., Saint-André-Avellin. A disco skate is held at the Complexe Whissell arena. We encourage participants to wear a Christmas sweater.

From December 1, Ripon. The municipality invites residents to light up their homes for evening walkers. If you are expecting visitors, please note that in Ripon, overnight street parking, prohibited from November 15 to April 15, is permitted from December 24 to 26 and from December 31 to January 2.

Annual traditions (2026 dates to be confirmed)

These events return every year, but as of mid-October their 2026 dates had not been published. Last year's date is shown in brackets.

• The lighted tractor parade, Plaisance (Saturday, December 5, 2026, meeting at the community hall, 281 rue Desjardins; the Tourisme Petite Nation calendar lists 3 p.m.). Decorated tractors parade through the village streets. As attendance is high, we recommend arriving early.
• Noël des enfants, Plaisance (December 13, 2025). Registration is required, and the event was full last year. We suggest following the town's events page.
• Noël des Pins, Ripon (November 22 to December 24, 2025, nightly from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., 1192 route 317). This is an illuminated trail through a pine forest. The 2026 opening date will be posted on their Facebook page.
• Trees of Hope, Château Montebello (until January 5 for the 2025-2026 edition). Christmas trees decorated by Outaouais businesses are displayed to raise funds for the food bank.
• Christmas Magic, Saint-Émile-de-Suffolk, in December, organized by recreation committee volunteers.
• The Christmas tree celebration, Val-des-Bois. The municipality includes it among its annual activities; the date is announced on Facebook and in Le Valboisien.

Christmas concerts. Last year, Gregory Charles and the Chœur Nouveau performed at the church in Saint-André-Avellin on December 12, and the Chœur de Pom' gave a concert on December 14. No concerts have yet been announced for 2026. Tourisme Petite Nation's calendar is usually the first to publish these announcements.

Christmas Eve mass. As of mid-October, no 2026 schedule had been published online for December 24 services. Parishes usually announce them closer to the holidays, in the parish bulletin and on Facebook.

Films and shows. Cinémaboule presents Pauline Julien on December 3, Vivaldi et moi on December 17 and Hantée on December 20. Salle Desjardins welcomes Alexandre Barrette on December 12.

At Fairmont Le Château Montebello. The hotel offers packages for the season: Early Christmas from November 15 to December 17, Special Holiday from December 23 to January 4, and Sunday Getaway until December 13. Terms are on its offers page.

New Year's Eve

To date, we have found no public event announced for December 31, 2026 in La Petite-Nation. The Château Montebello offers a holiday program every year; last year it ran from December 19 to January 4 and included skating and a bonfire. The 2026-2027 program has not yet been published. If a New Year's celebration is announced in a village, it will be added to our events calendar.

January to March 2027

Activities continue after the holidays. Here are those already on the calendar.

• Saturdays, January 9, February 27 and March 13: disco skate in Saint-André-Avellin, from 6 to 9 p.m.
• Friday, January 23, 8 p.m.: Francis Degrandpré at Salle Desjardins, Papineauville.
• January, Thurso: a talk by Chantal Lacroix at 7 p.m. According to the town, the exact date is to be confirmed and tickets are sold at Dépanneur 10-10.
• Thursday, February 4, 7 p.m.: Des hommes rapaillés, an evening of music and words devoted to poet Gaston Miron, in Papineauville.
• February 5 to 7: the Canadian Ski Marathon, in the Montebello area.
• Saturday, February 13, 8 p.m.: Virginie Fortin at Salle Desjardins.
• Fridays, February 19 and March 19, 7 p.m.: dance evenings in Saint-Sixte.
• February 26 to 28: the Montebello Fatbike Festival.
• Saturday, March 20, 8 p.m.: Alain Choquette at Salle Desjardins.

Village carnivals, the Lac-Simon winter party and the torchlight walks are covered on a separate page, updated as dates are announced: Winter carnivals and festivals.

Outdoor activities, all winter

Other articles cover these topics in detail. For what is open, what closes and where to warm up, please read winter in La Petite-Nation. For trails, see cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling. For trout fishing through the ice from December 20, see our ice fishing guide. Finally, for deer in the snow, see our Parc Oméga tips.

If a date is missing or has changed, please let us know. Organizers often post information on Facebook first. Send it to us and we will update the calendar.

Sources

• Municipality of Ripon, 2026 calendar
• Ville de Thurso, community and cultural events
• Tourisme Petite Nation events calendar (shows, dance nights, disco skate, Chénéville market)
• Saint-Sixte, traditional dance nights
• Ville de Plaisance, upcoming events (2025 edition)
• Tourisme Petite Nation, holiday guide (2025 edition)
• Fairmont Le Château Montebello, Christmas at the Château
• Val-des-Bois, recreation and activities
• Canadian Ski Marathon and Montebello Fatbike Festival
• Checked October 15, 2026.

RiponPlaisanceThursoMontebelloSaint-André-AvellinSaint-SixtePapineauvilleSaint-Émile-de-SuffolkVal-des-BoisChénéville

Sources

The facts in this story come from these public sources. Every place and event mentioned has its own page, with its sources and the date it was checked. Legal notice

Links cited in the story

• Tockify (calendriers d’organismes) · tockify.com/petitenation/
• Fairmont Le Château Montebello · fairmont.com/montebello/offers/country-christmas
• Ripon (town) · ripon.ca/fichiersUpload/fichiers/20251209170807-calendrier-muncipal-2026.pdf
• Thurso (town) · ville.thurso.qc.ca/loisirs-et-culture/evenements-communautaires-culturels/
• Saint-Sixte (town) · saintsixte.ca/veillees-de-danse-traditionnelle/
• Plaisance (town) · ville.plaisance.qc.ca/evenements-a-venir/
• Tourisme Petite-Nation Outaouais · petitenationoutaouais.com/celebrez-la-magie-des-fetes-en-petite-nation/
• Marina du Château Montebello · chateau-montebello.com/fr/noel-au-chateau/
• Val-des-Bois (town) · val-des-bois.ca/services-aux-citoyens/loisirs-et-cultures/activites/
• Marathon canadien de ski · skimarathon.ca/fr/
• Montebello (town) · montebello.ca/fr/nouvelles-details/2026/02/19/festival-du-fatbike-de-montebello-

Sources for the places and events mentioned (57)

• Tourisme Petite-Nation Outaouais · petitenationoutaouais.com/attraits/salle-desjardins-de-la-petite-nation/
• Tourisme Petite-Nation Outaouais · petitenationoutaouais.com/les-salles-de-spectacles-en-petite-nation/
• p2vallees.ca · p2vallees.ca/evenement-sdpn/
• MRC de Papineau · mrcpapineau.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/web2-mrc-papineau-gsq-24-2.pdf
• MRC de Papineau · mrcpapineau.com/portrait-de-la-mrc/saint-andre-avellin/
• Tourisme Petite-Nation Outaouais · petitenationoutaouais.com/attraits/fairmont-le-chateau-montebello/
• Villages-relais du Québec · villages-relais.qc.ca/fr/village/montebello/
• Fairmont Le Château Montebello · fairmont.com/en/hotels/montebello/fairmont-le-chateau-montebello.html
• Thurso (town) · ville.thurso.qc.ca/organismes-et-etablissements/entreprises-et-industries/commer
• pmonnaie.ca · pmonnaie.ca/commercants-participants/
• pmonnaie.ca · pmonnaie.ca/ou-se-procurer-de-la-petite-monnaie/
• Gouvernement du Québec (Québec.ca) · quebec.ca/tourisme-loisirs-sport/activites-sportives-et-de-plein-air/acheter-per
• Tockify (calendriers d’organismes) · tockify.com/petitenation/detail/1236/1796482800000
• Tockify (calendriers d’organismes) · tockify.com/petitenation/detail/1604/1797123600000
• Tourisme Petite-Nation Outaouais · petitenationoutaouais.com/les-evenements-incontournables/
• Tockify (calendriers d’organismes) · tockify.com/api/feeds/ics/petitenation
• Cinémaboule · cinemaboule.ca/
• Tockify (calendriers d’organismes) · tockify.com/petitenation
• Tourisme Petite-Nation Outaouais · petitenationoutaouais.com/pour-une-promenade-culturelle/
• Organization’s Facebook page · facebook.com/events/1781452483174619/
• Organization’s Facebook page · facebook.com/events/1910068746825319/
• Organization’s Facebook page · facebook.com/events/1799393314418369/
• Organization’s Facebook page · facebook.com/events/2178544152721155/
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20211205031321/https://www.noelmontebello.ca/
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20221206074512/https://www.noelmontebello.ca/
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20231208161723/https://www.noelmontebello.ca/
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20241103224554/https://www.noelmontebello.ca/
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20251113084222/https://www.noelmontebello.ca/
• Marché de Noël de Montebello · noelmontebello.ca/
• Tourisme Petite-Nation Outaouais · petitenationoutaouais.com/la-magie-du-temps-des-fetes-au-marche-de-noel-de-monte
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20241114113731/https://www.petitenationoutaouais.com/celebre
• Lac-Simon (town) · lac-simon.net/noel-des-enfants-2026-inscriptions-ouvertes/
• Saint-André-Avellin (town) · ville.st-andre-avellin.qc.ca/evenement/jexplore-en-cuisine-alliance-alimentaire-
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20260117073521/https://www.petitenationoutaouais.com/celebre
• Organization’s Facebook page · facebook.com/noeldespins
• Tourisme Petite-Nation Outaouais · petitenationoutaouais.com/attraits/noel-des-pins/
• Saint-Émile-de-Suffolk (town) · st-emile-de-suffolk.com/loisirs
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20060206122219/http://www.csm-mcs.com:80/about_the_ski_marat
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20070505224406/http://csm-mcs.com:80/about_the_ski_marathon/
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20080724182412/http://www.csm-mcs.com/about_the_ski_marathon
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20100210121932/http://www.csm-mcs.com:80/fr/index.html
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20120109014147/http://www.csm-mcs.com:80/fr/index.html
• skitrax.com · skitrax.com/tag/quebec/
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20160111012619/http://csm-mcs.com/
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20170911202332/http://skimarathon.ca/
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20190121101105/http://skimarathon.ca/
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20200519021544/https://skimarathon.ca/
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20230113143502/https://skimarathon.ca/
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20241227072423/https://skimarathon.ca/
• Internet Archive (copies archivées) · web.archive.org/web/20260116141503/https://skimarathon.ca/
• Tourisme Petite-Nation Outaouais · petitenationoutaouais.com/des-evenements-sportifs-pour-vous-surpasser/
• Tourisme Petite-Nation Outaouais · petitenationoutaouais.com/les-carnavals-et-evenements-dhiver-en-petite-nation/
• Tourisme Petite-Nation Outaouais · petitenationoutaouais.com/attraits/montebello-velo-de-montagne/
• culturepapineau.org · culturepapineau.org/
• centrenapoleonbourassa.ca · centrenapoleonbourassa.ca/a-propos/joindre/
• Tourisme Petite-Nation Outaouais · petitenationoutaouais.com/les-marches-publics/
• cooperativeplacedumarche.com · cooperativeplacedumarche.com/

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