Culture
Jean-Yves Guindon Fall Exhibition
Saint-André-AvellinOctober 9–11, 2026About a hundred original watercolours, plus prints and cards, in the painter's gallery and outdoor pavilions. 14th edition in 2026, rain…
Town · MRC de Papineau
Saint-André-Avellin
The biggest town in the MRC, with a rodeo every July.
- Population
- 3 904 (2026)
- Area
- 138.78 km²
- Founded
- Premiers colons en 1841; village incorporé en 1911; municipalité actuelle depuis la fusion de 1997
- Town hall
- 530, rue Charles-Auguste-Montreuil, bureau 100, Saint-André-Avellin (Québec) J0V 1W0 · 819 983-2318
The first settlers came in 1841. The name honours André Trudeau, the surveyor who divided the seigneury's land in 1832, along with Saint Andrew Avellino. The Petite Nation River runs right through the village with its falls, and the Musée des pionniers keeps the memory of the people who logged here.
It's the most populated municipality in the MRC and it shows: CLSC, clinics, arena, sports complex, elementary and high school, hardware store, restaurants. People come from Ripon, Saint-Sixte and Montpellier for all that. Le St-André hosts professional performers all year.
In summer, the Festival western and its rodeo take over for ten days in July, and TWIST, the fibre festival, fills the Complexe Whissell in August. The rest of the year, Route 321 goes back to being the main street of a service town.
Good to know
- Town hall: 530, rue Charles-Auguste-Montreuil, suite 100. Toll-free 1 877 983-2318.
- Route 321 between Papineauville and Chénéville.
- CLSC, clinics, arena, Complexe Whissell, elementary and high schools.
- Louis-Joseph-Papineau trail: 20 km return on stone dust to Saint-Sixte, cycling in summer, skiing in winter.
- Musée des pionniers on rue Bourgeois.
- Lakes Whissell and Simonet, Petite Nation River.
Events in Saint-André-Avellin
Community
Disco Skate
Saint-André-AvellinOctober 10, 2026Skating to music at the arena, costumes welcome. A Saturday-night outing that works for teens and parents alike.
Music series
Shows at Le St-André
Saint-André-AvellinMostly Saturday nights, fall lineupA pub with a real stage. Lots of tribute nights (AC/DC, Tragically Hip, Bob Marley, Pink Floyd) plus known names like Bernard Adamus…
Music series
Summer evenings in Saint-André-Avellin parks
Saint-André-AvellinJune to September: drum circles, 7 p.m. concerts, 9 p.m. moviesThree summer formats: drum-circle nights at Parc des Générations (bring your own drum), a few 7 p.m. concerts, and outdoor movies at the…
Holiday
Saint-Jean in Saint-André-Avellin
Saint-André-AvellinJune 23 or 24 · 2027 dates to be announcedThe MRC's biggest town celebrates Saint-Jean. Details on the Facebook event.
Festival
Saint-André-Avellin Western Festival
Saint-André-AvellinEleven days, mid to late July · 2027 dates to be announcedPetite-Nation's big summer blowout: IPRA pro rodeos that count toward the Coupe Canada in Saint-Tite, shows under the big Desjardins tent…
Festival
Twist Fibre Festival
Saint-André-AvellinSecond weekend of August · 2027 dates to be announcedMore than 120 wool and fibre vendors at Complexe Whissell, workshops on spinning, knitting and dyeing, and sheepdog demos. Organizers bill…
Sports
Colour Run
Saint-André-AvellinEarly September, a Saturday · 2027 dates to be announced2.5, 5 or 10 km, walking or running, with stations where you get blasted with coloured powder. Nobody cares about your time.
Community
Petite Nation Car & Truck Show
Saint-André-AvellinMid-September, a Saturday · 2027 dates to be announcedClassic cars on one side, big 4x4 trucks on the other. The show that closes out car-show season around here.
Places in Saint-André-Avellin
Restaurants & cafés 9
IllustrationRestaurant
Au Vieux Chaudron
Small restaurant on rue Principale, open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. according to online listings.
IllustrationCafé
Café Passe ton temps
A board-game café: more than 100 games and as many puzzles, plus knitting and wood painting. Toddlers welcome.
IllustrationRestaurant
Casse-croûte Chez Denise
Roadside snack bar on montée Aubry with a Facebook page and a crowd of regulars.
IllustrationRestaurant
Casse-Croûte La Bouchée Double
A classic Québec snack bar run by Line Chabot and Véronique Beauvais, with keto and gluten-free options too. Big portions. Closed Sunday and Monday.
IllustrationRestaurant
Casse-croûte La Dame de Cœur
Family snack bar at the south end of the village. Wide menu, easy prices, friendly service. Closed Mondays.
IllustrationCafé
La Crémerie 321
Ice cream shop opened in 2021 in a fully renovated house: soft serve, hard scoop, slush, and a small lunch menu. Seasonal, from late March into the…
IllustrationRestaurant
La Toquade Bistro Bar
Lyne Rossignol and Yves Cossette have run this bistro for more than 16 years. Duck leg, salmon they smoke themselves, and a long list of eggs…
IllustrationRestaurant
Le Café du Bistrot
Wood-fired pizza and a seasonal table d'hôte on the main street. You can order online, and their catering arm goes by Le Trotteur.
IllustrationRestaurant
Subway Saint-André-Avellin
The chain's subs, open every day. Handy when you're driving through on the 321.
Groceries, bakeries & butchers 5
IllustrationButcher
Boucherie de la Ferme
Family butcher shop on the farm. Meat raised without hormones or antibiotics, house sausages and smoked products.
IllustrationBakery
Boulangerie Au Pain d'Antan
The bakery in the middle of the village, with house-made goods every day.
IllustrationBakery
Kîsisam pâtisserie
A café and bake shop where the pastry chef brings Indigenous culture into what comes out of the oven. Kîsisam means 'she who bakes with fire'.
IllustrationGrocery
Marché Omni Serge Perrier
Small convenience market on the 321 north, on the way up to Lac Simon.
IllustrationFarms, sugar shacks & drinks 6
IllustrationFarm
Délys de Jo
Locally grown saffron, honey, saffron honey, dried daylily petals and sea buckthorn. By appointment, text first.
IllustrationFarm
Écoferme Paprika
A small farm growing garlic using permaculture. Their garlic tastes strong, which is the point.
IllustrationFarm
Ferme aux pleines saveurs
Certified organic fruit and vegetables (Québec Vrai), sold as weekly baskets you order online.
IllustrationFarm
Ferme La Récolte
Family market garden growing vegetables and herbs picked as much for flavour as for colour.
IllustrationFarm
Ferme Vianney et Marguerite Turcot
Potatoes, cabbage and sweet corn, grown by the same family for generations.
IllustrationFarm
Les sapins du rang Ste-Madeleine
Pick your own balsam fir at the farm and have a hot chocolate by the fire. A December tradition for plenty of families.
Where to stay 14
IllustrationLodging
Aquaventure Petite-Nation
Riverside outdoor base offering canoe, kayak and paddleboard lessons, with lodging on site.
IllustrationLodging
Auberge Petite-Nation
Affordable year-round lodging right next to the trails. The St-André pub stages shows next door, and rooms are cheaper with a show ticket.
IllustrationCampground
Camping au Petit Lac-Simon
Big family campground with 291 sites, a beach, pool, water slide and splash pad.
IllustrationCampground
Camping Saint-André-Avellin
Campground right in the village on the Petite Nation River, with a pool, splash pad, mini golf and canoe, kayak and paddleboard rentals, no booking…
IllustrationLodging
Chalet Belle Vue
Cottage on an acre of waterfront on Lac Bélisle, a few minutes from the village. Pedal boat and kayaks for the kids.
IllustrationLodging
Chalet CMP
Four-season, four-bedroom cottage on Lac des Quatre-Chemins, with hot tub and fireplace.
IllustrationIllustration
IllustrationCampground
Domaine du Grand Calme
Low-impact forest camping on the Petite Nation River, with five sites, a prospector tent and two rustic cabins.
IllustrationLodging
Gîte du passant Gil-Ann
B&B in a Victorian house from around 1889, a recognized heritage building on rue Principale.
IllustrationIllustrationLodging
Le Cozy Chalet sur le Lac Bélisle
Small cottage on Lac Bélisle, fishing in summer and ice fishing in winter.
IllustrationLodging
Le Serein d'Avellin
Two renovated four-season cottages on navigable Lac Simonet. The first has three bedrooms and sleeps eight.
IllustrationOutdoors 1
IllustrationTrail
Parcours Louis-Joseph-Papineau
About ten kilometres of stone-dust trail out to Saint-Sixte, through woods and open fields, with two lookouts. In winter, extra loops bring it to 25…
Culture & heritage 4
IllustrationHeritage
Saint-André-Avellin Heritage Walk
Twenty-two stops on foot from the Pioneers Museum: the footbridge, the old charnel house, the church, old houses, the Mont Saint-Joseph grotto. Next…
IllustrationLibrary
Bibliothèque de Saint-André-Avellin
The library is in the municipal complex next to the arena. No Saturday hours in summer. Book drop for returns.
IllustrationVenue
Le St-André
Half pub, half concert room. It was recently enlarged by 40 seats, but you're still close to the stage. Tribute bands, comedy and well-known Quebec…
Museum
Pioneers Museum
Saint-André-Avellin's story from seigneury days to the 21st century, told through 1,000-plus objects and 600 photos, with old farm machinery in the…
Shops & makers 11
IllustrationShop
Boutique équestre La Petite-Nation
Everything for horse and rider, with a family team that takes time to explain.
IllustrationShop
Distributeur Blais
Frozen food for the cottage. Fill the freezer before the weekend and skip the grocery run.
IllustrationHardware
GAGNON La Grande Quincaillerie
Québec family-run hardware chain, at the north entrance of the village on the 321.
IllustrationMaker
Galerie-atelier Jean-Yves Guindon
Watercolourist Jean-Yves Guindon's studio and gallery, full of the local countryside.
IllustrationShop
La Dent Sucrée
A candy shop full of imported and hard-to-find sweets. The kind of place kids won't leave.
IllustrationMaker
Laurence Bietlot, alias Lola
Painter working in fluid acrylic, watercolour and ink. Call to visit the studio.
IllustrationMaker
Laurence Bietlot (Lola), artiste peintre
Liquid acrylic, watercolour and ink, mostly gelatin monoprints: dreamy pieces, no two alike. Visits by appointment.
IllustrationShop
Le Brasse-Camarade
A specialty beer store run by Véro and Fred, with a big, ever-changing craft beer selection plus sausages, pâtés, cheese and chocolate, much of it…
IllustrationShop
Paysages Rossignol – Centre Jardin
Garden centre and landscaper with flowers, trees, garden décor and staff who know their plants.
IllustrationShop
Sport N.P.
A game registration station in Saint-André-Avellin, open seven days. Handy if you'd rather not register online.
IllustrationShop
Traction-Nation
Bike shop in the village for sales, tune-ups and repairs, fat bikes included. Run by people who ride.
Services 13
IllustrationService
National Bank, Saint-André-Avellin
National Bank branch on rue Principale, according to OpenStreetMap. We couldn't confirm it in the bank's branch finder, so call before you go.
IllustrationService
Caisse Desjardins de la Petite-Nation et du Lièvre, centre de services Saint-André-Avellin
Service centre on rue Principale in Saint-André-Avellin. The caisse's head office is in Buckingham.
Illustration
IllustrationArena & sports
Complexe Whissell (aréna de Saint-André-Avellin)
Saint-André-Avellin's municipal complex holds the arena, a hall, the library and the municipal offices. OpenStreetMap calls the rink the…
IllustrationService
Comptoir postal de Saint-André-Avellin
Postal counter on rue Principale. Location from OpenStreetMap; check hours with Canada Post.
IllustrationService
Écocentre de Saint-André-Avellin
Opens one day a month on the municipal calendar. Free up to 2 cubic metres per visit. Check current hours with the municipality.
IllustrationService
École Providence / J.-M.-Robert, immeuble J.-M.-Robert
Saint-André-Avellin's small high school building, across from the Providence building. About fifty students.
IllustrationService
École Providence / J.-M.-Robert, immeuble Providence
The elementary building of Saint-André-Avellin's school on rue Villeneuve.
IllustrationIllustrationGarage
Garage Select-Plus (Garage J.-C. Whissell)
Well-established general repair garage in the village.
IllustrationIllustrationService
Municipalité de Saint-André-Avellin
Municipal offices share the arena complex on rue Charles-Auguste-Montreuil. Toll-free: 1 877 983-2318.
IllustrationService
Studio Cabotine
Natalie Périard's salon: hair, lashes, brows and permanent makeup under one roof. Book by phone.
Health & wellness 3
IllustrationHealth
CLSC et Centre d'hébergement de la Petite-Nation
The main CLSC for La Petite-Nation, with a small emergency department and the Saint-André-Avellin family medicine group in the same building. Blood…
IllustrationHealth
Uniprix Gaétan Couillard et Nathalie Mercier
The pharmacy on rue Principale in Saint-André-Avellin, close to the CLSC. Open Saturdays, closed Sundays.
IllustrationGroups & organizations
Community · Saint-André-Avellin
Alliance alimentaire Papineau
The group working on food autonomy across the MRC: a community fridge, meals on wheels, collective kitchens, a seed library and fruit-tree planting. The office is on rue Principale in Saint-André-Avellin.
Office Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WebsiteFacebook819 983-1714info@alliancealimentairepapineau.com
Seniors · Saint-André-Avellin
Comité régional troisième âge Papineau (CR3A)
Since 1978 CR3A has helped seniors across the MRC stay in their own homes: friendly visits, check-in calls, a tax clinic. The 'yellow house' on rue Principale also runs support for caregivers and groups for people dealing with grief.
Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed noon to 1 p.m.)
Sports & recreation · Saint-André-Avellin
Association du hockey mineur de la Petite-Nation (AHMPN)
Minor hockey for the whole Petite-Nation, playing as the Seigneurs. The association hosts the Tournoi des Seigneurs every fall and runs a free skills program for its players.
Sports & recreation · Saint-André-Avellin
FC Petite-Nation
The regional soccer club for the Petite-Nation. It's a spring and summer season; in 2026 practices started May 18, with schedules posted on PlaniTournoi.
Sports & recreation · Saint-André-Avellin
Association des chasseurs, pêcheurs, trappeurs et archers de la Vallée de la Petite-Nation (ACPTA)
The regional association for hunters, anglers, trappers and archers in the Petite-Nation. A good first contact if you want to get involved in local wildlife and outdoor issues.
Health & support · Saint-André-Avellin
Association pour personnes handicapées de Papineau (APHP)
Educational, sports and social activities for people with disabilities across the MRC, plus respite for their families. Based on Route 321 Nord in Saint-André-Avellin.
Community · Saint-André-Avellin
Atelier de formation socioprofessionnelle de la Petite-Nation (Atelier FSPN)
Training, internships and job-search help for adults living with an intellectual or physical disability or a mental-health issue. On rue Rossy in Saint-André-Avellin.
Community · Saint-André-Avellin
Atelier d'éducation populaire La Plume
Adult literacy for anyone 16 and up: reading, writing, math and basic computer skills. A no-judgment spot on rue Principale in Saint-André-Avellin.
Community · Saint-André-Avellin
Centre Actu-Elle
A women's centre open to women of every age and background, with one location in Saint-André-Avellin and another in Buckingham. Workshops, get-togethers and a place to get your footing back.
Health & support · Saint-André-Avellin
Centre de pédiatrie sociale de Papineau
Medical and social support for vulnerable kids in the MRC and their families. Access is by referral; the centre is on rang Sainte-Julie Est.
Health & support · Saint-André-Avellin
Le Boulev'Art de la Vallée
A mental-health group built around doing things: workshops, projects and outings for adults in recovery. The Petite-Nation location is at 68 rue Principale in Saint-André-Avellin.
Community · Saint-André-Avellin
Service de vêtements Petite-Nation
A non-profit thrift shop with used clothes, shoes, dishes, books and toys at low prices. You can drop off donations too.
Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Youth · Saint-André-Avellin
Carrefour jeunesse-emploi Papineau
Help with jobs, going back to school or starting a business for 16- to 35-year-olds in the MRC. Office at 106 rue Principale in Saint-André-Avellin.
Arts & culture · Saint-André-Avellin
Le Chœur de Pom' de la Petite-Nation
A regional mixed-voice choir of about thirty singers from villages across the Petite-Nation.
Sports & recreation · Saint-André-Avellin
Club athlétique Petite-Nation
A track and field club for Petite-Nation kids, with training and meets in running, jumping and throwing.
Seniors · Saint-André-Avellin
Club FADOQ Vallée d'Or de Saint-André-Avellin
The village FADOQ club for people 50 and over: activities, outings and advocacy for seniors.
Community · Saint-André-Avellin
Cercle de fermières de Saint-André-Avellin
The local chapter of the Cercles de Fermières du Québec: crafts, passing on traditional skills, and charity work.
Volunteering & mutual aid · Saint-André-Avellin
Chevaliers de Colomb de Saint-André-Avellin, conseil 3007
The village's Knights of Columbus at 1 boulevard Whissell.
Volunteering & mutual aid · Saint-André-Avellin
Club Optimiste de Saint-André-Avellin
Volunteers who back local kids with activities and contests. Entirely volunteer-run.
Sports & recreation · Saint-André-Avellin
Club de ski de randonnée des Montagnes Blanches
About 25 km of cross-country ski and snowshoe trails, starting behind the Auberge Petite-Nation at 35 rue Principale.
Arts & culture · Saint-André-Avellin
Société historique de Saint-André-Avellin
Founded in 1968, it runs the Musée des pionniers at 20 rue Bourgeois: close to 1,000 old objects and over 6,000 photos. It also publishes the 'Les gens d'ici se racontent' book series.
Arts & culture · Saint-André-Avellin
Le Chœur Avellinois
A choir from Saint-André-Avellin.
Faith communities · Saint-André-Avellin
Paroisse de Saint-André-Avellin
The village Catholic parish at 8 rue Saint-André. The parish council and pastoral team are often looking for volunteers.
Faith communities · Saint-André-Avellin
Église évangélique de la Petite-Nation
An evangelical church listed in Saint-André-Avellin's directory of local organizations.
Volunteering & mutual aid · Saint-André-Avellin
Comité des bénévoles du CHSLD Petite-Nation
Volunteers who spend time with residents of the CHSLD long-term care home on rue Saint-André. A good way in if you want to help out.
Community · Saint-André-Avellin
Commission des sports, loisirs et culture de la collectivité
It runs the village bingo, among other things, and hands the profits to Saint-André-Avellin non-profits that apply.
Lake association · Saint-André-Avellin
Association des propriétaires du Lac-Hotte
The property owners' association for Lac Hotte in Saint-André-Avellin.
Community · Saint-André-Avellin
Pioneers Museum of Saint-André-Avellin
The group that runs the rue Bourgeois museum and the 22-stop heritage walk through the village.
Magazine
Our perfect summer day in La Petite-Nation, from market to beach
Ripon's Saturday market, a Chénéville picnic, a lifeguarded beach on Lac Simon, mini-golf, the lookout at golden hour and soft serve to finish the day.
25 things to do in La Petite-Nation this fall
A Notre-Dame de Paris organist in Montebello, a square dance in Saint-Sixte, punk in Ripon and a hundred watercolours on Thanksgiving. Our list for October and November.
Where to stay in La Petite-Nation, from inns to teepees
A log château, an 1898 Victorian full of artists, an old post office, teepees next to the wolves. Our rundown of the ways to spend the night out here.
Nearby: Ripon · Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours · Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix · Montebello · Papineauville