What Place des Arts does

Place des Arts is a publicly funded performing arts complex in the Quartier des Spectacles in downtown Montreal, Quebec, established by the Quebec government in 1963 and operating continuously since 1963. It is the principal venue in Quebec for symphonic music, opera, ballet, theatre, and contemporary dance, and serves as the home stage for four anchor resident companies: Théâtre Duceppe, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Opéra de Montréal, and Orchestre Métropolitain. The complex comprises five performance venues — Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Théâtre Maisonneuve, Théâtre Jean-Duceppe, Salle Ludger-Duvernay, and Cinquième Salle — and hosts more than 500 shows per year, including marquee annual festivals such as the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, Just for Laughs, Festival TransAmériques, Danse Danse, and Festival de Lanaudière.

The core product is the physical venue infrastructure, including seated theatres, common areas, and supporting amenities, plus the curatorial and operational capacity to program a year-round calendar of resident and visiting productions. Supporting technology includes the Ticketmaster-powered box office that serves as the official ticketing channel for many resident companies and festivals, the Explorer+ on-demand visual content platform for digital programming, and youth-focused offerings such as Place des Arts Junior and the Sons et brioches family program. Public art installations, most recently the ORB in 2021, extend the site's role into a free outdoor cultural destination.

Place des Arts operates as a Quebec société d'État (state-owned cultural institution) with a non-profit revenue model. Earned revenue is generated primarily through ticket sales, venue rentals to resident companies and festival producers, concessions, and ancillary services, and is supplemented by an annual government appropriation and philanthropic support channeled through the Fondation de la Place des Arts. Customer segments are broadly distributed across general public ticket buyers, arts patrons, school and family audiences, tourists, and the four resident companies and festival producers who anchor programming.

Name

Place des Arts

Legal name

Place des Arts

Website

https://placedesarts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Place des Arts is a Quebec government-owned performing arts complex in downtown Montreal that operates five venues, hosts more than 500 shows annually, and serves as the home stage for four anchor resident companies and several major festivals, reaching a broad public audience of arts patrons, families, and tourists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Venue Operations

NAICS

Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Concert Halls & Music Venue Operations (Symphony Halls, Recital Venues) (MPAGALAC), Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

Keywords

• Performing arts venue
• Live entertainment programming
• Concert hall operations
• Cultural event hosting
• Theatre and dance productions

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Place des Arts is a performing arts complex and public cultural institution that presents, produces, and hosts live music, theatre, dance, and variety programming across multiple indoor venues in downtown Montreal. It sells tickets to the general public for its own programming and partner-festival productions, rents its halls to event producers, and runs youth and educational programming initiatives. It is also a state-owned (Quebec) cultural venue serving as the principal indoor stage for several major Canadian festivals.

Product overview

Place des Arts is a major performing arts complex and cultural venue in Montreal, Quebec, that serves as a platform for live entertainment across multiple disciplines. Rather than a unified software product, it offers a portfolio of live-event services: official ticketing (billetterie officielle) via Ticketmaster, venue rental for external producers, gift cards (carte-cadeau), and dedicated programming for youth audiences. The institution presents performances across diverse artistic disciplines including music (classical, jazz, pop, world, electronic, gospel, blues, folk, rap, soul, reggae), dance, theatre, opera, comedy/musical theatre, circus, magic, and spoken word, hosting both resident companies (Duceppe, Les Grands Ballets, Opéra de Montréal, Orchestre Métropolitain) and touring productions. Programming is organized into series and festivals such as Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, Festival de Lanaudière, Just for Laughs/Juste pour rire, Festival TransAmériques, and Festival Quartiers Danses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Place des Arts junior: Programming series specifically designed for young audiences and families
• Sons et brioches
• Festival Quartiers Danses
• TEMPÉO Festival Danse et Musique
• JOAT Festival International de street dance
• Destination des Fêtes

Products and services

• Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier (in-house programming and ticketed performances) Large-scale ticketed programming presented in Place des Arts' flagship concert hall, intended for the general public attending orchestral, operatic, ballet, and variety productions of national scale.
• Théâtre Maisonneuve (in-house programming and ticketed performances) Mid-sized theatre configured for music, dance, and variety shows; programming is presented to the general public and serves as a key festival venue.
• Théâtre Jean-Duceppe (in-house programming and ticketed performances) Drama-focused theatre presenting French-language theatre productions and dramatic programming for the general public.
• Cinquième Salle (in-house programming and ticketed performances) Small-scale experimental hall for emerging and contemporary work, supporting intimate cabaret, contemporary music, and emerging-artist performances for the general public.
• Festival hosting: Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, Just for Laughs, Les FrancoFolies de Montréal, Montreal High Lights Hosted festival programming presented on Place des Arts stages, sold to the general public through the same box-office and ticketing channels as in-house shows.
• Venue rental and event hosting (Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Théâtre Maisonneuve, Théâtre Jean-Duceppe, Cinquième Salle) Rental of Place des Arts' halls to event producers, promoters, broadcasters, and corporate/private clients for galas, conferences, recordings, and producer-led shows that are then ticketed independently or held as private events.
• Place des Arts gift cards Stored-value gift cards redeemable for tickets and on-site purchases at the Place des Arts complex, sold to consumers and corporate clients for gifting and benefits.
• Youth and educational programming (school matinees, educational performances, youth-season subscriptions) Educational performances, school matinees, and youth-arts subscription offerings designed for school groups, families, and young audiences to build arts participation.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, regular and minor.

• Théâtre DuceppecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResident theatre company at Place des Arts since 1973, presenting socially engaged theatrical productions primarily at Théâtre Jean-Duceppe and Cinquième Salle.
• Les Grands Ballets CanadienscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResident ballet company performing classical and contemporary dance productions at Place des Arts venues, founded in 1957 by Ludmilla Chiriaeff.
• Opéra de MontréalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResident opera company presenting operatic productions at Place des Arts, collaborating with Orchestre Métropolitain for orchestral performances.
• Orchestre MétropolitaincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResident orchestra performing classical concerts at Place des Arts venues, often collaborating with Opéra de Montréal.
• Festival de LanaudièremajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor classical music festival using Place des Arts as a venue for performances, featuring internationally renowned classical musicians and ensembles.
• Festival International de Jazz de MontréalmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerWorld's largest comedy and jazz festival presenting performances at Place des Arts venues, part of the broader Just for Laughs ecosystem.
• Just for Laughs / Juste pour riremajorGTM or Marketing PartnerWorld's largest comedy festival presenting French and English-language galas at Place des Arts, hosting over 1,700 artists annually.
• Danse DansemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerContemporary dance series presenting innovative dance productions at Place des Arts, including international and Canadian choreographers.
• Festival TransAmériques (FTA)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerAvant-garde international theatre and dance festival presenting contemporary performances at Place des Arts, launching Montreal's festival season.
• Festival Quartiers DansesregularGTM or Marketing PartnerContemporary dance festival presenting emerging and established choreographers at Place des Arts venues.
• TEMPÉO Festival Danse et MusiqueregularGTM or Marketing PartnerFestival combining dance and music programming at Place des Arts, featuring cross-disciplinary performances.
• Les 7 Doigts (The 7 Fingers)regularStrategic or Co-development PartnerMontreal-based circus collective specializing in contemporary circus productions performed in intimate spaces, has presented shows at Place des Arts.
• Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM)regularStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor symphony orchestra presenting classical and film music concerts at Place des Arts, including cine-concert series.
• Festival Nuits d'AfriqueregularGTM or Marketing PartnerAfrican music festival collaborating with Place des Arts for Arts et monde programming series.
• Festival JOATregularGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational street dance festival presenting urban dance styles at Place des Arts and Quartier des spectacles.
• Cirque ÉloizeregularStrategic or Co-development PartnerMontreal-based contemporary circus company that has presented productions including Cirkopolis and Hotel at Place des Arts.
• Festival international de littérature (FIL)regularGTM or Marketing PartnerLiterary festival presenting spoken word, poetry, and storytelling events at Place des Arts during autumn programming.
• Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (MAC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerContemporary art museum presenting educational and mediation programming at Place des Arts exhibition spaces.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sydney Opera House: Iconic multi-venue performing arts center in Sydney presenting opera, theatre, ballet, concerts, and contemporary programming. Comparable as a globally recognized multi-genre performing arts complex with resident company model.
• Southbank Centre: London's largest arts complex, operating multiple venues (Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room) under one umbrella with diverse programming across music, dance, and literature. Highly comparable multi-venue urban cultural complex model.
• Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts: Multipurpose performing arts complex in New York City operating multiple concert halls, theaters, and resident companies. Most directly comparable institution to Place des Arts in terms of multi-venue model, resident-company anchor strategy, and educational programming mission.
• John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: U.S. national performing arts center operating multiple theaters (Concert Hall, Opera House, Eisenhower Theater) under a federal mandate, hosting resident companies including the NSO and Washington National Opera. Comparable as a multi-venue publicly chartered cultural institution.
• National Arts Centre of Canada: Canadian federal Crown corporation operating multiple performance venues in Ottawa including opera, theatre, and concert halls, with its own resident orchestra. Closest comparable by mandate, governance model (public cultural institution), and multi-venue programming breadth.
• Segerstrom Center for the Arts: Multi-venue performing arts center in Costa Mesa, California, presenting Broadway tours, dance, opera, classical, and jazz. Comparable multi-venue presenter model with diverse programming across genres.
• Barbican Centre: London arts complex hosting theatre, concert hall, cinema, and gallery programming under one organization with a resident orchestra (LSO). Comparable multi-discipline programming scale and resident-company anchor strategy.
• Carnegie Hall: Premier New York concert venue presenting classical, jazz, pop, and world music. Comparable as a presenter/venue model with broad genre programming and strong brand in performing arts presentation, though narrower venue mix than Place des Arts.

Regional players

• Canadian Stage: Toronto-based theatre company presenting contemporary and classical productions across multiple venues including the Bluma Appel Theatre. Comparable as a Canadian performing arts presenter with multi-venue programming and resident-style tenancy.
• Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts: Toronto home of the Canadian Opera Company featuring a purpose-built opera house and intimate studio theatre. Comparable as a Canadian performing arts venue of similar scale, though narrower discipline mix (primarily opera).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/placedesarts
• Instagraminstagram.com/placedesarts
• TikToktiktok.com/@placedesarts.mtl
• Xx.com/Place_des_Arts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Place des Arts