Lachute is launching a new three-day Christmas festival next month, combining an outdoor holiday market, family entertainment, and the Municipalité régionale de comté (MRC) d’Argenteuil’s established Christmas fair to create a larger regional holiday event.
La grande fête de Noël will run from Friday, November 27 to Sunday, November 29, with activities at Parc Barron and École Polyvalente Lavigne. The inaugural event fulfils a campaign promise by Mayor Bernard Bigras-Denis and his team, following consultations with residents about the kind of holiday celebrations they wanted to see in Lachute.
“People were expressing the need for a different type of Christmas market in Lachute; an exterior Christmas market, but without affecting the existing one,” Bigras-Denis said.
Lachute has allocated $100,000 for the event, including kiosk construction and other associated expenses. Bigras-Denis said the municipal budget adopted in December 2025 included the funding.
He said the MRC is financing its own Christmas fair separately and is not contributing to Lachute’s new event. The festival is intended to complement, rather than replace, the MRC’s Foire de Noël Saveurs et Culture d’Argenteuil, which is holding its 18th edition this year.
The two events will run simultaneously, with more than 70 kiosks and exhibitors combined. A shuttle service will operate on Saturday and Sunday to help visitors travel between them.
Bigras-Denis said the aim is to create two complementary experiences over one weekend, with the MRC’s fair continuing to offer its traditional Christmas market while Parc Barron hosts an outdoor market and additional family activities and entertainment.
The new festival will include musical performances, food and craft kiosks, a family zone, and the sale of natural Christmas trees. The program will also feature a holiday cinema and activities for children, including L’atelier des lutins and le Village du père Noël, a designated shopping area.
The festivities will begin Friday evening with Lachute’s Christmas parade on November 27, followed by Santa Claus’ appearance at Parc Barron.
Bigras-Denis said Lachute wants to expand its holiday offerings by giving families, particularly children, more reasons to spend time at the event.
“The Christmas market was one thing, but the kids, sometimes they found that it was a little long to spend a couple of hours over there,” he said.
The new format is also intended to encourage visitors to spend money locally. Bigras-Denis said local merchants and artisans, including businesses from downtown Lachute, have been invited to participate. Promotional efforts will also extend beyond the region to attract more visitors.
The mayor estimated attendance could reach a few thousand people, although he did not provide a specific target.
“We’re going to be looking forward to the feedback from the population, and if people like it, we’re going to bring it back,” he said.
The full program is available at lachute.ca/grande-fete.
