Québec, February 11, 2026. – Nearly 21,000 paying professional performing arts performances took place in Québec in 2024, with attendance totalling 9 million admissions. Although large shows (with over 2,000 people in attendance) only made up 3% of performances, they generated a quarter of all admissions and half of ticket revenues.
This information comes from analyses based on the Québec Survey on Performing Arts Attendance published today by the Observatoire de la culture et des communications of the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
Shows produced here and performed in French
Of the 21,000 performances given in Québec in 2024, it is estimated that 18,000 were from Québec (88%). These performances made up three quarters of attendance (6.7 million admissions) and generated nearly two thirds of ticket revenues ($256.6 million).
Shows performed mostly in French, which represented 70% of the performing arts shows offered, accounted for 57% of attendance and 43% of ticket revenues. Shows performed mostly in English accounted for 14% of performances, 21% of attendance, and 29% of ticket revenues.
Music in first place
The “music and song” discipline holds a prominent position in the Québec performing arts landscape with 44% of performances, 47% of attendance and 54% of ticket revenues.
It is followed by two separate disciplines—theatre and comedy—with similar market shares in terms of performances (22% vs. 19%), attendance (14% vs. 19%), and ticket revenues (9% vs. 13%).
Greater concentration in Montréal and Québec
In 2024, more than half of show performances and admissions in Québec were concentrated in the central regions of Montréal and Capitale-Nationale, with nearly 11,000 performances and 5.3 million admissions.
Montérégie comes in third place with nearly 2,000 performances and 0.8 million admissions. There were a thousand performances in the Laurentides region and 0.4 million admissions, which is comparable to the results in Estrie. Lanaudière recorded almost 0.4 million admissions and Outaouais 0.3 million. The number of admissions stood at 0.2 million in Centre-du-Québec and 0.1 million in Chaudière-Appalaches.
A total of about 2,000 performances took place in the remote regions of Bas-Saint-Laurent, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord and Nord-du-Québec, and Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine. Attendance in these remote regions totalled about 0.5 million admissions.
The Institut de la statistique du Québec produces, analyses and disseminates official, objective and quality statistical information on various aspects of Québec society. It is responsible for conducting all statistical surveys of general interest. The relevance of its work makes it a strategic ally for decision makers and an essential source of information for all those wishing to learn more about Québec.