Excellent news for the skateboarding and action sports community in Montreal and the surrounding areas: the JACKALOPE festival officially confirms its roots in Montreal for the next three years. This announcement is made possible thanks to the granting of three-year funding to the Action Sports Association (Association des sports d'action - ASA), the organization responsible for ensuring the sustainability, development, and governance of the event.
For its 2026 edition, the largest action sports festival in Canada invites enthusiasts to gather from September 11 to 13 at the Jacques-Cartier Pier in the Old Port of Montreal for a weekend that already promises to be memorable. True to its nature, the event will be free and open to all. "The City of Montreal is proud to support the JACKALOPE Montreal festival for its 14th edition," highlights Christine Black, Mayor of Montreal-Nord, Vice-President of the Executive Committee, and responsible for Family, Seniors, Youth, Sports, and Recreation portfolios.
"This major investment strengthens our metropolis's capacity to host competitions that boost its international profile, attracting high-level athletes and thousands of spectators. We look forward to welcoming you to a high-quality, free, and purely Montreal urban sporting event in the heart of the Old Port of Montreal from September 11 to 13."
"This support confirms that action sports now occupy an important place in Montreal's sporting and cultural landscape," states Betty Esperanza, President of the Action Sports Association (ASA). "I am proud to help build a sustainable ecosystem that will allow young people, athletes, and events to continue to grow here in Montreal."
"There is clearly an opportunity for Montreal to propel this event and keep it alive. It's an opportunity to position ourselves as a premier destination for skateboarding and action sports enthusiasts," emphasizes Micah Desforges, President and Founder of TRIBU, the producer of JACKALOPE. "On my end, I don't just want it to stay—I want the event to grow. We are looking to convince other partners to think big with us and share this ambition. The support of the City of Montreal is certainly a first step toward this expansion."
Micah Desforges at JACKALOPE Montreal 2025
JACKALOPE: A Must-Have for Montreal
The metropolis boasts a deeply rooted board culture dating back to the 1980s, shaped around iconic locations like the Olympic Stadium and driven by a community unique in the world.
"We are proud to say we come from Montreal. The city enjoys an excellent reputation on a global scale. We must remember that there is a history and legitimacy here to assert ourselves as a true Mecca for skateboarding events", adds Micah Desforges. Powered by unwavering optimism and a vision focused on development, JACKALOPE sees this as a golden opportunity for the city and hopes this new public support will mobilize other key partners around the event.
Confirmed just a month ago, this funding guarantees the metropolis's presence on the international tour calendar. This condensed-format edition will focus on the halfpipe (vert), a discipline that never fails to impress the crowd. More events will be added to the program over future editions.
Beyond the event itself, JACKALOPE contributes to the sustainable development of Montreal's action sports ecosystem. By bringing together athletes, organizations, businesses, creators, volunteers, and young participants, the festival acts as a driver for sporting, cultural, and economic development that radiates far beyond its three days of activities. Each year, JACKALOPE also inspires a new generation of youth to discover action sports in an inclusive, safe, and accessible environment. The festival brings several Olympic disciplines closer to the general public and helps democratize their practice across Quebec.
International Expansion Continues
JACKALOPE is accelerating its transformation, evolving from a flagship action sports festival in Montreal to an international event brand. Its ambitious expansion plan envisions a presence in more than 10 host cities across North America, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific by 2028. Following a successful initial export to Virginia Beach in 2023, the festival established itself in Mississauga in 2024, featuring six disciplines on the program. Over the past year, JACKALOPE also made stops in Ventura, California, and Newcastle, Australia.
This global reach resonates even more as skateboarding's popularity has seen steady growth since its introduction at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. As the discipline will be featured again at the 2028 Los Angeles Games—the skateboarding capital of the world—Montreal reaffirms its place among the world's great destinations for the discipline by hosting, among other events, the third stage of the Olympic Q-Series.
Proving this international appeal, this year's Montreal edition will bring together some of the world's biggest names in skateboarding, including the most recent Olympic champion Arisa Trew, the unforgettable legend Bob Burnquist, as well as rising stars Jada Ward and JD Sanchez.
JD Sanchez at the 2025 Meet and Greet in Montreal
JACKALOPE Montréal is in association with LABATT & Tech Deck and is presented by Tourisme Montréal, the City of Montréal, and the Government of Québec. The event is sanctioned by WCS, in partnership with ASA, and is a TRIBU initiative.
