Montréal’s Quartier des Spectacles will once again become a meeting place for street dance culture this fall as the JOAT Festival international de street dance returns from September 1 to 7, 2026.
Presented in co-production with Danse Danse, the festival brings together dancers, DJs, musicians, artists and audiences for a week of Breaking, Hip Hop, Popping and other street dance styles. The programming includes international dance battles, workshops, master classes, live music, discussions, film, art and free outdoor activities around Place des Arts and the surrounding Quartier des Spectacles.
Founded in 2014, JOAT Art & Street Dance has grown into one of Montréal’s major celebrations of street dance culture. The festival attracts close to 50,000 festival-goers per edition and puts both local talent and internationally recognized artists in the spotlight.
Artistic director Handy Yacinthe has once again assembled a program designed to welcome both longtime members of the street dance community and people discovering the culture for the first time.
International Dancers Take Over Club Soda
The festival’s signature battles will take place at Club Soda, where dancers will compete in one-on-one improvisational battles with music selected live by DJs and an MC guiding the action.
More than 250 dancers are expected to compete in the preliminary rounds, which will take place during the day at the Esplanade de la Place des Arts. Dancers will compete through solo improvisation, with 16 finalists selected to move on to the final battles at Club Soda.
The four featured battle categories are Breaking, Hip Hop, Popping and Kidz, with the main battles taking place September 3, 4, 5 and 6.
The festival has also brought together an impressive international judging panel. Among the guests is Mr Wiggles, the renowned Bronx Breaking artist and member of the historic MASS collective. He is also a three-time champion of the Red Bull BC One Canada national finals and a two-time winner of the JOAT Breaking Finale.
Acky, a world champion and influential figure in Popping, will also be among the judges, while DJ FLEG, who served as the Breaking DJ at the 2024 Olympic Games, returns to Montréal for this year’s festival.
All finalists will receive a cash prize, something JOAT highlights as an uncommon feature in the international battle scene.
JOAT KidzBattle Gives Young Dancers Their Moment
JOAT’s commitment to making street dance accessible across generations continues with the return of the JOAT KidzBattle, an All Styles competition for children and pre-teens presented with Urban-Element Zone.
For the second year, the KidzBattle finals will be held at Club Soda alongside international judges. Young dancers will not be selected in advance. Instead, they will have the opportunity to participate in the selection process at the main stage at the Esplanade de la Place des Arts.
The festival will also welcome MIYU, a 12-year-old street dance prodigy originally from Indonesia who has built an international following of more than one million people on Instagram. Presented with media partner Stance, MIYU will appear as a special battle guest.
CHŌRA Opens the Festival
The 2026 festival begins September 1 with CHŌRA, an interdisciplinary work that brings together dance, music and digital art.
Conceived by dancer PAX, composer Lunice and audiovisual artist Neurotypique, the immersive production explores movement, sound and digital imagery as interconnected forms of expression.
The presentation is being developed in collaboration with the Société des arts technologiques (SAT) through its residency program, marking a first for JOAT. CHŌRA will run from September 1 to 5, with a film presentation following from September 8.
Free Workshops, Practice Sessions and Music
There will be plenty happening outside the ticketed battles throughout the week.
The festival’s free programming at the Quartier des Spectacles will include introductory workshops in Hip Hop, Popping, Hustle, Rap and Beatmaking, giving newcomers an opportunity to try different forms of street culture.
The SPOT Session, hosted by 100lux, will provide a free practice area for street dancers, while the MKA Sessions will return with Krump battle-performances and other street dance styles.
Music will also be a major part of the festival, with Hip Hop and R&B concerts at the Esplanade du Quartier des Spectacles followed by DJ sets until 11 p.m. Visitors can also take part in a public Beatmaking station, enjoy DJ programming paying tribute to J Dilla and attend C’est quoi les DAWs, a battle featuring Hip Hop music composers presented in collaboration with the Centre des Mémoires Montréalaises (MEM).
An art market, barber shop, beach area, food, refreshments and JOAT parties will add to the festival atmosphere.
Exploring Montréal’s Street Dance History
JOAT is also looking back at the history of street dance in Montréal.
Presented at the Centre des Mémoires Montréalaises (MEM) during festival week, DECYPHER traces the history of Breaking in Montréal through archival footage and testimony from important figures in the local scene.
The festival will also present Dialogue avec l’histoire, a discussion bringing together artists connected to Montréal’s street dance culture of the 1980s and 1990s. Using personal and historical archives as a starting point, the event will encourage conversations between generations and explore how the city’s street dance community has evolved.
Together, the two projects connect the current international street dance scene with the people and communities that helped establish it in Montréal decades ago.
A Week of Street Dance in the Heart of Montréal
With activities spread across Place des Arts, Club Soda and MEM, JOAT Festival offers a chance to experience street dance from several different perspectives, from competitive battles and professional performances to workshops, music, archival projects and informal practice sessions.
The festival runs September 1 to 7, 2026, in Montréal’s Quartier des Spectacles.
The four main battles take place September 3, 4, 5 and 6 at Club Soda, located at 1225 boulevard Saint-Laurent. Tickets are $55 per battle or $155 for all four battles, while tickets for the KidzBattle are $30.
Many of the festival’s outdoor activities and community programming are free.
For the complete schedule, tickets and additional information, visit the official JOAT Festival website.