Festiv'été - spicy edition

What better way to celebrate summer and the heat of summer than with an event celebrating all things spicy? Festiv'été spicy edition is back at Jean-Talon Market, with a a delicious free program highlighting all things spicy and the artisans behind them. Join us on Saturday, July 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.!

On this day when hot pepper is king, you'll be able to taste the products of some fifteen companies specializing in chili peppers, take part in a Colombian salsa dancing workshop and attend a hot sauce tasting competition. Will you dare to take up this challenge ? Registration are now open !

Latin beats of Colombian band Nico&Pedro as well as the upbeat sounds of DJ Val also promise to heat up the atmosphere.

5 July 2025

10am - 6pm

At Marché Jean-Talon In the event zone

Access the ticket office

You will be able to :

Sample the wares of some 15 companies specializing in chili peppers
Attend a hot sauce tasting contest
Take part in a Colombian salsa dancing workshop

Free and fun program

Music show

Attend a show by Nico&Pedro Music, a musical project born in 2020 from the meeting of two Colombian travelers. Their fascinating repertoire combines Andean songs, rhythms like cumbia and chacarera, and original compositions enriched by their travels.

📍11am to 12:45pm in the event zone

Colombian salsa workshop

Join us for a free, fun salsa dancing workshop presented by Mazorca MTL, taking place right in front of the terrace of that famous taco counter. The Espace Yambae dance troupe will guide you and get you moving. So, are you ready to get your groove on?

📍3pm to 4pm in front of the Mazorca MTL terrace

spectacteur lors de la compétition de sauce piquante au Marché Jean-Talon

Hot sauce tasting competition

Attend the hot sauce tasting competition presented by La Pimenterie, where several participants will compete for the title of hot sauce champion in a taste test against progressively hotter sauces, as measured on the Scoville scale.

📍From 4:30pm to 5:30pm in the event zone

Participating companies

Enthusiasts of spicy products will be well catered for at this event! 15 companies specializing in the processing of chillies will be on hand to introduce you to their wide variety of products.

Companies specializing in chili peppers

Processed peppers products from Ferme Spika
Fermented foods from Ferment
BBQ sauces and spices by Fumivore
A wide variety of hot sauces created by La Pimenterie
A wide range of hot sauces from La Sauce MTL
Ready-to-eat dishes inspired by Caribbean recipes from Les Aliments Kanaval
Hot pepper products from Les Piments De L'Isle
Creole-inspired condiments and dry spices from Produits M
Pimente ta vie's homemade hot sauces made with local peppers
Mexican-inspired sauces and accompaniments from Saveurs du sud
Mexican hot sauces made with local ingredients from Temaca Microsaucerie
Teochew Foodie's artisanal seasonings, hot oils and wontons

Food offer

To delight visitors, the Bouffe-moi! team will be in the event zone with :

JUMBO Montreal pogos with their brand-new homemade spicy Quebec pepper mayonnaise
Signature Bloody Caesars with Piments vodka from Au Pied de cochon sugar shack
Québec fries topped with Québec chili Buffalo sauce, pickles and green onions

The Jean-Talon Market's restaurant zone is also going into spicy mode:

Les Filles Fattoush will have their delicious hot cheese rolls with green olives spiced with Aleppo pepper
Musubi will have their onigiri spicy salmon and beer on tap from the Avant-Garde (salmon, nila, sauce from the pimenterie).

sauces piquantes

A Colombian salsa dance workshop: 100% fun!

From 3 to 4pm, everyone is invited to make their way to Mazorca MTL’s terrasse for a Colombian salsa dance workshop! Together, our goal is to transform Place du Marché-du-Nord into an big open-air dance floor.

Whether you're a beginner an expert, alone, with friends or family, come and learn the basics of salsa colombiana with Espace Yambae's dance company!

This dance workshop is presented by Mazorca MTL. Don't forget to try their taco and delicious house cocktails!

mazorca cocktail

danse salsa marche jean-talon mazorca

Hot sauce tasting competition

No pepper-focused event would be complete without a hot-sauce tasting competition! To conclude the day, join us at 4:30pm for this great hot sauce tasting competition, presented in partnership with La Pimenterie.

With comedian Dominique Bottex as emcee, this year’s edition is going to turn up the heat once again!

The bold participants will test their palates by eating chicken or vegan nuggets dipped in progressively hotter sauces, as measured on the Scoville scale.

The winner will receive a prize valued at $340, including a trophy, a challenge box from La Pimenterie, a gift card for $200 from Les Marchés publics de Montréal and a tote bag. The second and third place finishers will also win prizes, valued at $175 and $115 respectively.

🏆 Will you dare to take up the challenge? Registration for the competition is open now and costs $10.Register to the tasting competition

A competition presented by La Pimenterie!

La Pimenterie was founded in 2016 by filmmaker Julien Fréchette with the support of his girlfriend, photographer, Frédérique Ménard-Aubin. He buys hot peppers and spices and locks himself in his kitchen with the desire to create hot sauces that are different from the ones on the market. He approaches the creation of a hot sauce as if it were a work with an aromatic universe of its own. After a few months, he comes out with a range of 7 spicy sauces that he will make his entourage taste. La Pimenterie was born.

competition de sauces piquantes Marché Jean-Talon

Musical ambience in the zone

Nico & Pedro Music
11am to 12:45pm
A musical project born in 2020 from the meeting of two Colombian travelers in Montreal. Their fascinating repertoire combines songs from the Andes, vibrant rhythms such as cumbia and chacarera, and original compositions enriched by their travels.

DJ Val
1pm to 4:30pm