Just for Laughs
World's largest comedy festival (mid-July)
Running since 1982, Just for Laughs has become one of the world's biggest comedy festivals and takes over the Quartier des Spectacles for eighteen-days in mid-July.
Several stages and smaller sideshows here offer free entertainment, and it's also the site of several ticket offices for the rest of the festival. This mostly consists of hour-long shows, mostly by seasoned comedians and comedy galas in which one well-known comedian introduces a series of shorter stand-up routines by others. Tickets to these events tend to start at about $65, though multi-show passes can cut down the cost.
Zoofest/Off JFL
Zoofest/Off JFL, a parallel festival, is devoted to new concepts and faces in comedy. It's often a bit more alternative and certainly more untested and involves about 125 shows per year.
Parades & buskers
There’s lots of free outdoor fun stuff too, such as an annual Twins Parade and colorful night parade, of roving street performers and boisterous buskers.