Initial
fr

Développement
durable

Environmental tours, waste management, water and energy conservation, digital sobriety, food, social commitment, eco-responsible committee... Sustainable development through culture is at the heart of the DNA of TOHU, producer of MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE, and its various actions are logically reflected at the Festival.

What's New for 2026

Responsible Food

  • In line with its commitment to promoting local and sustainable products, TOHU is pleased to partner with Domaine Léon Courville. Located in the Eastern Townships, this Quebec winery—known for its environmentally friendly practices and its focus on terroir—offers wines produced locally and sustainably. This partnership showcases Quebec’s winemaking expertise in the bars at TOHU and the festival.
  • Festivalgoers will also be able to discover products from chouchou, a Quebec-based company that offers non-alcoholic sparkling beverages made from simple, local ingredients. Certified by Aliments du Québec, Chouchou beverages align perfectly with our commitment to offering refreshing, accessible, and locally produced options, while supporting the local economy and local businesses. 

Waste Reduction and Awareness

  • TOHU is continuing its efforts to reduce the use of single-use plastic bottles through a new partnership with La bü-verte. A self-service water station will be installed on the festival grounds to allow festivalgoers to cool off and refill their reusable bottles for free. This initiative helps reduce waste at the source while promoting access to a simple, practical, and eco-friendly solution during festival activities.
  • As part of its ongoing efforts to raise environmental awareness, MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE is hosting Bac Impact this year, an initiative of the City of Montréal dedicated to providing information and education on best practices for recycling. The team will be on hand at the Circothèque throughout the festival, offering fun and educational activities that will help festivalgoers better understand the new recycling guidelines and make a tangible contribution to better waste management.

Sustainable Mobility

  • TOHU is making an electric cargo bike available to residents of the Saint-Michel neighborhood and the general public through the LocoMotion service. Reserve it online for your trips, then pick up the key and battery at the TOHU reception desk during business hours. It’s a simple and convenient way to promote eco-friendly transportation.
  • TOHU is continuing its commitment to sustainable mobility through a new partnership with Téo Taxi. This collaboration will make it easier for many artists, technicians, and staff members to get around in 100% electric vehicles during the festival. This initiative complements measures already in place—including the provision of BIXI passes and OPUS cards for guest artists—to promote more sustainable modes of transportation and reduce the environmental footprint of festival-related travel. 
Other initiatives that have been in place for several years include:

Sustainable Construction and Design

  • TOHU’s green building was the very first cultural venue in Quebec to be certified LEED Gold, as early as 2004. Visit the TOHU website to learn more.
  • In 2024, TOHU obtained Platinum-level “Scène écoresponsable” accreditation from the CQEER. This is the highest level available (fewer than 10 accredited venues in Quebec).
  • TOHU’s outdoor space, nestled among mature trees and secondhand tents, renews part of its furniture for the summer season each year. Nearly all of the materials used come from donations by various partners, and each item has been repurposed with creative, out-of-the-box thinking. 
  • A project carried out in collaboration with Polliflora and with support from the TD Foundation has made it possible to upgrade and enhance the pollinator trail that surrounds part of the TOHU building. The area includes two raised beds covered with a variety of nectar-producing plants that are highly valuable to bees at TOHU and in the surrounding area. The signage has also been updated to raise awareness of the value of pollinators and the plants they feed on. The project will continue in 2026 and 2027 with the installation of nectar-rich plantings elsewhere in the Saint-Michel neighborhood.

Responsible Food Practices

  • Le Bahut’s menu is certified under the “Aliments du Québec au menu” program, offers several vegetarian and vegan options, and highlights Quebec-grown products. This commitment is reflected in particular through partnerships with the Distillerie des Trois-Lacs and the Boldwin microbrewery, one of the few certified organic microbreweries in Quebec. Available at Le Bahut, the QG, and Cirqu’Easy, Boldwin collaborates with local producers known for their agroecological methods and their choice of more resilient crop varieties.
  • In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with its food offerings, TOHU has chosen not to include beef on its menu. This decision is part of an initiative to provide a more sustainable food offering without compromising on quality or the pleasure of good food.

Waste Management

  • Le Bahut—TOHU’s outdoor bistro—is continuing its shift toward zero waste with the acquisition of reusable popcorn buckets in the summer of 2025. It still has its own recycling station and signage that raises customer awareness of the best practices in place.
  • In the Latin Quarter section of the Quartier des Spectacles, experiential furniture is reused year after year.
  • Installation of dual-stream recycling stations (waste and recyclables) on Saint-Denis Street within indoor facilities (headquarters, production offices). Bulk items are prioritized whenever possible. Production and distribution to the general public of the “Green Festival-Goer’s Guide” for participants.

Awareness and Outreach

  • Several activities held during the MICC—the Festival’s major gathering of professionals—focus on the environmental impact of presenting and programming contemporary circus.
The social aspect is not left out, with three highlights that have been at the heart of TOHU's mission since its creation:
  • A local employability policy that prioritizes young people from the Saint-Michel district for positions welcoming the public. When you go to see a show at La TOHU, it's literally the youth of Saint-Michel who welcome you! This policy is extended, wherever possible, to off-site activities during the Festival.
  • Distribution of several hundred tickets to local residents, via long-standing partnerships with some forty Saint-Michel community organizations.
  • Finally, as inclusion and benevolence have been in the circus DNA since its origins, MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE naturally renews its association each year with Cirque Hors Piste, which uses social circus to reach out to street kids and young people in very precarious situations.
  • Thank you to all our employees, suppliers and partners who make this mission a reality! And congratulations to our other accredited partners!