Long-Running Montreal Venue La Tulipe Ceases Operations After Quebec Court's Decision

Montreal musicians and fans are speaking out as local venue La Tulipe is ceasing operations. The beloved venue has hosted artists like LCD Soundsystem, Les Cowboys Fringants, Feist, The National, TOPS, Coeur de Pirate and many more.

La Tulipe, built in the Plateau-Mont Royal neighbourhood in 1913, has long been a staple for dancing and live music. Now, the venue has announced it will cancel all upcoming shows, following a Quebec Court of Appeal decision ordering the venue to cease emitting sound that reaches inside or outside an adjacent building.

The decision is the result of years of efforts by Pierre-Yves Beaudoin, who owns the next door building. That adjacent building was zoned residential in 2016 due to a permit error, and since then La Tulipe's operations have been disrupted with fines, injunctions and lawsuits, say La Tribu, operators of La Tulipe, in an online statement.

In 2023, the Quebec Superior Court ruled that La Tulipe would have to insulate a wall between the two buildings to continue operating, but before the venue could carry out the instructions, the neighbour appealed, leading to this week's Court of Appeal decision.

"With this ruling by the Quebec Court of Appeal, the future of culture in Montreal is at stake — because no venue or concert hall is safe from now on," La Tribu adds.

This isn't an isolated case of noise complaints in the city. Last year, popular Plateau venue The Diving Bell Social Club shut down in large part due to complaints by a neighbouring resident.

Sergio Da Silva of popular punk venue Turbo Haus has also spoken out previously about the threats that noise complaints pose to venues, particularly venues located on main commercial streets, like La Tulipe, The Diving Bell and Turbo Haus.

Da Silva took to social media to react to the news of the appeal decision.

"For a place that has decided that it cares about nightlife in the city, for a province that pretends to care about arts and culture that happens in Quebec, this is an absolute failure and an absolute embarrassment," Da Silva says in a video posted on Instagram.

Polaris Prize-nominated musician Klô Pelgag also shared thoughts online. "Really, there's nothing we can do to prevent this? It's a century-old theatre, it's our heritage, it's where our culture is passed on," Pelgag wrote on X, also recalling now-shuttered venues Le Divan Orange and Le Spectrum.

Singer-songwriter Paul Cargnello also joined in the chorus. "There is an absurd war on music, arts and culture being waged in Montreal," Cargnello shared online.

Earlier this summer, the city of Montreal unveiled a nightlife policy that will include 24-hour venues. The city has also said it wants to review noise complaint laws and provide financial support for sound-proofing.

CBC reports that a statement from the mayor's cabinet in response to the appeal decision says the city plans to "do what is necessary to assist La Tulipe in its efforts to improve the soundproofing of its performance hall."

UPDATE:

Following public outcry over the closure of venue La Tulipe, Montreal mayor Valérie Plante has announced that venues will now be exempt from the bylaw that led to its closure. Read more here.