Important dates
| 1611 | Samuel de Champlain names the island Île Sainte-Hélène in honour of his young wife, Hélène Boullé. |
| 1657-1826 | The illustrious family of Charles Le Moyne of Longueuil sells Île Sainte-Hélène. |
| 1818 | The British government buys the island and builds a citadel. |
| Since 1874 | The island is used as a public park. |
| 1876-1931 | Regularly scheduled ferry boats provide transportation between Montreal and Île Sainte-Hélène on a permanent basis. |
| 1908 | Purchase by the City of Montreal. |
| 1930 | Opening of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. |
| 1936 | Development of Île Sainte-Hélène by landscape architect Frederick Todd. |
| 1963-1967 | Enlargement of Île Sainte-Hélène and creation of Île Notre-Dame. |
| 1967 | Expo 67 – World’s Fair. |
| 1968-1981 | Annual exhibition “Man and His World”. |
| 1976 | Construction of the Basin for the Olympic Games. |
| 1978 | Creation of the Gilles-Villeneuve Circuit for the Grand Prix of Canada. |
| 1980 | The Montreal International Floralies on Île Notre-Dame. |
| 1983 | Montreal’s first Fête des Neiges. |
| 1985 | First International Fireworks Competition at La Ronde. |
| 1985 | Inauguration of the Palais de la Civilisation in the former French Pavilion. |
| 1990 | Opening of the Beach and Water Sports Pavilion at Île Notre-Dame. |
| 1992 | Landscaping of the western portion of Île Sainte-Hélène. |
| 1993 | Official opening of the Casino de Montréal in the former Expo 67 French Pavilion. |
| 1995 | Opening of the new Biosphère. |
| 1996 | Inauguration of the second part of the Casino de Montréal, located in the former Quebec Pavilion. |
| 1999 | Montreal’s Parc des Îles is renamed Parc Jean-Drapeau in honour of the city’s former mayor responsible for bringing Expo 67 to Montreal. |
| 2001 | The American-based Six Flags company buys the La Ronde amusement park. |
| 2005 | Renovation of the Pavillon des Baigneurs and pools for the 2005 11th FINA World Championships. The new facility is renamed the Complexe aquatique de l'île Sainte-Hélène. |
| 2006 |
The corporate name of the Société du parc des Îles is officially amended and becomes the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau |
| 2006 | Opening of the new Complexe aquatique de l'île Sainte-Hélène. |
| 2007 | The Société du parc Jean-Drapeau becomes the producer of the Fête des enfants de Montréal and Les Week-ends du monde au Parc Jean-Drapeau. |
