16 events you won’t want to miss this weekend in Ottawa

Posted bycardensal20Posted incanada, canadians, events, immigrants, newcomers, ontario, ottawa, tourismTags:, , , , , , , ,

We are in the first weekend of November and the weather is still pretty decent. Take advantage of that to keep attending Ottawa’s events! We have a dance festival, film festivals, cultural events, hockey, races, and more! Have a look at this list!

1. Ottawa-Gatineau International Salsa Festival

Are you a fan of Salsa? You cannot miss this festival that will feature over 60 world renowned Latin dance stars. There will be master classes of Salsa, Bachata and Kizomba for every skill level, and social dancing until 3am! When: Nov 4-5 at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau. Nov 6th at Amigos Sports Bar. Details: ottawa-salsa-convention.square.site/s/shop

2. Ottawa Canadian Film Festival

Features 12 Canadian-made films from comedy to fantasy to socio-political dramas. Nov 3, 4 and 5 from 7pm at Bytown Cinema, 325 Rideau Street. PAID. Check out: ocanfilmfest.ca

3. International Vegan Film Festival

This event aims to celebrate the vegan ideal. There will be an in-person festival on Nov 5, and an online festival from Nov 7 to 21, which will feature 44 films from 8 countries. The in-person event will take place at Chamber Theatre at Ben Franklin Place, Ottawa. PAID. Details: www.theivff.com

4. Outstanding in their fields

Wine tasting and buy event featuring local wineries, cideries and artisanal food makers. At City Hall on Nov 4. 7-9pm. PAID. Check out: https://events.com/r/en_US/tickets/outstanding-in-their-fields-ottawa-november-863084

5. Ottawa Senators vs Philadelphia Flyers

Cheer the local hockey team in this game of the National Hockey League. Nov 5 at Canadian Tire Centre. 7pm.

6. Canada Army Run

Cheer runners who will participate in this unique run through downtown Ottawa. Start point: City Hall. Finish point: National War Memorial.
There will be entertainment and free refreshments for kids and families at Marion Dewar Plaza. Saturday from 9am to 6pm and Sunday from 9am to 1pm. Races 5K and 10K: Sunday Nov 6. From 9 am. Check out: armyrun.ca

7. Tomoni Go Together

Ottawa’s Japanese Cultural Community presents an evening of Japanese cultural performance groups pairing with local non-Japanese artists in drumming, a women choir, Japanese folk dancing and others. Where: Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre, 290 Lisgar Street. FREE. Saturday Nov 5. 7pm.

8. Rockcliffe Park Bookfair

Honouring the 100-year anniversary of Rockcliffe Park Public School. There will be a celebration of children’s classics, and books for grown ups will be on offer too. FREE. Nov 4-6. Address: 369 Springfield Road. (Queen Juliana Hall). Check out: rockcliffeparkbookfair.com

9. One World Bazaar

An old barn has been converted into an international marketplace with goods from all over the globe. It runs every weekend until November 20th. Where: 6110 Mitch Owens Rd. Manotick. Oct 13-16. FREE. Check out: oneworldbazaar.ca

10. Pops, On Broadway!

The Ottawa Pops Orchestra features local singers and musicians performing songs from West Side Story, Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables, which are sure to get you and your family smiling! Sunday November 6th. Where: Meridian Theatres at Centrepointe box office. Child and Student pricing available. Tel: 613 793-3998.

Check out: https://ottawapopsorchestra.ca/programming/popsonbroadway/

Photo: Ottawa Pops Orchestra

11. Women’s Day at Manotick

Bring your friends to Manotick for a day of shopping, health and wellness, delicious food and surprises. Nov 5 from 10am to 5pm. Where: Village of Manotick, Main Street. Details: manotickvillage.com

12. Holiday Craft Fair

Sunday Nov 6 from 9am to 4pm. At Holiday Inn and Suites Kanata. Free admission and free parking. Check out @ottawaartisans on Instagram.

13. Anne of Green Gables. The Ballet

Canada’s Ballet Jörgen presents the story of the most beloved islander turned into a full-lenght ballet piece for the first time ever. Nov 4 at 7:30pm. Meridian Theatres Centrepoint. Tel. 613 580-2700

14. Nepean Sportsplex Christmas Craft Show

Over 100 vendors offering food, clothing, leather goods, accesories, jewellery, wood and glass products, decor, and more. Nov 3-6 from 10am. Adult: $7, Seniors/Youth $5, children under 12, free. Address: Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Avenue.

15. Pride not Prejudice Fair

This is an online craft fair. Over 60 local and progressive vendors (+50% queer, +30% have a disability, and 18% black, indigenous or person of colour) will show their crafts and art virtually from Nov 3 to 6. Details: pridenotprejudice.ca

16. Family Theatre: “Jack and the Beanstalk”

A traditional British Pantomime presented by The Lakeside Players at the Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre in Britannia. Nov 3-6. Evening performance at 7pm from Thursday to Saturday. Matinée at 2pm Saturday and Sunday. Tel: 613 667-2224

Have fun!!!

Follow me on Instagram @ottawaisnotboring.com

Five years living in Ottawa and still finding new spots I've never heard about before! I wouldn't imagine that in the middle of the Vanier neighborhood there would be a park with a Sugar shack there and where Maple syrup is produced. Sugar Shacks are usually found on the outskirts of the city or in the countryside. So, they say that makes the Vanier Sugar Shack the only one in North America located in the middle of a city. So worth a visit! And this weekend is the perfect occasion because they are running their Sugar Festival with lots of activities for the visitors. First, they will be offering Sugar Shack meals, you know, the classic scrambled eggs, sausages, pancakes and maple beans, and Maple Taffy, (the sweet made right on the snow). There will be a First Nations area, axe throwing, a lumberjack competition, indoor playing for toddlers, inflatable games, a mini petting farm, pony rides, sled dogs, beer tasting and musical performances. Have an awesome weekend!! The spring vibe invites us to go out and enjoy the longer days. If you don't know what to do this weekend yet, check out this list of events and share it with your friends. If you know about other events happening this weekend, feel free to share them in comments. 😊 How refreshing it is to take a stroll around downtown and Parliament Hill! I don't know if it's just me but I love it!! 😍 I love the architecture of those amazing Parliament buildings. I love to see the Peace Tower framed against the blue sky on a sunny day!! And I love to see people, probably tourists, at the Centennial flame taking pictures or throwing coins into the fountain. I feel their enthusiasm and I feel like a tourist or a newcomer, even though I've been living in Ottawa for 5 years. 😄 If you are a newcomer to Ottawa, or to the eastern part of Canada, you may want to experience the spring tradition of the Sugar Shack. The Sugar Shack season happens usually between March and April when the Maple tree sap begins to rise. It's the start of Maple syrup production. The Maple farms open their doors to visitors and offer delicious meals where the star is the Maple syrup. These meals usually are pancakes, 🥞 scrambled eggs, sausage, potatoes wedges, and baked beans. Then you can enjoy Maple taffy on the snow, go on wagon rides, visit the petting farm, and of course visit the shacks where Maple syrup is made. My family and I went today to Stanley's Olde Maple Lane Farm, and we had a great time! We loved the food, and my daughters enjoyed watching the animals at the farm: cows and their newborns, horses, chickens, ducks, turkeys, peacocks, pigs, and goats - so many animals! The wagon ride around the farm was nice too. ☺️ We are in that part of the year where it's not winter but it doesn't look like spring yet, and we can even have some surprises like the snowfall that has been forecast for today. The winter sports season is almost over, the snow is melting, the brownish dead grass is visible, it's muddy, and it rains a lot. It's the ugly first part of spring. 😏 The bad news is that it usually lasts a whole month in Ottawa, from the end of March to the end of April. 🙄 The time passes very slowly this time of the year, or it seems to when one is impatient to see colours!! At least I saw a Robin yesterday. Canadians know that this bird appears in spring. That's the first signal, a sign of hope! But so far, that has been the only one for me. What spring signals have you got? Birds chirping? Tree buds? Wildflowers maybe? None? 🤔 If you're a newcomer, you might have heard that spending summer weekends in a cottage by a lake is for many people a big part of the Canadian lifestyle. My family and I tried that our second summer in Ottawa and it was amazing!! We loved it!! ❤ But what we hadn't tried before was going to a cottage in the winter until last weekend. Definitely it had a different vibe but was equally awesome and enjoyable!! ☺️ We have arrived at the last weekend of March and the first one of spring! 😃 Do you feel your moods are changing? Do you feel like going out? Check out this list of events and share it with your friends! EXPECTATIONS VS REALITY: We'll have to wait a bit longer for the spring colours to arrive in Canada. 🙁 But the worst has already passed! We're almost there, hold on! Did you really think that by the end of March winter was going to finally end? 😁 Tomorrow March 20, spring officially starts. Just the thought of this makes me so happy! 😃☺️ However, the reality is that it will be another month or so before we start seeing the spring colours, trees budding, and flowers start to bloom. What? Did you think that spring started at the end of March?? No way!! This is Canada, my friends! Canada's weather doesn't necessarily follow any official calendar. Sorry to disappoint you. 🙁 It's totally different here. So, if it follows what I have seen the last 5 years in Ottawa, we'll see one last snowfall in April. But you know, spring is in the air no matter what, even as we still see snow everywhere. Probably you are going to hear birds singing one of these mornings and your heart will feel joyous! 💗 That's the magic of spring! You feel it in the soul! I'd never experienced this in my country. It's a gift Canada has given me, and I love it! 😍 Welcome spring!! 🌸💐🏵🌺 We were waiting for you so badly!! If you are a newcomer and you have experienced your first winter in Ottawa or Canada, how are you feeling about spring? Are you impatient? Are you feeling the change in your moods?

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this: