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

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

It’s hard to believe that we are very quickly approaching December and the end of the year. Do you want to know what’s happening in Ottawa this weekend? Among other things, we have many markets across the city that are taking part in the spirit of the holiday season. Let’s have a look!

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1. Remembrance Day National Ceremony

This is a very important event in Canada, with the biggest ceremony taking place in Ottawa at the National War Memorial. The ceremony will be back this year in full with a grand Veterans parade, and a fly-past. Spectators are welcomed. Friday Nov 11 from 10:30am to 12:15pm. Check out: legion.ca

2. Crave Food and Wine Festival

Two days of exquisite culinary and wine shows, masterclasses, and other activities. At Shaw Centre. Nov 11-12. Tickets from 32.95 dollars. Check out: craveottawa.ca

3. 260 Fingers

Ceramic exhibition and sale at the Glebe Community Centre. The pieces exhibited are from 26 outstanding artists from Ontario and Quebec. Nov 11-13. FREE. Address: 175 Third Avenue, Ottawa. Check out: @260fingers on Instagram.

4. The Original Navan Market

Almost 200 vendors will showcase their products at their Holiday Market. Nov 13 from 10am to 3pm. At Navan Fairgrounds. 1279 Colonial Road. FREE. Check out: @theoriginalnavanmarket on Instagram.

5. Sandy Hill One and Only Arts & Craft Fair

Unique local gifts, and a book sale. Free admission, refreshments, and snacks. Nov 12 from 10am to 3:30pm. At Sandy Hill Community Centre, 250 Somerset St East.

6. Outdoor Christmas Market – The Spirit of Christmas

3rd Outdoor Christmas Market at the Kemptville Campus. There will be an art show and a brunch buffet by Catered Affairs ($24 person), 50 vendors, photos with Santa, live music, wagon rides & caroling. Nov 12-13 from 11am to 4pm. Free admission. Kemptville Campus, 75 Campus Drive.

Details here: https://mylocalmarkets.ca/blogs/news/outdoor-christmas-market

7. Holiday Magic

Shop from over 60 local artisans offering their unique handcrafted products. Nov 12-13 from 10am to 4pm. At Lester B. Pearson High School. Address: 2072 Jasmine Crescent, Gloucester. Free parking.

8. St Helen’s Old Fashioned Christmas Bazaar

Crafts, pre-loved jewelry, baked goods and more. Nov 12. From 9am to 2pm. St. Helen’s Anglican Church, 1234 Prestone Drive, Orléans.

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. 67’s games

Ottawa’s junior hockey team faces the Oshawa Generals on Nov 11 at 7pm, and Niagara Ice Dogs on Nov 12 at 2pm. At TD Place. Tickets from $30.

11. Pop Up Market at Little Italy

Shop vintage, thrift, flowers, and more. Thursday Nov 10 from 5-7pm at 70B Beech St.

12. Classic Albums Live: Led Zeppelin II

This band founded in 2003 recreates on stage the greatest albums. On Nov 12, it will play Led Zeppelin II (1969) at the National Arts Centre. 8pm. Tickets from $35

13. Forever Young: A ghetto story

Presented by the Great Canadian Theatre Company, this comedy is a story of youth, revolution, and betrayal in Poland, 1943. The show runs from Nov 8 to 20. Sunday 13th is “pay what you decide”. Tel: 613 236-5196.

14. Ottawa-Gatineau Tattoo Expo

International artists, tattoos on site, tattoo contests. Nov 11-13 at Hilton Casino Lac Leamy. Address: 3 Boulevard du Casino, Gatineau. QC.

15. Hollywood Glam Night

Capital Region Bachata presents a night of workshops, performances, photo booth, social dancing, and surprises. Salsa, bachata and kizomba music. Nov 12 from 7pm to midnight. Address: 120 Lisgar St.

16. Inside Out Film Festival

Highlighting the best in queer cinema from Canada and around the world. Nov 10-13 at The Ottawa Art Gallery. Check out its Facebook account for details.

17. The Richmond Pop Up Market

Over 50 local vendors, live music, warm drinks, a visit from Santa, raffle prizes. Nov 13 from 10am to 2pm at the Richmond Fairgrounds. Check their Instagram account.

18. Shopapolooza

Over 60 vendors of candles, jewelry, handmade soap, candy, and much more. Nov 12 from 10am to 2pm at Sacred Heart High School. 5870 Abbott St E. Stittsville.

Enjoy!!

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?

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