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

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

We are getting close to December and the Christmas events are popping up all around Ottawa! What a joyful and awesome time of the year! Newcomers and long-time Ottawa residents, check out this list of events!

1. Help Santa Toy Parade

This parade is a long-time tradition in Ottawa that is back this year for its 53th edition! It’s organized by the Ottawa Professional Firefighters Association. The purpose is to collect along the parade route donations of new toys for children in need. Traditionally this event attracts 100,000 spectators. On Nov 19 at 11am the parade will start at City Hall. Check out: toyparade.ca

2. Ottawa Chocolate Show

It will feature chocolate makers and chocolatiers from the Ottawa region and across Canada. There will be curated tastings, pairing sessions and seminars. Tickets from 16.46 dollars. Where: At Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Ave. Nov 19 from 9:30 to 5:30pm. Check out: theottawachocolateshow.ca

3. Magic of Lights

This show has become a tradition in Ottawa for the past seven years. Drive your car through a 2km amazing display of lights. This year they are featuring Prehistoric Christmas, Barbie and Big Foot Monster Truck. Starting Nov 18 until Jan 7. Everyday from 5pm to 10pm. PAID. Check out: magicoflights.com

4. Ottawa Children’s Festival

Bring your kids for engaging educational activities, workshops, and shows by international award-winning artists. Free admission but tickets must be purchased for the shows. Tickets cost $13.69. Where: Canadian War Museum. Nov 19-20. Check out: ottawachildrensfestival.ca

5. Cineplex Community Day

Enjoy a morning screening of a family-friendly movie for free! This event aims to raise funds for BCG Canada, the largest Canadian child and youth organization. Snacks price will be reduced to as low as $2.50. Nov 19 from 9am to 11am. Space is on a first-come, first-served basis. Check out: cineplex.com

6. Ottawa Senators vs New Jersey Devils

Cheer up the Senators in their battle against the New Jersey Devils. Nov 19 at 2pm at Canadian Tire Centre.

7. A Middle East Soirée

Capital Rainbow Refugees features belly dancers, drag queens, and storytellers in order to help LGTBQI refugees. Where: Horticulture Building at Lansdowne. PAID. Nov 18 at 6:30 pm.

8. 613 Flea

Shop from over 140 vendors in this amazing venue. Nov 19 from 10am to 4pm at the Aberdeen Pavilion. Lansdowne. FREE. Check out: @613flea

9. Winter Night Market

Over 50 vendors, a heated patio and hot chocolate. Every Wednesday from Nov 16 to Dec 21. 5-9pm. FREE. At Gloucester Centre. Address: 1980 Ogilvie Road.

10. Gluten Free Exhibitor Fair

Discover new gluten-free businesses and products. Tea and coffee will be provided. At Riverside United Church. 3191 Riverside Drive. Nov 19 from 2:30pm to 5:30pm. FREE. 

11. Glebe Craft & Artisan Fair

Nov 19 from 10am to 5pm, and Nov 20 from 10am to 4pm. At the Glebe Community Centre, 175 Third Ave. FREE.

12. Eric Robitaille art exhibition

Visit this colourful family-friendly exhibition at Art Plus Gallery on Sussex. It runs from November 16 to December 4. FREE admission.

13. OUC Holiday Bazaar

Nov 19 from 9am to 2pm at Orleans United Church, 1111 Orleans Blvd. FREE admission and parking. http://ouc-bazaar.blogspot.ca

14. Pineview Holiday Craft Fair

Nov 19-20 from 10am to 4pm at Pineview Community Hub, 1700 Blair Rd. FREE.

15. Christmas Farmer’s Market

Nov 19 from 10am to 2pm. At The Log Farm, 670 Cedarview Rd. Free admission.

16. Canterbury Community Association Christmas Craft Fair

Nov 20, 10 am to 3pm. At Canterbury Community Centre, 2185 Arch St. Free admission.

17. Old-Fashioned Christmas & Outdoor Artisan Market

Nov 20 from 10am to 3pm. At Goulbourn Museum, 2064 Huntley Rd, Stittsville.

18. Watson’s Mill Christmas Market

Nov 19-20 from 10am to 4pm. At 5525 Dickinson St, Manotick. Free admission.

Enjoy!!!

Follow me on Instagram @ottawaisnotboring

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: