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

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Looking for ideas of what to do this weekend? It will be filled with the arts: movies, theatre, music and more! Have a look at this list!

A special thanks..

Hey friends! Thanks to all of you Ottawa Is Not Boring won the Faces Magazine award for Best Blog!! It’s the best news I’ve received in a long time! Thanks so much for your votes and support! This recognition hugely inspires me to keep doing my best in offering you information about cool events and activities and all that makes Ottawa a great city to live in.

1. International Film Festival of Ottawa

Over 250 films from international film festivals will be screened in the capital, showcasing the best of contemporary Canadian and international cinema (26 countries). Tickets: $15
When: March 8-18
Where: Ottawa Art Gallery, Bytown Cinema, and Mayfair Theatre.
Details: iffo.ca

2. Gatineau Winter Beerfest/Festibiere

Three days of beer tastings, delicious gastronomy, and amazing DJs. Try over 150 types of beer produced in the Quebec region. Tickets: $23.95, includes a reusable glass with the colours of the event, and 8oz of beer.
When: March 9, 10 and 11
Where: Ruelle de Zibi, 15 rue Jos-Montferrand, Gatineau.
Details: festibiere.ca

3. Pique Spring Edition

Multimedia music festival bringing cultural multi-hyphenate and pop star Vivek Shraya, avant-garde Pow Wow singer Joe Rainey, and many more. Tickets: $20, $40
When: Saturday March 11
Where: Arts Court, 2 Daly Ave
Details: thisispique.com

4. Youth Infringement Festival

This is an open access performing arts festival for Ottawa youth ages 16 to 25 to produce original one-act plays 25 to 45 min long. In its 25th edition this festival will showcase six new plays created by local youths under 25. Tickets: $5, $50
When: March 8-17, 7pm
Where: Arts Court Theatre, 2 Daly Ave.
Details: youthinfringement.ca

5. 67`s vs Mississauga Steelheads

Cheer Ottawa`s junior hockey team when it faces Mississauga Steelheads. Tickets: $25.
When: March 10 at 7pm
Where: TD Place, 1015 Bank St.

6. Disney on Ice

A magical night of amazing skating with beloved Disney characters. From March 9 to 12. Tickets from $35. At Canadian Tire Centre, 1000 Palladium Drive. Details: disneyonice.com

7. Wolves: Shapeshifters in a changing world

Learn about the evolution of these fascinating animals through videos, museum specimens, cultural stories, and vivid photographs by Canadian photographer Michelle Valberg, a recent recipient of the Order of Canada. Activities for kids. March 3 to March 2024. At the Canadian Museum of Nature.

8. The Gatineau-Ottawa Bicycle Show

Near 100 exhibitors, conferences hosted by bicycle and cycling tourism specialists, mechanical workshops, competitions and many other attractions. Tickets: $10. Children 14 and under enter for free with an adult. March 10-12 at the Palais des congrès, 50 Boul. Maisonneuve, Gatineau.

9. A tribute to the brave women of Iran

Human rights advocates and Parliamentary members will participate in this panel discussion. Online event. March 9 from 6:30 to 8:30. Details: @all.4.iran on Instagram

10. Ramadan Bazaar

Ottawa Multicultural Festivals invites you to this bazaar. You’ll get a chance to win prizes. March 11 from 12pm to 7pm. At Ron Kolbus Centre, 102 Greenview Ave. Details on Facebook.

11. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

Join the FILMharmonic Orchestra and Choir and the Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal. 250 musicians on stage. March 11 from 7:30pm to 11pm at TD Place, 1015 Bank St.

12. Journey. Freedom Tour 2023

Special guest: Toto. Monday March 13 at 7:30pm at Canadian Tire Centre. Tickets from $43.29.

13. March Break at Bank of Canada Museum

Bring your kids for some fun family activities about currency, counterfeiting and telling the difference. FREE. From March 4 to 19. At 30 Bank Street. Details: bankofcanadamuseum.ca

14. Block Party at Carlingwood Shopping Centre

Come build Lego artwork, meet superheroes, get a cool airbrush tattoo, and more. All ages. FREE. March 11 from 11am to 2pm at the Centre Court. 2121 Carling Ave. Details: @shopcarlingwood on Instagram.

15. Sugar Bush at the Log Farm

Take a wagon ride or take a stroll around the sugar bush and see how maple syrup is made. See and feed the animals around the farm. From March 4 to April 10. Tickets: $12.50 at Eventbrite.

16. Maple Fest

Enjoy the outdoors to do some snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or just walking on 4 nature trails. Fire pits, play structures, wagon rides. Visit the sugar shack to learn how maple syrup is made. From Mar 5 to April 10. At Proulx Maple & Berry Farm, 1865 O`Toole Rd. Details: info@proulxfarm.com

17. Sugar Bush at Stanley`s Olde Maple Lane Farm

Enjoy Taffy on the snow, tractor-drawn rides, and a barn full of animals. See how maple syrup is made. Tickets: $10. From March 4 to April 16 from 10am to 3pm. At 2452 York`s Corners Rd, Edwards, ON.

18. Wheelers pancake house, sugar camps and museum

Enjoy a meal, tour the Maple Heritage Museum and Forest & Farm Museum, stroll around the sugar camp, do some hiking/snowshoeing/cross country skiing on the nature trails, and buy delicious organic maple syrup. Walk-in but registration is recommended.
When: Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 3pm
Where: 1001 Highland Line, McDonalds Corners (Lanark Highlands).
Details: wheelersmaple.com or @wheelersmaple

19. Musical Evenings at Casino Lac Leamy

Bar 7 at Casino Lac Leamy is launching its musical evenings with a multimedia screen, and live performances, from Thursdays to Saturdays. FREE.
When: Thursday March 9 (Latin Fiesta) ‘Andy Rubal’ at 8:30pm. Raffy on Friday March 10 at 10:30pm, and Saturday March 11 at 9:30pm.
Where: 1, Boulevard du Casino, Gatineau, QC J8Y 6W3.

20. Arboretum Hill Club Snowshoeing Workout

Join the AHC for a snowshoeing workout at the Arboretum. All ages, all levels. Friday Mar 10 at 6:29 am. FREE. Dogs welcome. Lots of free parking. Meet them at Fletcher Wildlife Garden parking lot (entrance is 100m south of Prince of Wales roundabout).

21. Farmers’ Winter Market

The Farmers’ market is back for the winter season every Sunday until April 30. Fresh vegetables and fruit, meat, baked goods, spirits, crafts and more. FREE.
When: Sundays from 10am to 3pm.
Where: Aberdeen Pavilion, Lansdowne Park. 1000 Exhibition Way.

22. Ice skating at the Rink of Dreams

Grab your skates and head to the most popular ice-skating rink in Ottawa for some winter fun! FREE. You can rent skates there!
When: Everyday from 9am to 11pm
Where: 110 Laurier Ave West.

23. Owl Rendez-Vous

Watch live owls in a special outdoor exhibition. At the Canadian Museum of Nature, 240 McLeod St, from Dec 14 to April 3, 2024.

24. Exhibition: Uramado AR, the awakening of the Tanukis

Uramado is a treasure hunt route in augmented reality. It tells the story of Tanukis which are spirits of the forest from Japanese mythology. The participants are invited to download the free app Uramado AR, Tanukis awake ( on IOS and Android ) to start this treasure hunt. FREE.
When: Mon to Fri from 9am to 12pm; and 2pm-4pm until April 30.
Where: Alliance Française Ottawa, 352 MacLaren St.

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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