It can be easy to forget that communities take work; that those restaurants, social centres, murals and parks don’t just appear on the scene like resolute clovers popping up in the corners of our sun-fried fields. No, dynamic communities need people with the drive and determination to grow ideas into fruition. Located on Gladstone Avenue, just past the Gladstone Theatre, Alcorn Music Studios (AMS)/Gigspace Ottawa is one such place. In the front window under the sign, lush leaves dangle from the ceiling. After walking up the stairs and opening the door,... | Continue reading article

Start your Friday right with the second edition of Creative Mornings with Chef Matt Carmichael, the man behind Mello’s Pop up. He’ll talk about the pop experience, his future ventures and the development of the food scene in Ottawa. It’s at the Ottawa School of Art (but you have to get a ticket first). Who doesn’t like burlesque for a good cause? Titties for Kitties is a night of music and burlesque to raise money for Westminster Pet Sanctuary, and Hungry and Homeless Cat Rescue. It’s taking place Friday night at... | Continue reading article

Want to have some summer fun, but are pinching your pennies to feed your daily gelato habit? The following list of free or very cheap outdoor activities is a work in progress by Fiona Marshall. Fiona is working on the list for the Money Skills workshops offered by the Canadian Mental Health Association to people with severe and persistent mental health issues, a program sponsored by the TD Financial Literacy Fund. Help out Fiona (and your fellow cheapskates) by suggesting free or cheap recreational activities that we may have missed in... | Continue reading article

Last Sunday I found myself atop the rooftop garden of the Rideau Centre to participate in the newest addition to Heritage Ottawa’s long list of city walking tours. I was there for the tour of the Roof Gardens of the Rideau Centre and NAC, which is led by the Vice-President of the organization, David Jeanes, and offers a fresh perspective on the history of surrounding buildings and sites that we all think we know so well. Alongside me were roughly forty keen local heritage enthusiasts, whose impressive turnout on the roof made nearby pot-smokers... | Continue reading article

The DJs who bring you Timekode every third Thursday Friday of the month are busting out of their traditional Eri Cafe spot and heading down to Billings Estate for a throw-back evening of dancing, music, costumes and cocktails. While all things retro are definitely hip these days, these DJs hopped on the chance to partner with Billings Estate for other reasons. Did you know, for example, that just as Timekode and other DJ dance parties take place in unconventional places, the Billings family had their beginnings in a similar space?... | Continue reading article

It’s way too hot out to party with your pants on, so why not party with them off? That’s the whole idea behind the fifth annual No Pants Dance Party, which is taking place at Babylon (317 Bank Street) tomorrow, Saturday June 23. The brainchild of Rockalily Burlesque, one of Ottawa’s best burlesque troups, the No Pants Dance Party (or NPDP to its friends) started nine years ago as a costume party. If you couldn’t pull off a costume, you were expected to go around in your skivvies. According to Miss Helvetica Bold,... | Continue reading article

And we’re (almost) back to the weekend! It’s hard to believe that it’s already time for Westfest, but indeed, this free music festival has crept up on us once again. Sure, we’ve known the lineup for a while, but that’s only built up the excitement. Plus, getting a head start on music festival enthusiasm can only be a good thing – or at least that’s what the organizers of the Arboretum music+arts festival are convinced of. Head down to Babylon tonight to get a taste of what this newest festival... | Continue reading article

Do you long for the days of yore, when you could lounge in front of the television on a Saturday morning in your pyjamas, eating breakfast and watching cartoons guilt-free? Of course you do! Which is why Apartment613 and Pressed Café are joining forces to bring you Saturday Morning Cartoons on Saturday, June 9. From 10am onwards, dine on waffles (might I suggest The Hangover? Beef brisket at it’s finest) as we screen some of our favourite cartoons. Show up in your pj’s and you get a free, all-access pass to... | Continue reading article

If you missed the crazy fun that was Chinatown last week, have no fear – the art stays up for another few weeks. You might have to create your own installation pieces or bring your own robots, though… (If you need a gently used set of robots, your best bet is to check out the punkottawa.com flea market Saturday, at the Bronson Centre.) Or you could just be lazy and spend the long weekend in your pjs. Why not? 1982 was an epic year – we got our Charter, awesome... | Continue reading article

This past weekend the CE Centre was overrun with a fabulous array of self-styled geeks, freaks and misfits attending Ottawa’s first ever Comiccon. Costumed attendees pulled out all the stops with everything from amazingly detailed Steampunk gadgets and gizmos, to scantily clad villains and vixens. There was even a working replica of the The Delorean Time Machine (for the uninitiated, that’s the time machine from the Back to the Future movies that looks a bit like the love child of an 80’s era Toyota Corolla and a Lite-Brite). Created with... | Continue reading article