Festival of Small Halls

Welcome (back) to Ottawa! After a busy, hot, and fun summer, it’s back to school/spooky/cozy fall drink season.

Well, it’s here. Winter really just arrived in all its glory, and I hope everyone is safe, dry, and feeling cozy. If you are looking to get out of the house this weekend, there is definitely lots going on, both Christmas themed and not. Dig out your driest socks and make the most of the city when it’s all clean and white!

The story of the Festival of Small Halls began during a supermoon weekend in August 2014, when the team behind Bluesfest brought Old Man Luedecke to perform in three small halls in Perth, Gananoque and Bloomfield. Since then, the festival has grown to 60 performances–from October through December–in 49 venues as far afield as Brockville, Kingston and Peterborough.
Because of the festival’s popularity and the size of the settings, some shows are already sold out. However, there are still many great performances available at the time of writing. Below are five of my top picks—all located within an hour (or two) of Ottawa.

The Chef’s Table, hosted at the NAC’s 1 Elgin Restaurant, is set to feature gourmet chefs from across Canada. Guests will be treated to a spread of various cuisines and tastes that showcase local produce in elevated dishes. Kenton Leier is the executive chef at the NAC, and will be teaming up with three different […]

Fall has certainly fallen now, so get your layers on and take advantage of another nice weekend in the 613. Whether you’re looking for live music, some theatre, sports or something spooky, we’ve got you covered.

Welcome back to another weekend in our glorious, colourful city! After a short work week, I hope you’ve all come out of your turkey comas, ready to enjoy what the 613 has to offer. It’s the perfect time of year for cozy layers, sunny walks, fall-flavoured goodies and some spookiness!

The Ontario Festival of Small Halls returns with a run of shows across Eastern Ontario on Oct. 6–8, 14–16, and 21–23.

This year has been incredibly challenging for all music festivals, and Ontario’s Festival of Small Halls (FOSH)  is no exception. Run by the team behind Bluesfest, FOSH brings big performers to small venues in small towns near Ottawa. With pandemic restrictions being observed at all venues for the 2020 festival, shows will be limited to […]

The Ontario Festival of Small Halls is finishing off the year with three concerts at the National Arts Centre.