Happy weekend again, friends! We have buds on the trees, some sunshine on the way, and another great weekend chock-full of awesome things to do in the 613. Keep your eyes peeled for tulips, daffs, magnolias, and patches of real grass in your neighbourhood, and free tables at patios across the city on this last weekend in April! It’s the final weekend to vote in the Capital Music Awards, so during your down time, take a look through the nominees and our category breakdowns and cast your votes!
All Weekend
One of the city’s favourite unofficial special events kicks off this weekend in Festival Plaza at City Hall. PoutineFest & Potato Palooza will be open Thursday to Sunday starting at 11am and running until 9pm most days. Start the street food season off right with the national dish!
Ottawa’s first-ever Indie Bookstore Crawl is happening this weekend from Friday to Sunday. Ottawa’s book lover community can collect stamps when they visit six of Ottawa’s independent bookstores. After collecting a stamp from each shop, one lucky winner will win $150 to spend at Ottawa’s indie bookstores! Hosted jointly by Books on Beechwood, Octopus Books, Perfect Books, Singing Pebble Books, The Spaniel’s Tale Bookstore, and World of Maps, the Ottawa Indie Bookstore Crawl coincides with Canadian Independent Bookstore Day (CIBD) on April 29 and is free for participants. See you on the book trail!
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While on the topic of book shopping, The Mutchmor Book Sale (formerly the First Avenue book sale) is celebrating its 40th year this weekend! The book sale is a major fundraiser for the school and is a great display of team work, school spirit, and a passion for books! It also helps to promote literacy, recycling, and school and community spirit. Add it to your weekend shopping errands, and support the historic school.
Algonquin College will host the 39th Annual Orchid Show & Sale featuring displays, vendors, workshops and orchid care Saturday 12–5pm and Sunday 9am–4pm. Admission is $15, and there is free parking in Lot 8.
ArohaFest Nritya Mahotsav, the only fully bilingual festival celebrating the arts and culture of India in Canada, starts this weekend with free activities at the National Arts Centre from April 29 to May 4. Free activities include a yoga workshop, a visual arts exhibit, henna painting, folk & classical Indian dance performances, a Rangoli community mural, Bollywood and Bhangra dance workshops.
A timeless tale of “whodunnit,” Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap strands seven strangers at Monkswell Manor during a blizzard. But a police sergeant unexpectedly arrives, worried that a murderer-at-large is among the guests of the Manor. Before he can investigate, one of the guests is killed, starting an investigation into the lives and histories of everyone there. The world’s longest continuously running play for over 60 years, The Mousetrap continues to delight and intrigue mystery lovers of all ages! Check it out at the Gladstone this weekend! Tickets are still available for the final shows on Thursday Friday and Saturday starting at $24 for students and seniors. Learn all about it from our theatre expert here.
Thursday
Art Battle is back this Thursday, 7pm at Overflow Brewing. Skilled artists will engage in a high-speed showdown, painting together but moving in their own directions, finishing their work in only 20 minutes. Cast your vote and crown the champion in three pulse-pounding rounds. And as the night unfolds, snag a one-of-a-kind masterpiece as every piece created goes up for auction. The event is all ages and is the perfect night out.
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The Just for Laughs Road Show 2023 is stopping in at the Meridien Theatres at Centrepointe for one night only. Join host and Juno-nominated stand-up Matt Wright, Inside Amy Schumer’s Carmen Lynch, Roast Battle Canada’s Cassie Cao, and The Colbert Report’s Jordan Carlos for the evening of Canadian comedy. There are still tickets available for the show online beginning at $20.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, take in some academic culture at The National Gallery of Canada. Join Jacob Korczynski, inaugural recipient of the General Idea Fellowship, as he concludes his research by inviting the public into the Library and Archives to share many of the works by artists from the Art Metropole Collection that he has discovered, spent time with, and learned from during the last year. The lecture runs from 6-7pm and is free to attend.
To highlight Poetry Month, Ottawa Public Library presents Eddie Lartey who will perform spoken-word poetry at an the Origin Arts & Community Center (57 Lyndale Avenue) on Thursday at 6pm. Admission is free.
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Friday
Ten Toes Coffee Co is one of the coolest, chillest cafés in town right now, and this weekend you can check out their Friday night trivia at the Somerset location in Chinatown. It’s free to play from 7:30-10:30pm, and you can enjoy their late night bites, hot beverages, and extensive “adult drinks” menu. (You could also get a load of laundry done at the same time: win/win/win!)
(If you’re thinking whoa, this can’t be the only cool thing happening on a Friday night in this awesome town, scroll back up to find an all-weekend event to fill your Friday evening!)
Saturday
The Ottawa Valley Astronomy and Observers Group is hosting a variety of telescopes to use and experts to consult for International Astronomy Day. Observe the sun through a telescope (safely using special filters) ongoing through the day until sunset. Then, from sunset to 10pm, check out the moon and more wonders of the night sky.
Ottawa-based music blog Fan Behaviour hosts its one-year anniversary event at Bar Robo Saturday night, featuring live performances by local bands No Hits, the New Hires, and Just Fine.
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Atlético Ottawa is back on the pitch Saturday evening for their battle against York United FC. Both teams will be playing for their first win of the season, and if the home opener is any indication of fan turnout this year, you should definitely get your tickets sooner than later! If you haven’t caught up to the team yet, check out this introduction article by Apt613’s own in-house soccer expert Josh Lemoine.
Sunday
Canadians love a food festival, and new Canadians are no different! We are all invited to the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Ottawa for Borshch Fest Sunday afternoon beginning at 12pm. Enjoy Borshch of all types, vote for your favourite, and feel appreciated for standing with Ukraine through the incredibly difficult last year. The event is free and open to the public, hosted by the Ukrainian community of Ottawa.
Join Synapcity on Sunday from 12–5pm at Ben Franklin Place for Navigating Our City. Learn how to navigate our civic infrastructure, understand organizations working in the city, and create positive change in your community. The event will feature organizations and individuals working hard to create in the city and a panel of City Councillors from across Ottawa. Register for free online.
The Capital Chamber Choir presents its Constellations concert on Sunday. Artistic Director Jamie Loback has curated a programme depicting an ethereal conversation between planets and human emotions through song and poetry. The programme highlights Canadian women composers such as Montreal’s Marie-Claire Saindon and Vancouver’s Alexina Louie and Katerina Gimon. Notably, all six of the works to be performed are by living composers, in line with CCC’s mission to showcase new music. Tickets start at $15. Show starts at 3pm at St Joseph’s Parish on Wilbrod.
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