Happy May long weekend! With the city full of colourful blooms, it certainly feels like we’ve finally made it into real spring, and we get to enjoy a three-day weekend as a reward! Whether you’re staying in town or heading out to find sunshine and quiet for a classic May 2-4, stay safe, stay hydrated, wear your sunscreen, and make the most of the nice weather!
All Weekend
The Tulip Festival wraps up this weekend on Monday (but the tulips will last however long they choose to). Make the most of the event with the walking tours, movies, markets, and sound and light shows that the festival has running this year. There’s also the Tulip Shuttle if you want to avoid traffic/road closures. A hot tip for those of you looking to avoid the crowds at Dow’s Lake: check out the incredible garden at the Beechwood Cemetery. This National Historic Site has gorgeous tulip varieties, flowering trees, and more parking spots than tourists!
Opening Thursday and running until May 27 at the NAC, check out Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer, an NAC Indigenous Theatre production in association with Theatre Calgary. From director and Governor General’s Award-winning playwright Kevin Loring of the Nlaka’pamux Nation comes a wickedly funny satire about power, politics, and procreation. The series offers $15 tickets for Under 30 attendees, as well as Indigenous guests. Read our conversation with artistic director and playwright Kevin Loring here.
NCC Weekend Bikedays have kicked off, so either be aware of the parkway closures if you’re toodling around town this weekend, or get on your bike and explore! This is also the first weekend of the NCC Gatineau Park shuttle, so if biking isn’t your thing, hitch a free ride.
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City-wide Taste Ottawa comes to a finale this weekend. Enjoy an assortment of diverse, delicious meals presented by some of the city’s finest restaurants. Participating establishments will present specialized menus featuring an assortment of unique items set at pre-fixed prices.
It is food truck and street meat season! Get your fill at the Barrhaven Poutine and Ribfest all weekend. Follow your nose to Clark Field on Strandherd from Friday to Monday.
Thursday
Tickets are sold out for the OAG’s Give to Get Art auction Thursday evening, but you can still bid on the pieces from home, after taking a virtual tour of the artworks on offer. The auction closes at 8:30pm, so get online and get yourself some incredible local art. Check out the experts’ picks here.
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Mural Routes, a Toronto-based community and public art organization, is organizing a series of Mural Map of Canada edit-a-thons across the country and inviting artists, street art photographers and community members to contribute to and populate a pan-Canadian mural map. The first in this series is happening in Ottawa on Thursday from 5-7:30pm at Artengine Studio in Arts Court. This event is free and light refreshments will be provided.
Friday
On Friday nights, Music in the Park performances will be taking place in Dundonald Park, adjacent to Art House. This event series is run in partnership with the Dundonald Improvement Group. So bring your favourite fold-up chair or picnic blanket and join your neighbours for a free outdoor show Fridays from 6:30-8pm featuring a roster of rotating local talent. You can purchase a variety of snacks and beverages from Art House Café to bring over to the park, or bring your own!
Ottawa Prog Vibes’ Expeditions returns to Berlin (56 ByWard) with resident DJs Alain M., Steve Finney, and guest DJ Glitterbug. Tickets are $10 online ahead of time.
Join the NAC Orchestra this week on Thursday and Friday in two performances of Gustav Holst’s The Planets, the most successful orchestral piece created by the English composer. Inspired by the “astrological significance” of the planets, Holst’s work also influenced John Williams when he composed the Star Wars soundtracks. The orchestra performs the classic as part of a program that also includes the Canadian premiere of Anna Thorvaldsdóttir’s Catamorphosis and Lili Boulanger’s D’un matin de printemps.
Saturday
Saturday and Sunday, check out the Sweetly Affordable Art Fair, offering a wide selection of affordable art and artisanal items. With most pieces under $1K and many pieces under $50, they are promising over 100 vendors at the event at Wesley Clover Parks. There will be free admission and parking; food vendors; all co-occurring with the Ottawa Dressage Festival, if you’re looking for some horsey entertainment. Admission is free for spectators, though a ticket ($25 plus fees per vehicle) is required for the RCMP musical ride performance at 6pm.
WolfGANG Sessions at Club SAW is a night of music that is sure to entertain. Grab your adventurous friends and take them out for a wild night of chamber music with some of your favourite musicians from the NAC Orchestra. Tickets are $29, but with $15 options for Indigenous and Under 30 attendees. If you’d rather stay in, you can also watch the livestream online starting at 9pm.
Horizon Ottawa is holding a fundraiser at the Happy Goat on Laurel from 7:30 to 10pm with everyone’s favourite bilingual folk duo Moonfruits bringing the entertainment! It is free to attend, but a $20 donation is suggested to contribute. Reserve your spot online!
The Ottawa-based duo of C.A. and Sonny (aka C.A. Jackson and Trevor Poole) have been playing stripped-down, guitar-and-banjo fare at Irene’s Pub on Saturday afternoons for months, but this weekend they take centre stage on Saturday night to celebrate the release of a new album of old-timey tunes, entitled The C.A. & Sonny Show, Vol. II. They will be sharing the stage with Whitehorse-based troubadour Ryan McNally at the Bank Street pub before hitting the road for a few weeks of East Coast tour dates. Saturday’s gig starts at 9pm. Tickets are $15, available online or at the door.
The Westboro Farmers’ Market opens for the first time this summer this Saturday at the Byron Linear Park.
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Sunday
Ottawa Dance Directive presents Empty Space | Empty Time and Worlds Within: two solo musical performances composed and performed by internationally renowned Canadian cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne with dance works choreographed by award-winning choreographer Yvonne Coutts. At LabO Theatre Friday May 19–Sunday, May 20 (Saturday is sold out) with performances at 7:30pm. Tickets and more info are available online.
