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. In case you hadn’t heard yet, the rapid replacement of the 417 bridge at Percy St. is finally going ahead this weekend, so there will be closures on the highway beginning Thursday evening. Check out more information here to plan accordingly!
All Weekend
Spooky season is in full swing! Head to Wesley Clover Park for Pumpkins After Dark, visit Saunders Farm’s FrightFest or family-friendly Fall Pumpkin Days, enjoy the fall season at The Log Farm, take a trip to Upper Canada Village for Pumpkinferno, dare to visit sKreamers at Proulx Farm, explore the Acres of Terror at Cannamore Orchard, or take part in a spooky scavenger hunt in Wickedly Westboro.
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If you’re interested in a little more history with your spookies, Haunt Nights at Watson’s Mill in Manotick is running at the heritage mill from 7-9:30pm all weekend. Entry is $8 a person, and the experience is recommended for kids ages 10 and up. Tickets are selling quickly for the Stittsville Haunted Heritage Tours on Friday and Saturday night. These walking tours tell blood-chilling stories from Stittsville’s past as they wind through town starting at 7pm and 9pm.
Signatures Handmade Market is back at the Aberdeen Pavilion all weekend, opening at 10am from Thursday to Sunday. As part of the celebrations marking Signatures’ 40th anniversary, this year’s market is fully licensed, and partnering with local craft producers: Overflow Brewing Company, Dunrobin Distilleries, Casa-Dea Estates Winery, and gourmet food exhibitors. There will be more than 125 makers from coast-to-coast showcasing Canadian-made wares. Tickets are $6 for entry, and $5 after 5pm.
This is the last weekend for Fresh Meat theatre festival at Arts Court. Catch one or all of the six shows running this weekend. Tickets are pay-what-you-want on Thursday, and tickets for Friday and Saturday are $30 for adults. There are still tickets available online.
Also wrapping up this weekend is the Fall edition of the Festival of Small Halls. Hit the road and find The Arrogant Worms in Spencerville, Spoons in Brockville, or take in dinner and a show with Quote the Raven in Lyndhurst. These shows always sell out, and are a great excuse to explore the small towns around Ottawa. Tickets are available online for around $35.
Fall Rhapsody continues this weekend, and this is your last chance to take advantage of the NCC free shuttle into Gatineau Park that runs during the day from downtown to different stops throughout the park.
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Thursday
Thursday night at LIVE! on Elgin you can check out CHOIRZ (Pembroke-based, electropop), Kosmavermo (Ottawa-based, psych/Krautrock), and Ce qui nous traverse (Montreal-based, dark jazz/post-rock) for a mind-bending triptych of sound. According to the music lovers at LIVE!, if you like a little darkness with your dancing, this is for you. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.
Friday
Seventeen Voyces chamber choir will present a screening of the 1925 silent horror film classic The Phantom of the Opera accompanied by live choral and organ music on Friday and Saturday, at 7:30pm at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church (150 Glebe Ave). The film will be projected onto a large screen while Seventeen Voyces provides a soundtrack of choral music from both the classical and modern traditions, accompanied by organist Matthew Larkin. Musical selections will include Langlais’ Messe Solennelle, Beethoven’s “O welche Lust” from his opera Fidelio, as well as excerpts from Gounod’s Faust, among others. Tickets are $30, $20 for students.
Just down the street, The Mayfair Theatre is bringing the famous vampire film Nosferatu to their big screen on Friday and Saturday this weekend. This classic silent film will be accompanied by a live score performed by local band Death Ships. Doors open at 9pm and the show starts at 9:30.
Ottawa instrumental jazz trio Primary Colours celebrate the release of their debut album All Love on Friday with a show at the new 10,000 Hours Piano Studio on Montreal Road. Tickets include the live music as well as refreshments and an opportunity to meet the trio. There are still some available online for around $34.
The Ottawa 67s are taking on the Peterborough Petes on Friday night at TD Place for a special RedBlacks theme night! The 67s will be wearing special RedBlacks tribute jerseys, and there will be members of the 2023 RedBlacks team at the game to meet fans and sign autographs.
Rising star and local boy Elijah Woods is performing at the Bronson Centre on Friday night, the largest venue on his current tour. There are still tickets available for the all-ages show starting at $22.50. We caught up with him to preview his show, so read all about it here.
Saturday
Ottawa/Gatineau-based punk metal band Fuck The Facts have been around since 2001 but haven’t played live in Ottawa since November 2015. That’s about to change with a show on October 21 at Cafe Dekcuf, where they’ll be joined by local friends They Grieve and Gland.
TGIF Improv presents Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience: An Improvised Sitcom on Saturday evening in the Atelier at Arts Court, inspired by your favourites from the ’80s and ’90s like Full House, Family Matters, or Perfect Strangers, but with a modern Canadian spin. Each show features two episodes of an original sitcom, plus supporting acts from the Ottawa stand-up and improv communities. The show starts at 7:30pm, and tickets are $17 in advance, $20 at the door.
Cultures Comedy Club , located in Nuvo Lounge in the market, is Ottawa’s first and only Black-owned comedy club, highlighting diverse voices of comedy from the city and beyond. This weekend, Cultures welcomes Ottawa’s Black Adam and McBabaafrika, with Rose-Ingrid Benjamin as host. There’s also a DJ and catering by Island Vybz Cuisine, offering authentic Jamaican cuisine as of 8pm. Tickets are available online for $12.
Bowmanville native and country artist Meghan Patrick plays the Algonquin Commons Theatre on Saturday night at 8pm promoting her EP The Greatest Show on Dirt. There are still lots of tickets available online starting at around $40.
Sunday
The Ottawa 67s are home on Sunday afternoon to take on the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds at 2pm. The boys in red and black swept through Northern Ontario last weekend and the Greyhounds will be looking for revenge. Tickets are available online, starting at $25 for general admission.
The Friends of the Central Experimental Farm are holding a used book sale on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm at Building 72 in the Arboretum. The sale raises funds for the work that they do. It sounds like there are lots of books to be rifled through, so get there early!
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