March has certainly been flying by, and this weekend is the calm between the storms of St. Patrick’s Day and Easter, so take a moment to breathe as spring officially begins. The city is shifting gears, and I don’t think any of us were expecting to see grass and open water so soon, so take advantage of the weather and enjoy some sunshine, or some sugar shacks perhaps? If you’re hanging around online for a bit, why not check out the Capital Music Awards and vote for your favourites?
All Weekend
This is the final weekend for the International Film Festival of Ottawa happening at large screens across the city. You can catch a 4K restoration of the classic adaptation of The Wars by Timothy Findley, a collection of Cinema’s First Nasty Women, and foreign-language short films from all around the world. Tickets are still available online for $15 each, or you can save on a bundle pass if you want to spend the whole weekend at the theatre!
The Vanier Sugar Festival celebrates the traditions of the sugar season while allowing visitors to reconnect with or learn about artisanal maple syrup production in the country’s only urban sugar shack! Friday night you can get down to some old-fashioned traditional music and square dancing accompanied by a hearty maple-inspired meal, or spend the day sampling maple sugar and gorging on traditional sugar shack breakfast on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.
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Check out Gallery 101 on Catherine St for the Ottawa iteration of Grounds for Goodness: a travelling interdisciplinary, participatory project led by Ruth Howard. The project artfully explores why and how people sometimes do good things for each other, particularly across different group identities and in times of crisis. The project’s Ottawa residency will unfold in collaboration with No Borders Drummers and Community Voices, Propeller Dance, and local storytellers and musicians. Check out the in-person artist talk on Thursday at 6:30pm, and the final presentation on Sunday from 3-5pm.
Local legend Pierre Brault is bringing his one-man show Will Somers: Keeping Your Head to the Meridian Theatres at Centrepointe all weekend. Tickets begin at $19.55 for this hilarious retelling of the life of Tudor court fool Will Somers, on the day of Elizabeth I’s coronation. Brault’s shows are always crowd pleasers, and this one might also be educational! Read our review here.
Thursday
To celebrate Francophonie Month, Alliance Française Ottawa is putting on a special performance of Maud Andrieux’s play Le Vice-Consul, adapted from the novel by Marguerite Duras, on Thursday starting at 7pm. Tickets are still available online for $15.
Friday
Check out up-and-coming Canadian folk singer John Muirhead at LIVE! On Elgin Friday night. The singer/songwriter will be joined by band Callahan and the Woodpile for a full-bodied folk and feelings night on the town. (What a band name!) Tickets are still available online for $25.
Saturday
Ottawa’s popular 2SLGBTQIA+ choir Tone Cluster will present their spring concert “Letters to Myself as part of their 30th season. The concert is happening at Centretown United on Saturday at 2pm. Tickets are PWYC with a suggested price of $25 and can be purchased online. Read all about it here.
613flea is back again on Saturday with 150 vendors, all ready for spring. Whether you are looking for some original art, sweet treats, or vintage finds, 613flea definitely has something original to offer. Admission is always free. 10am–4 pm at the Aberdeen Pavilion, Lansdowne Park.
The Ottawa Family Cinema is presenting the popular animated family comedy Puss in Boots: The Last Wish on the big screen in 3D on Saturday at 2pm with a cartoon and door prizes for the whole family! The cinema on St Laurent is a registered charity run entirely by volunteers, with proceeds going towards giving free tickets to underprivileged families go out to the movies. Tickets are only $6 in advance for non-members, and $8 at the door.
If you’re a local musical theatre aficionado, you can’t miss Musical Theatre Trivia Night at LIVE! On Elgin Saturday night. Register as an individual for $10, or grab your friends and join as a full team of six. The event runs from 9-11pm, and proceeds support inclusive arts groups in Ottawa.
PWHL Ottawa is hosting PWHL Toronto on Saturday at 1pm at TD Place. With recent sellout stops at NHL venues in Toronto, Montreal and Minnesota, it’s no surprise that tickets to Saturday’s game are few and far between. You can still catch the game on YouTube for free, though.
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Music in Greenboro, a volunteer-run, non-profit concert series in the South Keys & Greenboro area, has an exciting concert coming up on Saturday at 2pm, featuring Lost Baggage Musical Theatre performing Lost and Found: A Cabaret of New Beginnings and a fun variety of Broadway hits including the mini-musical Run This Town. This concert will be one of three events offered across Ottawa. Concerts are hosted at Gloucester Presbyterian Church on Pike St. Admission is by donation.
Sunday
The Vanier 5K race is taking place on Sunday beginning at 9am. The event is being hosted by Rideau-Vanier Councillor Stéphanie Plante, Muséoparc Vanier, Ottawa Police Service, Run Ottawa, and HydroOttawa. The race will start at the Richelieu-Vanier Community Centre and will run through Vanier and the historic Beechwood Cemetery. The iconic Vanier Sugar Shack will be celebrating its Sugar Festival on the same day. So if running is not for you, maple syrup surely is!
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