Welcome to the first long weekend of the summer! As the Tulip Festival rages on, and the weather continues to keep us guessing, the city is slowing down for the long weekend, with fewer special events than normal, so we can all enjoy the holiday and take it easy. If you are staying in town, and looking to get out of the house, we definitely have you covered. Stay safe, stay hydrated and be sure to stop and smell the flowers.
All Weekend
The Tulip Festival officially wraps up this weekend, and the blooms are still putting on an impressive show at Majors’ Hill Park, Dow’s Lake, along the canal and at Beechwood Cemetery. The Movies in the Park are happening all weekend until Monday, with afternoon and evening shows everyday. On Thursday there’s Footloose at 7pm, The Lego Movie and Ocean’s 11 on Friday, Jurassic Park on Saturday evening and My Neighbour Tortoro on Sunday afternoon to name a few. The Black Light Boardwalk along Dow’s Lake is open every evening from 8-10pm, with a special sound and light show at 9pm. On Saturday, meet the NCC Lead Landscape Architect Tina Liu for a talk about the NCC’s park planning, and the annual tulip extravaganza.
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Ottawa Little Theatre is part way through their run of Stag and Doe, a farcical comedy about a stag and doe party gone awry in a rural town with a competing wedding and missing catering staff. “An affectionate look at love, weddings, and the Stag and Doe, a distinctly Canadian pre-marital fundraiser.” Shows are every evening at 7:30 and Sunday at 2:30. Tickets are available online.
RibFest season has started, and this weekend get your fill at Barrhaven Ribfest and Pouting opening Friday at lunch and running until Monday at 7pm. There will be ribs, poutine, mac & cheese, a bouncy castle and live music to keep you busy.
Thursday
The Capital Music Awards are taking place Thursday night at the Bronson Centre, starting at 8pm. The event will also be livestreamed, so you can follow along to see if your favourite local artists take home the hardware. Tickets are sold out online, but there will still be some sold at the door, if you’re quick! Catch performances by Pony Girl, Amanda Rheaume, Angelique Francis and more as we celebrate local talent.
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Friday
Thirteen Strings presents The Lark Ascending for violin and strings by Vaughan Williams, starring violin soloist Mark Djokic on Friday evening at Dominion-Chalmers. In addition to the well-loved Williams piece, they will also be playing Arcangelo Corelli’s Concerto in D, Teleman’s “La Bouffonne” and Rival’s Violin Concerto “All’ombra de’ cipressi”. Tickets are available online beginning at $10 for students, and $30 for general admission. The show begins at 7:30.
The Ottawa Quad Rollerstaking Club is throwing themselves An Unbirthday Roller Party at the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne on Friday. Tickets are available online for the all ages event from 5-7:30, and an adults only session from 8:30-11:30 for $28 in advance online. If you don’t have your own skates, you can rent them when you buy your tickets. This is a fundraising event for the Algonquin College Students’ Association Food Cupboard.
Saturday
613flea is back at the Aberdeen Pavilion on Saturday from 10-4pm with over 150 vendors or all kinds. Get your fill of local art, goodies, vintage finds and artisan crafts to keep you busy on the long weekend.
The Ottawa Glassblowing Co-op (OGC), in partnership with Beyond the Pale, is thrilled to host a community celebration on Saturday May 18, marking five years that OCG has fostered creativity, collaboration, and community in the world of glass blowing. From 12-6 you can enjoy live demonstrations and cold beer, and learn more about the co-op and their art.
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If all the recent celestial happenings have got you curious about the sky, join the Ottawa Valley Astronomy and Observers Group for Interntional Astronomy Day all day on Saturday. Meet local amateur astronomers, see telescopes of many different sizes and types, and see live demonstrations of astrophotography and video observing. Watch 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. Check in on them in the Chapters parking lot in Gloucester.
Take a roadtrip out to Greely on Saturday for the Pakistani Food Festival at the Greely Community Centre. There will be traditional food stalls, live music, and a chicken briyani and beef chapli kabab competition. The event is free to attend and runs from 12-7pm.
Put on your ruby slippers for an unforgettable journey to Oz with Dorothy, her friends and the Caelis singers choir. The 1939 classic Wizard of Oz will be playing at the Mayfair with on-screen lyrics of all the songs so you can sing along to all the hits with choir. This is a Caelis Academy Ensemble fundraiser featuring singers from the choir, and costumes are encouraged! Tickets are $22 online, and are a fundraising effort by the Caelis Academy Ensemble.
Sunday
Dominion City Brewing Co. is hosting “Field Day” at Vincent Massey Park this Sunday from 2-7pm in partnership with Congrego and Fisher Collective. There will be five cool local bands, Dominion City brews and fresh pizza courtesy of Firebox Pizza all day. Advanced tickets are $20, and children until 12 get in for free. It’s the perfect day to hang out and enjoy the long weekend with friends.
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The Tulip Festival Closing Ceremonies on Sunday night will be taking place at Dow’s Lake starting at 8:30, and culminating with a 10 minute drone show at 9pm.
Monday
If you’re looking for fireworks on holiday Monday, make your way to the Rideau Carlteon Casino, where there will be BBQ and drinks beginning at 7pm outdoors. There will be a DJ as well and then a 20 minutes fireworks display once the sun goes down.
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