Home Featured Events in Ottawa, the Outaouais, Eastern Ontario and beyond (Mar. 18 to Apr. 7)

Events in Ottawa, the Outaouais, Eastern Ontario and beyond (Mar. 18 to Apr. 7)

by Laura Byrne Paquet
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Spring isn’t quite here, but it’s in the air! It’s even evident in the calendar of upcoming events, which includes the opening of the summer blockbuster show at the Canadian Museum of Nature, as well as a farm show, gardening events and Easter fun. Film festivals, a potter show, the Harlem Globetrotters, a travel show and a parenting expo are all in the offing in the next few weeks. You can even test your shopping skills in a live version of The Price Is Right!

Don’t forget to read to the end, as some events a few weeks in the future require advance registration, so you don’t want to miss out.

In addition to the ideas below, don’t forget to check out my guide to local maple sugarbushes—because the sap has started running. Happy travels!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WEEK OF MARCH 18 TO MARCH 24

Eat Indian food in McDonalds Corners or pancakes in Cornwall

The MERA Schoolhouse in McDonalds Corners is hosting a community dinner on Friday, March 22, featuring Indian cuisine and a potluck dessert buffet. Tickets are a steal at just $15, but you must book by Monday, March 18.

For early risers, the Cornwall Rotary Club is hosting a pancake breakfast at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Cornwall from 7am to noon Saturday, March 23. Proceeds will benefit Centre 105, a drop-in breakfast program for vulnerable people.

Enjoy Easter fun in Kemptville or Edwards

very cute brown-and-white bunny with floppy ears, sitting on a lawn.
Photo by Waranya Mooldee on Unsplash.

Kemptville is getting a “jump” on its Easter festivities by hosting its Easter Bunny Hop a week before the long weekend! On Saturday, March 23, from 11am to 2pm, many businesses in downtown Kemptville will be giving out treats to kids. Look for the Easter Bunny Hop poster in the window of participating businesses. There will also be a scavenger hunt, a colouring contest, craft activities, bouncy castles, an outdoor dance party and a special Easter egg hunt.

Over in Edwards, Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm is holding family Easter egg hunts on March 23 and 24. Tickets are available online.

See the Harlem Globetrotters in Kanata

I’ll bet that just the mere mention of the Harlem Globetrotters above already has you whistling their insanely catchy theme song. If you’d like to see the basketball superstars in person, they’ll be at the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata on Tuesday, March 19.

Catch a concert in Kingston or Perth

Saskatchewan rockers The Sheepdogs will be at the Grand Theatre in Kingston on Wednesday, March 20.

C’mon, you teenagers of the ’80s—I know you’re out there and that you remember every single word to Urgent and Cold as Ice. You probably even danced at least one slow dance in a high school gym to Waiting for a Girl Like You. So you might be interested in Jukebox Heroes, a tribute to the music of Foreigner that’s coming to Farrell Hall in Perth on Saturday, March 23.

Learn about biodiversity in Eganville or the Glebe

monarch butterfly on a green leaf next to a pink flower

On Monday, March 18, the Eganville Horticultural Society is hosting a talk by Claire Bramma about the Butterflyway, a nationwide project by the David Suzuki Foundation to foster habitat for butterflies and bees. As well as learning how to make your garden more butterfly friendly, guests will also enjoy a hands-on floral-arranging demonstration by Bloom Wildly Floral Boutique.

Later that week in Ottawa, you can learn about eco-friendly gardens at the third of a series of Coffee Houses on Sustainability at the Glebe Community Centre on Sunday, March 24. At this Sustainability: Greenspace and Water Coffee House, speakers will be on hand to answer your questions about pollinator plants, native trees, rain gardens, permeable landscaping and more. Admission is free but you need to register via the link above. There will be cookies and coffee (but you’ll need to bring your own renewable mug for the latter). The series will continue once a month until June.

Sip wine and bid on wine goodies in the Finger Lakes

If you’ve ever been curious about the wineries of the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, the Seneca Lake Wine and Experience Auction (March 22 to 24) might be a great way to discover them. In this online auction, you can bid for wine tastings, winery tours, overnight vineyard stays and more. Bidding closes at 5pm on Sunday, March 24.

Get home and garden ideas in Ottawa

The Ottawa Home and Garden Show is the big draw this weekend (March 21 to 24) at the EY Centre. Lots of experts and exhibitors will be on hand to inspire your next big garden overhaul or home renovation.

Enjoy a film festival in Ottawa or Toronto

The International Film Festival of Ottawa (March 13 to 24) features Canadian and foreign movies from film festivals around the world. Movies include Loch Ness: They Created a Monster, a British documentary about the dedicated souls who search doggedly for a creature they’re sure lives at the bottom of a Scottish lake; Driving Mum, an Icelandic feature about a man who drives his dead mother around the country to carry out her last wish ; and If Only I Could Hibernate, a feature from Mongolia about a student competing for a university scholarship (see video above). Screening locations include the ByTowne Cinema, Arts Court and the Mayfair Theatre.

The fourth annual Ottawa Black Film Festival will be showing movies in person and online from March 22 to 26. The wide range of films includes the Canadian premiere of Talia’s Journey, about a Belgian woman’s fraught trip to meet her grandmother in Senegal, and Whatever Happened to Intergenerational Wealth?, a short documentary about the effect of Ontario’s tight housing market on Black Ontarians’ hopes of leaving a financial legacy for their children.

In Toronto, the Canadian Film Fest (March 18 to 23) screens feature films and short movies by Canadian directors. If you’re tired of seeing movies set in New York, London or L.A., this is a great bet.

Cheer for talented dogs in Cornwall

Dogs Do Magic: A Canine Illusion Show is coming to the Aultsville Theatre in Cornwall on Saturday, March 23. The talented pooches are all family pets, and they made it to the semi-finals on Canada’s Got Talent. Expect lots of laughs, barks and sleight of hand.

Get soup and a bowl for a good cause in the Glebe

closeup of two hands spinning a small bisque-coloured bowl on a pottery wheel
Image by Earl Wilcox on Unsplash.

The Ottawa Guild of Potters is holding its annual fundraiser for the Ottawa Food Bank on Saturday, March 23. Sign up for Great Bowls of Fire and you’ll receive a handmade bowl of your choice, along with your chosen soup and bread from a selection of Ottawa restaurants and bakeries. It’s a takeout event, so you’ll pick up your goodies at the Glebe Community Centre to enjoy at home.

See a play in Ottawa, Greely, Kingston or Montreal

Will Somers: Keeping Your Head is a rollicking, one-man show by Ottawa actor, playwright and comedian Pierre Brault. It’s a headlong historical romp through Tudor England, as told by court jester Will Somers, and it’s at the Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe from March 19 to 23.

The Department of Theatre at the University of Ottawa is staging The District of Centuries, an absurdist comedy by Sean Dixon about a downtown housing project designed to crumble. It’s running at the LabO theatre at the university from March 21 to 23.

Do you like to push the pram a lot? If you get that reference, then you’ll understand why the Greely Players production of Monty Python’s Spamalot will have the audience cheering on Sir Robin’s minstrels, fearing killer rabbits and laughing at the taunts of French castle defenders. It’s on stage from March 20 to 24 at the Greely Community Centre.

rows of red theatre seats
Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash.

Guilt (a love story) is a one-woman play at Montreal’s Centaur Theatre about the painful emotion that seems to dog just about all of us at one time or another. Author and star Diane Flacks examines it through the painfully funny lens of her own life as a self-sacrificing Jewish mom who unwittingly brings on a family catastrophe. This is the fifth one-woman for Flacks, who was also nominated for an Emmy for her writing for The Kids in the Hall. The show runs until March 30.

Domino Theatre in Kingston is staging As You Like It, Shakespeare’s sparkling comedy of mistaken identities among a group of young aristocrats who have fled to the Forest of Arden. It’s running on select evenings until March 22, with an afternoon matinée on Saturday, March 23.

Enjoy maple fun in Vanier, Montebello and beyond

The Vanier Sugar Festival at the Vanier Museopark (March 18 to 24) will give you the chance to visit an urban sugar shack (rebuilt after a recent fire), but that’s just the beginning of the fun. There will also be a fundraising soup competition, live music, a lumberjack competition, art making, sugar shack meals, a petting zoo, pony rides, and, for adults, a beer garden and axe throwing (hopefully, not in that order).

In Montebello, Parc Oméga is holding a Sugar Fest on Saturday, March 23. Skating, tubing, face painting, a local vendors’ market, maple taffy and other sweet and salty snacks, and live entertainment are all on the agenda.

bottle of maple syrup next to a wooden spoon
Image by piviso from Pixabay.

In the Montreal suburb of Verdun, Cabane Panache (March 21 to 24) is a four-day event featuring live music, maple goodies, shopping and more.

During Maple in the County (March 23 and 24), a maple syrup festival in Prince Edward County, you can enjoy entertainment and special activities at multiple sugar shacks.

South of the border, New York State Maple Weekend is a bit of a misnomer; it’s actually two weekends (March 16 and 17, and March 23 and 24). You can search here for participating maple farms across the state.

See art in Montreal

The free Art Souterrain exhibition—which runs until Sunday, April 7—isn’t your typical museum show: It’s happening throughout Montreal’s Underground City network of below-surface tunnels. This year’s theme is “The Environment: Can You Hear?” and the exhibition features installations, sculptures, videos, photographs and performance art pieces by roughly 40 artists from around the world.

Hear Bach in Ottawa or Kingston

If you love Johann Sebastian Bach’s music, this is your week, with events of note in Ottawa and Kingston. First up, L’Harmonie des saisons—an ensemble of voices and period instruments—will be singing Bach’s St. John Passion at Southminster United Church in Old Ottawa South on Thursday, March 21. The concert is presented by the Music & Beyond Festival.

On Saturday, March 23, violinists, organists and pianists will be playing the Great Bach Marathon, a four-and-a-half hour afternoon concert of Bach music at St. George’s Cathedral in Kingston. Admission to the fundraiser for the Cathedral and for the Royal Canadian College of Organists scholarship program is by donation.

WEEK OF MARCH 25 TO MARCH 31

Enjoy student improv at the NAC

The semi-finals and finals of the Canadian Improv Games are coming to the National Arts Centre from March 27 to 30. This could be your chance to see the Second City and Saturday Night Live stars of tomorrow!

Have some Easter family fun

brown rabbit looking startled outside with blurred background
Photo by Gary Bendig on Unsplash.

Lots of places are planning special family events for Easter Saturday (March 30). Check the websites in advance to see whether advance ticket purchase is required.

In Ottawa, kids can decorate eggs, play giant Jenga and enjoy a visual scavenger hunt during Easter at the Bunker at the Diefenbunker in Carp; visit baby animals, do crafts and get treats at the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum’s Hop Into Spring event; or enjoy an Easter egg hunt at Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm in Edwards. Note that advance registration is required for many events.

In Kingston, the Murney Tower Museum and the Museum of Health Care are hosting Egg-Stream Easter Fun at the Museum, with an Easter egg hunt and Easter-themed crafts.

Join a car rally in Chesterville

On Saturday, March 30, the Chesterville and District Lions Club is holding its 33rd annual Car Rally. Registration starts at the Legion at 11am and the event starts at noon.

Have some laughs in Peterborough, Belleville, Ottawa or Cornwall

The Snowed In Comedy Tour is Canada’s biggest coast-to-coast comedy show. This year, its Eastern Ontario shows feature comics Erica Sigurdson, Dan Quinn, Paul Myrehaug and Pete Zedlacher. You can catch them in Peterborough (March 26), Belleville (March 27), Ottawa (March 28) or Cornwall (March 29). Note that, like the shows, the promo video above does include some content and language that isn’t suitable for kids!

Try your luck on a travelling version of The Price Is Right

Here’s something you don’t see in Ottawa every day: an opportunity to “come on down!” and try to win a prize on a travelling version of The Price Is Right. The event at the Arena at TD Place on Wednesday, March 27, won’t be televised, but about US$25,000 worth of prizes will be up for grabs. Tickets are available now but, interestingly, you don’t need to buy one to be eligible to compete. (The rules are actually quite complex; see the show link above for all the details.)

Celebrate anime at the EY Centre

female anime figure against a red background
Photo by Ryan Yao on Unsplash.

Fans of Japanese animation, this brand-new event is for you. At Anime Ottawa at the EY Centre (March 29 to 31), you can meet voice actors and Vtubers, shop for anime merch of all sorts, cheer on amateur K-Pop singers and dancers, see anime videos, get autographs from anime celebs, take in a costume competition and much more.

See Canada’s Drag Race stars at the NAC

The Official Canada Drag Race Tour 2024 is set to roll into the National Arts Centre on Saturday, March 30, in a blizzard of feathers, sequins and fun. The all-finalist cast features drag queens from seasons 3 and 4 of Canada’s Drag Race, including Ottawa’s own Kimmy Couture.

Catch a concert in Ottawa, Carleton Place or Cornwall

Didn’t see them last week in Kingston? Juno-winning bluesy rockers The Sheepdogs will be at the Aultsville Theatre in Cornwall on Wednesday, March 27.

The Carleton Place Gallery is presenting a concert by fiddler Rosalyn Dennett and multi-instrumentalist Rob McLaren on Thursday, March 28. Food by The Good Food Company will be available for purchase before the 7pm concert.

The Thirteen Strings ensemble is presenting a Good Friday concert, Reflection, on Friday, March 29, at the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre in Centretown. Conductor Kevin Mallon will be leading a program featuring his own composition Holi as well as works by J.S. Bach and others.

And what is it with Foreigner tributes this month? Along with the Jukebox Hero show in Perth earlier in March, there’s also Double Vision, a different tribute to the big-haired band, which is coming to the Port Theatre in Cornwall on Saturday, March 30.

Indulge in some retail therapy in Gatineau

clothing on a store rack. photo by lauren roberts on unsplash.
Photo by Lauren Roberts on Unsplash.

The Gatineau version of the Big Fashion Sale by Quebec Designers is happening from March 28 to 30 at the Hilton Lac Leamy. It is just what the name implies: a huge event with dozens of fashion and accessories designers gathered all in one place. (If you can’t catch it there, it will be in Montreal from April 11 to 14, and in Quebec City from April 18 to 20.)

See a play in Kanata

Kanata Theatre’s latest show is Brighton Beach Memoirs (March 27 to April 6), the classic Neil Simon coming-of-age comedy about a Jewish teenager growing up in Brooklyn during the Great Depression.

Shop for vintage books in Montreal

The Westmount Antiquarian Book Fair in Westmount—a separate municipality in the heart of Montreal—proudly proclaims itself Canada’s Smallest Book Fair. It features about a dozen booksellers selling a wide selection of books, pamphlets, maps, prints and ephemera. The fair will be held on Saturday, March 30, from 10am to 5pm, at the Centre Greene.

WEEK OF APRIL 1 TO APRIL 7

Take a studio tour in and around Pakenham

jar of artists' brushes against blurred background
Photo by Skitterphoto on Pixabay.

Warmer weather must be on its way, because the first local studio tour of 2024 is here! You can enjoy art, crafts, food and heritage locations on the Pakenham Maple Run Tour (April 6 and 7). As well as meeting the artists and shopping for paintings, art glass, pottery, textile art, mosaics, photography, jewellery, clothing, soaps and more, you can taste locally produced cider, baking and craft beer. The Maple Run Tour website provides details on all the tour participants (there are 28 artisans) and the eight tour venues, which include a church, a one-room schoolhouse, a coffee shop and a library. You’ll need a car—or a bike and lots of stamina—for this self-driving tour, as the whole route is about 40 kilometres long.

Get travel ideas in Ottawa

blue beach with thatched umbrellas in background
Photo by Josh Hammond on Unsplash.

Planning your summer vacation? All kinds of exhibitors—representing Canadian and international destinations—will be on hand with ideas at the Travel and Vacation Show at the Shaw Centre in downtown Ottawa (April 6 and 7).

See a family-friendly musical in Brockville

The St. Lawrence College Music Theatre—Performance Program is presenting The SpongeBob Musical (that’s the live version, not the animated TV show) at the Brockville Arts Centre (April 5 to 7).

Enjoy maple fun across Ontario

maple syrup candy (taffy) on a stick.
Flickr/Creative Commons photo by snowpea&bokchoi.

Sugar bushes across the province will be offering special events during the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers’ Association’s Maple Weekend (April 6 and 7). Participating farms in Eastern Ontario include spots in Foresters Falls, Westport, Sharbot Lake, Dunvegan, Fournier, Wendover, Fermoy, Almonte, Pakenham, Athens, Morewood, Lanark, Kemptville, Moose Creek, Pembroke, Portland, North Elmsley, Mallorytown, Clayton, McDonald’s Corners and Lancaster.

Check out a family expo in Nepean

The Ottawa Parent & Child Expo at the Nepean Sportsplex (April 6 and 7) promises fun for the whole family, with everything from costumed characters from PAW Patrol to an inflatable bouncy slide, video games, animal presentations, a reading area and more. Plus, there will be free goody bags for the first 1,000 visitors each day.

Browse for unique artisans’ products at the EY Centre

At the EY Centre in Ottawa, the Originals Spring Craft Sale (April 4 to 7) is an immensely popular annual sale of handmade goods created by 140 artisans from across Canada. Items will include textiles, jewellery, skin care products, candles, ceramics, wall art, garden decor and gourmet foods.

Cheer racers at a snowmobile race in Calabogie

Snowmobilers, here’s one for you: The Calabogie 500 hill drag race roars into the Calabogie Peaks Resort on Saturday, April 6. (Given our strangely warm spring, however, PLEASE check the website before venturing out, as this event is weather dependent.)

Looking for more tips on things to see and do in Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais, northern New York state and beyond? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your Weekend Getaway Guide.

As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.

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3 comments

Leslie Firth November 17, 2023 - 9:06 am

Hi Laura. I am heading up publicity for an arts group in Ottawa, called Art Lending of Ottawa. We are thirty local artists and we have four shows a year at the R.A. Centre. Is there a way that I can have our event mentioned in your list. Our Holiday Art Show is on Dec. 16th. Let me know and I could send you description of the event. Thanks

Reply
Laura Byrne Paquet November 17, 2023 - 2:02 pm

Hi Leslie!Thanks for getting in touch. I know Art Lending–we have one of your paintings in our living room! I looked up your Dec. 16th show online and I’ll add a link to it in my art/craft sale post right now. Good luck with the event! Cheers, Laura

Reply
Laura Byrne Paquet November 17, 2023 - 2:06 pm

Aha, sometimes I’m further ahead of the game than I think! The show was already in my Christmas sales post at https://ottawaroadtrips.com/2022/11/01/ottawa-christmas-craft-fairs-holiday-sales-artisans/.

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