Things to do in Ottawa, the Outaouais, Eastern Ontario and beyond (April 21 to May 4, 2025)

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Wondering what to do in Ottawa this weekend? It is a great time for a road trip in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario or the Outaouais. In fact, there’s SO much going on that I keep adding new items, so please keep checking back here regularly. Happy road tripping!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WEEK OF APRIL 21 TO APRIL 27

Compete in a paddling race in Richmond

Despite its name, the Jock River Canoe Race (Saturday, April 26) is open to paddle craft of all kinds, including canoes, kayaks and SUPs. The 12.5-kilometre friendly race starts just south of Munster and ends in Richmond. You must register online in advance; no onsite registrations will be available.

Learn about basic income in Carleton Place

This looks like an intriguing talk: Canadian senator Kim Pate and Erin Lee, executive director of Lanark County Interval House, will be giving a talk about basic income at Carleton Place Town Hall on Thursday, April 24. They’ll be talking about the relationship between low income and domestic violence, and the way a guaranteed basic income might address the problem. Admission to the talk is free, but you need to register online in advance.

Enjoy a film festival in Ottawa or Cornwall

The Irish Film Festival Ottawa (April 25 to 27) at the Arts Court Theatre in downtown Ottawa celebrates independent Irish movies. It’s a great chance to catch the comedy Four Mothers and a slate of other Irish films.

Like the films it celebrates, the Mohawk Short Film Fest (Saturday, April 26) isn’t long, but you’ll still have the chance to see four short movies by local Indigenous filmmakers.

And the Latin American Film Festival (April 4 to 26) concludes this week at Saint Paul University on Main Street in Old Ottawa East. Movies this week come from Cuba, Costa Rica and Mexico.

Looking for more film festivals? Check out my just-updated list of Ontario and Quebec film fests.

Put on your bling in Carp

The theme of this year’s Carp Agricultural Society’s Ladies Night is Bridesmaids, Boots and Bling. The evening at the Carp Fairgrounds on Friday, April 25, will include a dinner catered by Ullrich’s and live music by DoubleBack.

Shop for art and celebrate spring in Manotick

Members of the Manotick Art Association will be showing and selling their works at the Inspirations art show and sale from April 25 to 27, at the Manotick Curling Centre. There will be live music on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, too. Admission is free, but the organizers will be collecting cash donations for the Ottawa Mission.

Also in Manotick, the Manotick Village Spring Fling (Saturday, April 26) promises to be a day of live music, demonstrations, shopping and family fun. Restaurants will be offering special menu items and stores will be doing promotions.

See a play in Ottawa, Winchester, Wakefield, Smiths Falls or Cobden

After a pretty quiet stretch for local theatre last week, there are all sorts of plays coming to stages around the region this week. They include 1979, a play about Joe Clark’s last night as prime minister, at The Gladstone in Ottawa (my husband is playing John Crosbie!); Geezers, a drama set in a retirement home, in Osgoode; the Agatha Christie classic Murder on the Orient Express in Winchester; a Norm Foster comedy, Jonas and Barry in the Home, in Smiths Falls; One Toe in the Grave, a comedy about a deceitful executive, in Cobden; and an evening of one-act plays in Wakefield. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Check my theatre guide for more information on these and many other plays this week.

See circus performers in Ottawa

The first-ever Ottawa Aerial Circus Festival is coming to Arts Court this weekend (April 25 to 27). You can see performances and competitions, and if you fancy trying your hand at a bit of circus artistry yourself, there will be workshops on prop manipulation, hula hooping and more. (Most of the workshops are open to both kids and adults.)

Learn about sustainability in Kemptville

The North Grenville Sustainability Fair and EV Show comes to the North Grenville Municipal Centre in Kemptville on Sunday, April 27. Learn about electric vehicles, ways to green your home, organic foods, and other local eco-friendly products and services. Admission is free.

Browse for art in Ottawa and Almonte

On April 26 and 27, the Out-of-the-Box artist collective will be holding Fibre Fling 2025—a show and sale of their fibre and mixed media art—at Kitchissippi United Church on Island Park Drive in Ottawa.

On the same dates, the Ten Collective—a group of artists painting in a diverse range of styles—will be holding its annual exhibition and sale at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in Almonte.

Go to a carnival in Smiths Falls

The Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum is hosting a Spring Carnival on Saturday, April 26, from 11am to 2pm. The fun will including a barbecue, axe throwing, live music, a bouncy castle, vendors, a petting zoo and more.

Catch some comedy in Nepean or Kingston

On Tuesday, April 22, Zabrina Douglas will host the 20th edition of the Just For Laughs Road Show at the Meridian Theatres@Centrepointe in Ottawa. Standup comedians on the roster include Orlando Leyba, Hisham Kelati and Audrey Stewart. The show will then move to the Kingston Grand Theatre on Saturday, April 26.

See orchids in Ottawa

The Ottawa Orchid Society is holding its annual show and sale at Algonquin College on April 26 and 27. You can pay extra to get in an hour early, if you’re super keen.

Dig into poutine in Orleans or Renfrew

Everyone’s favourite cheese-curd treat will be the star of this weekend’s Orleans PoutineFest and Street Food Frenzy (April 25 to 27). There will be craft beer, live music, a butter tart contest and more to amuse you, too. It’s all rolling out on Centrum Boulevard (just east of Place d’Orleans).

You can also enjoy cheesy, gravy-doused fries of all descriptions at Renfrew Poutine Feast (April 24 to 27). It’s happening at Haramis Park near the Renfrew tourist information centre, off Highway 60 just south of Highway 17.

Go to a home show in Prescott

The Prescott Spring Home and Trade Show (April 24 to 26) will feature 80 vendors on Thursday and Friday, and more than 170 vendors (including artisans) on Saturday. It’s taking place at the Leo Boivin Community Centre in Prescott.

Enjoy a music festival in Ottawa

The Ottawa Grassroots Festival (April 24 to 27) is a family-friendly event featuring folk, Indigenous and Franco-Ontarian music. Concerts take place at the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa in McKellar Park and artists include Lynn Miles, the Devin Cuddy Band, the Dusty Drifters and Josh Ritchie. Daytime shows are free; for other shows, you’ll need to buy a ticket.

Celebrate all things maple in Perth

The Festival of the Maples in Perth on Saturday, April 26, caps a month-long celebration of all things maple in Lanark County. The attractions include a vendors’ street fair, an antique and classic car display, and a cross-cut sawing challenge. Families can enjoy a petting zoo, a rock-climbing wall, laser tag and more.

Plan your outdoor adventures at an Ottawa show

The Ottawa Outdoor and Adventure Travel Show at the Nepean Sportsplex (April 26 and 27) will offer inspiration galore for outdoorsy types. Shop for camping gear, kayaks, e-bikes, SUPs, ATVs and more from a wide range of vendors, and learn about outdoor travel destinations and family fun ideas at free presentations. Admission and parking are free, too.

Hit a comic convention in Cornwall

The Cornwall and Area Pop Event—better known as CAPE—comes to the Benson Centre in Cornwall on April 26 and 27. Focusing on comics, SF and fantasy, the event will feature guests such as Kaniehtiio Horn (Alice Darling, Reservation Dogs, Letterkenny), Brian Posehn (The Big Bang Theory) and Melissa McIntyre (Degrassi: The Next Generation).

Shop for books all over

In Renfrew, the Canadian Federation of University Women is holding a huge used book sale at Renfrew Collegiate Institute on Friday, April 25 (4pm to 9pm) and Saturday, April 26 (9am to noon).

This is also the weekend of the popular Rockcliffe Park Spring Book Sale at the Rockcliffe Park Recreation Centre (April 26 and 27).

And Saturday, April 26, is Canadian Independent Bookstore Day. Indie bookstores across the country will be celebrating the event with special events and deals. During the Ottawa Indie Bookstore Crawl (April 25 to 27), you can qualify for a draw for gift certificates for local bookstores by visiting seven local bookshops. And if you buy a book from a participating bookstore on April 26, you can also enter a national draw for a $1,000 gift card to be used at the indie bookstore of your choice!

Immerse yourself in ideas in Montreal

Blue Metropolis (April 24 to 27) is a huge multilingual event in Montreal that bills itself as a celebration of books and ideas. This year, the theme is Time, The Tree, The Page. As the organizers frame it, the festival will be “an exploration of patience, transformation, and the delicate balance between nature, culture, and humanity. The Tree, a silent witness to centuries, embodies both the patience of time and the memory of the world…Time slips away, accelerates, is wasted, and savored. It is both a threat and a promise, urgency and contemplation. It shapes nature as much as it shapes our lives. Writing takes time; reading does too. Could time be a gift we give ourselves?”

Even though the “official” event lasts just four days in late April, there are virtual online events as well, beginning on April 14.

Run a race in Kingston

Itching to get out for a good run after a long winter? You can choose from a selection of in-person races (from a 2K for kids to a half-marathon) during the Limestone Race Weekend in Kingston (April 26 and 27). To participate, you must register online by April 24 or in person by April 25; no same-day registrations will be available.

Discover local vendors in Winchester

At the Local Business Expo at the Joel Steele Community Centre in Winchester on Saturday, April 26, you can check out products and services offered by more than 100 local vendors. There will be live performances, too, as well as a touch-a-truck attraction for kids.

Enjoy a contemporary dance performance at Centrepointe

So It Turns, We Bloom is a meditation on nature, dance and community presented by Ottawa’s Propeller Dance Company and its students. This two-part saga takes place over two nights (April 25 and 26), charting the lifecycle of a plant nurtured by the elements and guided by the changing sky.  Propeller Dance specializes in contemporary inclusive dance for dancers of diverse minds and bodies, and performances take the needs of neurodiverse, visually impaired, deaf and wheelchair-using patrons into account; see the link to the show for full details.

Marvel at the stars near Kaladar

Near the night of the new moon each month, weather permitting, the Lennox and Addington County Dark Sky Viewing Area offers a free Laser-Guided Stargazing Tour on Friday and Saturday nights. Each tour starts about an hour after dusk and lasts approximately 90 minutes. You’ll get a laser-guided tour of the night sky and perhaps peek through a telescope. The next tour nights are April 25 and 26. Even though the tour is free, you should go online to reserve a spot if you’re interested. The viewing area is in Erinsville, just south of where Highway 7 intersects with Highway 41 in Kaladar, Ontario.

See movies in Toronto

This year, the more than 113 featured documentaries from 47 countries at Toronto’s Hot Docs Festival (April 24 to May 4) focus on everyone from Indigenous basketball players on the West Coast to an activist widow in rural Kenya.

WEEK OF APRIL 28 TO MAY 4

Check out local talent in Kingston

Everyone involved in Kingston’s Juvenis Festival of the Arts (running until May 4) is aged 30 or younger, but shows are open to all ages. Events this year include three musical theatre productions, a battle of the bands and a 90-minute version of Twelfth Night.

The Homegrown Live Music Festival is a packed day of 143 live performances by local acts on 16 stages across Kingston on Saturday, May 3. Each venue will be showcasing multiple bands in a particular style, including blues, psychedelic, country, hip-hop and jazz.

Find fab fabrics in Wellington West

Attention needleworkers: Dozens of vendors will be selling fabrics galore and other sewing-related materials at the Hintonburg Fabric Flea Market on Saturday, May 3. It is taking place at the Fisher Park Community Centre (250 Holland Avenue).

Hear authors in Ottawa

The spring edition of the Ottawa International Writers Festival (May 1 to 4, and May 14 to 16) features a wide range of authors, including Linda McQuaig, Amal El-Mohtar, Timothy Caulfield and Ben Ladouceur.

Browse for bargains in Blackburn Hamlet, Trend Arlington or Merrickville

Saturday, May 3, will be a busy day for community garage sales, with events happening in the Ottawa neighbourhoods of Blackburn Hamlet and Trend Arlington, as well as in the picturesque village of Merrickville (about 50 minutes southwest of the capital). Details on these and many other sales are available in my community garage sales post.

Shop for unique items in Ottawa, Almonte, Kingston or Corbyville

The Ottawa Guild of Potters will be holding its spring pottery sale as part of the Ottawa Clay Festival in the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park from May 2 to 4. As well as shopping for pottery, you can see demonstrations and let the little ones discover clay in the children’s play area.

In Carleton Place, the Spring ART Tour will take place in two venues: the Art Hub Gallery (50 Bennett Stree) and the Carleton Place Arena (75 Neelin Street). This fine art exhibition will feature 65 juried artists. You can pick up a weekend exhibition passport at either location, and if you get the passport stamped at both locations, you could win a door prize. (It won’t be hard—the venues are just two kilometres from each other.)

The Cheerfully Made Market at the Almonte Community Centre (Saturday, May 3) features food, clothing, jewellery, home decor and other goodies from local makers.

The Kingston Potters’ Guild is holding its annual spring show and sale at the Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning from May 1 to 4.

It’s a bit of a hike, but the Mother of All Craft Shows on Saturday, May 3, in Corbyville (just north of Belleville) looks like fun, with more than 60 vendors offering everything from clothing to food. Raffle ticket sales will support Fixed Fur Life, an animal-rescue group.

Learn about urban design and history on a Jane’s Walk

Jane’s Walks are named after urbanist Jane Jacobs, who wrote numerous books about the way cities work. This year, from May 2 to 4, numerous cities are hosting free walks with local experts who will explain facets of each city’s history, development and design. You can join a walk in Ottawa-Gatineau, Kingston or Montreal, among many other places. There will be 45 walks in Ottawa, 23 in Kingston and 53 in Montreal!

Celebrate Mexico in Orleans and the ByWard Market

After international success in Spain, Germany, Italy and Poland, Ballet Aztlán México is returing to the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans on Wednesday, April 30. The company’s work blends ballet with Mexican folklore.

Later in the week, the ByWard Market is getting a jump on Cinco de Mayo festivities. Even though the Mexican festival’s name translates to “May 5th,” the fun will be happening in the Market on Sunday, May 4. You can enjoy live music, Mexican food, a photography exhibition and more.

Discover local vendors in Morrisburg and Newboro

The Home, Trade and Craft Show in Morrisburg (May 2 and 3) brings a wide array of local vendors under one roof at the Morrisburg Arena. As well as shopping for local products and services, you can also catch a magic show and enjoy live music.

A new event this year is the Spring into Rideau market, happening in Newboro on Sunday, May 4. Local crafters and businesses will be on hand, indoors and out, at the Newboro Hall.

Compare electric vehicles in Montreal

Thinking about buying an electric vehicle but overwhelmed by choices? You can compare lots of EVs all in one place at the Electric and Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle Show at IGA Stadium in Montreal (May 2 to 4).

Go for a walk or run in Prescott or Renfrew

On Saturday, May 3, you can join the hero-themed Fort Town Night Run in Prescott. The 5K, 10K and 15K routes take you past many local historical sites, and Prescotters (is that a word?) will be cheering on runners along the route. There’s also a 1K fun run for kids, and the run raises money for local youth programs. All racers (except those in the kids’ run) will receive a headlamp.

On Sunday, May 4, Hike for Hospice Renfrew will be raising money for palliative care facilities. The one-hour event starts at 2pm and is open to runners and walkers.

Nosh on poutine in Ottawa

Got the munchies? The Ottawa PoutineFest at Ottawa City Hall (May 2 to 4) is a great chance to get your curds-and-gravy fix (along with craft beer and live music).

Go fish in the Bay of Quinte

Attention, anglers: The Kiwanis Walleye World Fishing Derby (May 3 and 4) is a big catch-and-release contest for walleye and pike, and a major fundraiser for youth projects in the Bay of Quinte region. The event headquarters are in Trenton but there are also weigh stations in Belleville, Picton and Brighton. Prizes are still being finalized but often include boats, fishing charters, cottage stays and cash.

Bid on wines at an Ottawa auction

You can attend the Ottawa Wine Auction on Friday, May 2, online, or you can bid in person at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel. Either way, your purchase will help support the Music and Beyond festival.

Have some laughs in Orleans or Montreal

Ottawa comic Paddy Mack is doing a show at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans on Friday, April 25, that will be recorded for audio and video. Tavis Maplesden will host, and standups Emmett Morrison, Greg Stringer and Wafik Narsrallah will be warming up the crowd.

If you love The Kids in the Hall, SCTV and Saturday Night Live, you might just be interested in Montréal Sketchfest, an annual festival of sketch comedy (May 1 to 10). It features both rising stars and established comic talents, performing in French and/or English.

Bike for a good cause in Ottawa

The CN Cycle for CHEO fundraiser takes to Ottawa’s streets on Sunday, May 4, with 15K, 35K, 70K and 95K cycling routes, as well as 2K and 5K walks. They all start at LeBreton Flats Park and go along the Ottawa River; the longer routes also take riders along the Rideau Canal and through the Experimental Farm. (The 95K Century Ride also goes into Gatineau.) Proceeds will support the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

Delve into architectural history in Almonte

A father-daughter team, Keith and Alex Blades, are exploring the rich history of architectural heritage preservation over two Monday nights (April 25 and May 5) at the Mississippi Mills Public Library branch in Almonte. They will examine the core values of the field, such as sustainability, cultural significance and community engagement. The discussion will also include the decline of traditional crafts, legislative protection for historical buildings and the challenges of maintaining heritage buildings in the modern world. There will be an optional walking tour on Monday, May 12.

Go to a casino for charity in Ottawa

Helping With Furniture, a charity that provides gently used furniture and household items to families in need, is holding a fundraising casino night at Ottawa’s St. Elias Centre on Friday, May 2. The glamorous gala will include dinner, prizes, casino games, DJ tunes and more.

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.