Things to do in Ottawa, the Outaouais, Eastern Ontario and beyond (January 13 to 19, 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, the Outaouais or northern New York state. In fact, there’s SO much going on that I keep adding new items, so please keep checking back here regularly. Happy road tripping!

Cover photo by Jaime Dantas on Unsplash.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WEEK OF JANUARY 13 TO 19

Enjoy night and day snowshoeing in Gatineau Park

Have you always wanted to try night snowshoeing but never quite gotten around to it? This could be your year. The Friends of Gatineau Park are offering Snowshoes Under the Stars on Friday nights, starting on January 17 (weather permitting). The event includes snowshoe rental, a trail pass, a guided walk (during which you’ll learn how animals adapt to winter), and hot chocolate and cookies at the end. Over the course of the winter, the event will be held at different trails in Chelsea and Wakefield. Hikes start at 7pm. Tickets are $25, with a 20% discount for Friends of Gatineau Park members.

Don’t forget that the NCC is also offering free guided snowshoeing hikes in Gatineau Park on weekends throughout the winter. Learn to spot and identify animal tracks! The outings are offered alternately in English and French, on Saturdays and Sundays, and snowshoes are provided. Spaces are limited, so register in advance.

Find wedding inspiration in Iroquois

If you’re planning a wedding, you can learn about local vendors at the Happily Ever After Wedding Show in Iroquois on Sunday, January 19. The event is taking place at the Oneida Grand Event Centre and Bistro.

Go to a play in Ottawa or Kingston

Five plays are having their opening night this week, including a production of Hamlet in Ottawa and a play in Kingston about an iconoclastic sculptor resisting attempts to send her to a retirement home. See my plays roundup for details.

Take the kids to a magic show in Smiths Falls

Magician Michael Conway will be giving a family-friendly magic show at the Smiths Falls Community Theatre on Saturday, January 18. The one-hour show starts at 2pm.

Attend a gallery opening in Almonte

The Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in Almonte is launching its new show, Signs of the Times, with a vernissage on Saturday, January 18, from 2pm to 4pm. The show features woven tapestries by Latvian artist Egils Rozenbergs, who explores the dynamic times we live in by incorporating current signs and symbols—ranging from sea waves to hashtags—into his work. (P.S.: Check my museums and galleries post for details on many other shows in our area.)

Learn about Indigenous water issues in Ottawa

Indigenous researchers, a knowledge keeper and an artist are the speakers at Visions for a Decolonial Water Future, a panel discussion taking place at Canadian Geographic’s headquarters on Sussex Drive on Wednesday, January 15.

Enjoy a winter festival in Embrun or Laurentian Valley

The winter festival season kicks off this weekend with two events: the Embrun Carnival (January 16 to 26) and the Alice in Winterland Carnival in Laurentian Valley, about an hour and 45 minutes northwest of Ottawa (January 17 to 24). And if you like frosty events, don’t miss my winter festivals roundup, which lists more than two dozen of them!

Browse for local products in Russell

Lots of vendors—including farmers and other food producers, artisans, and representatives of community groups—are expected to be on hand for the Living Locally Fair at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School in Russell (Saturday, January 18, 9am to 2:30pm). Admission is free, but donations to the local food bank will be gratefully accepted.

Cheer at a hockey game in Ottawa

Theoretically, you could catch five big-arena hockey games in Ottawa this week, if you were really keen.

The PWHL’s Ottawa Charge are facing off against the Toronto Scepters at the Arena at TD Place on Tuesday, January 14. The video above is a great introduction to the team.

Also at the Arena at TD Place this week, the Ottawa 67s take on the Erie Otters on Friday, January 17, and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on Sunday, January 19. (Editor’s note: Why hasn’t some Ottawa team grabbed the name “Otters”? “The Ottawa Otters” would be awesome.)

And it’s also a big week for the Ottawa Senators, as they’re playing the Washington Capitals on Thursday, January 16, and the Boston Bruins on Saturday, January 18.

Dance the night away in Montreal

Thursday, January 16, sees the launch of Igloofest, a four-weekend electronic music festival on Jacques Cartier Pier in the Old Port of Montreal (January 16 to February 8). With DJs and musicians from multiple countries, you’ll be able to dance yourself warm no matter how far the mercury falls. (P.S.: An edition of this festival will be coming to Gatineau for the first time from February 13 to 15.)

See a cabaret in Hammond

This one’s for the grownups only. The Hammond Golf and Country Club is hosting the Tail Feather Cabaret—an evening of music, dance and burlesque—on Saturday, January 18.

Get outdoors with the Canadian Ski Challenge

Looking to work off some of that holiday turkey and champagne? You can sign up for the Canadian Ski Marathon’s Canadian Ski Challenge. In that, you complete as many 15km and/or 50km ski trips as you can, anywhere you like, between January 1 and March 24. The more you do, the more badges you can earn! (Kids can earn badges for trips of 2km and 10km.)

Catch a concert in Ottawa and elsewhere

Shows coming up this week include a Radiohead tribute at Irene’s Pub, blues with the Jack de Keyser Band at the Cove Inn in Westport, and an Eagles tribute at the Grand Theatre in Kingston. For movie fans, there’s a performance of Lord of the Rings music at TD Place, and a concert featuring the music of Hans Zimmer at the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre. You’ll find links to these and many, many more performances in my concerts calendar.

Sip icewine in Niagara

It’s a bit of a hike, especially at this time of year, but the Niagara Icewine Festival (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, January 10 to 26) might be worth the trip if you’re a wine lover. It offers three jam-packed weekends of events celebrating Canada’s famous dessert wine, in and around Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

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.