Things to do in Ottawa, the Outaouais, Eastern Ontario and beyond (June 2 to June 15, 2025)

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Wondering what to do in Ottawa this week? It’s a great time for a road trip in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais or elsewhere in Quebec. 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 JUNE 2 TO JUNE 8

Enjoy free tunes in Arnprior

Tunes of all sorts will be wafting out over Robert Simpson Park in Arnprior during Priorpalooza, a one-day music festival on Saturday, June 7. Family fun will include giant games, bouncy castles, food trucks, a beer garden and face painting, along with the park’s beach and splash pad. Admission to the festival is free.

Discover world cultures in Gatineau

Le Festival Joie de Vivre is a one-day celebration of the foods, music and traditions of the world’s cultures. It’s taking place from 10am to 5pm on Saturday, June 7, at Place de la Cité in Gatineau.

Celebrate Pride all over

Pride season has kicked off across Canada, and lots of places in Eastern Ontario are hosting Pride events this week. In Perth, you can test your wits at a Queer Trivia Night at Jazzy’s (39 Gore Street East) on Wednesday, June 4, and enjoy a Pride Parade on Saturday, June 7. Smiths Falls is throwing a street party Pink Pony Pride on Friday, June 6. Brockville Pride Week features all sorts of events between June 2 and 8, including a Pride Parade on Saturday, June 7. And the Kingston Pride Festival begins on Sunday, June 8, and runs until Sunday, June 15. (Looking for dates for other Pride celebrations in Ontario and Quebec? Check my just-updated Pride festivals guide.)

Try new beers in Orleans

The Orleans Craft Beer Festival (June 6 and 7) will highlight almost 40 breweries, cider makers, vintners and other beverage producers in Centrum Plaza, along with five food trucks. There will be lots of live music, too!

Shop for unique items in Hintonburg, the Glebe, Kemptville or Cantley

From spring through fall, you can check out the Hintonburg Night Market on Thursday nights. It takes place at 1088 Somerset Street West from 4pm to 9pm, and it features all things local, including unique handmade goods, and food and beverages. The next one is on Thursday, June 5.

Art in the Park is coming to Central Park in the Glebe on June 7 and 8. More than 170 artists and artisans will be setting up shop in the park between Bank and O’Connor streets, from 10am to 5pm. There will be food vendors and kids’ activities, too, and the event is pet friendly. Free admission.

In Kemptville, the Hey Day Annual Giant Garage Sale (June 6 and 7) is a huge indoor event at the North Grenville Municipal Centre. It’s a fundraiser for the Kemptville District Hospital, and it’s open on Friday from 6pm to 9pm, and Saturday from 9am to 1pm.

The arts group Art de l’Ordinaire is presenting a Cultural Fair in Cantley on June 7 and 8. Shop for jewellery, glass items, painting and much more at this sale, which is celebrating its 21st anniversary this year. Food trucks will be onsite, too, and kids aged 8 to 17 will have their own zone to create in.

Revel in all things Italian in Ottawa

There’s so much packed into the Ottawa Italian Week Festival that the event actually lasts 11 days (June 5 to 15). There is a grand opening flag-raising at Ottawa City Hall on Thursday, June 5, but many of the other events are centered on Preston Street in the heart of Little Italy. They include live music, culinary masterclasses at the Preston Event Centre (various dates), a walking tour (Saturday, June 14) and a bike race (Sunday, June 15). Here’s the full schedule.

Nosh on great food in Montreal

On Friday, June 6, dozens of food trucks will gather at Montreal’s Parc Olympique for First Fridays, a celebration of food truck fare. Confusingly, it no longer runs just on Fridays; this year, it will run on Fridays and Saturdays (so this first edition will run on June 6 and 7). This event is usually really popular, so I’d take transit to the site, if I were you. It’s a five-minute walk from the Viau metro station.

Enjoy a family-friendly bike event in Ottawa

Move and Groove: Glow Bicycle Night Ride is a free family event that starts at the Canadian War Museum on Saturday, June 7, at 8pm. Deck your bike out with glow sticks or other illumination, and cycle under the stars to some groovy tunes.

See a play in lots of places

The Upper Canada Playhouse in Morrisburg opens its summer season with a Norm Foster comedy. In A Woman’s Love List, Megan and Carly make a list of the attributes of their perfect man—only to be astonished when he actually appears! It runs nightly (except Mondays) from June 5 to 29, with performances in the afternoon and/or evening (depending on the day).

Also opening this week are Anne of Green Gables at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans, Anastasia: The Musical in Perth, Knickers! in Cornwall, Decrepitude Blues in Kingston and The Sound of Neutrons in Deep River. For details on these and many other productions, see my list of local plays.

Check out cool murals in Montreal

During the Montreal Mural Festival (June 5 to 15), artists will be painting new murals over many of the enormous outdoor artworks created for previous festivals. You can watch them at work and admire their new creations, and enjoy live music, DJ shows and block parties—for free! The action moves back to its traditional location along St. Laurent Boulevard this year. The video above is from 2023, but it gives you some idea of what you can expect.

Take the kids to a festival in Blackburn Hamlet or Manotick

True to its name, the Blackburn Hamlet Funfair (June 6 to 8) offers fun for the whole family—everything from fireworks, a parade and a used book sale to fun runs, bouncy castles, a climbing wall, a beer garden and a silent auction.

On the same dates, Manotick will be hosting Dickinson Days. Activities there will include a pancake breakfast, a kids’ fishing derby, a craft fair, a scavenger hunt, fireworks and much more.

Browse for art in Chesterville

A festival celebrating all things artistic unrolls this weekend in Chesterville: Art on the Waterfront (Saturday, June 7). With all sorts of artists and vendors on hand, you’ll find lots to see and do (and buy!). As well as artists’ stalls, there will be kids’ activities, live music, martial arts demonstrations and all sorts of other fun.

Rev your motor in Ottawa

On Saturday, June 7, the Ottawa Ride for Dad is a big motorcycle event that raises funds for prostate cancer research. Register online or in person (at multiple locations) by June 6 to save $10 on your registration fee. And if you raise at least $100 in pledges, registration is free.

Check out a family-friendly festival in Chelsea

The Chelsea Days festival (June 7 and 8) will be offering some 30 free activities in the Gatineau Hills community. Basketball, skateboarding, pop-up sales, garden and walking tours, yoga, cycling, craft workshops, live music, Zumba … you name it, they probably have it. You can even build a bat dormitory. Note that, unlike previous Chelsea Days festivals, this year’s events are concentrated on the soccer field in front of Chelsea Elementary School, although there will be a few events in satellite locations, too.

Browse for bargains in Kitchissippi, Cumberland or Kemptville

The Hey Day! Giant Indoor Garage Sale, a fundraiser for the Kemptville District Hospital Auxiliary, is taking place at the North Grenville Municipal Centre at 285 County Road 44 in Kemptville on June 6 and 7. It’s one of the biggest indoor garage sales in Eastern Ontario.

And at least two community-wide garage sales are happening in Ottawa on Saturday, June 7, in Kitchissippi Ward and Cumberland. See my garage sales post for links and info.

Peek behind closed doors in Ottawa

Ever wanted a glimpse inside an embassy, a temple or your local fire station? This weekend is your chance to see inside dozens of the capital’s buildings during Doors Open Ottawa (June 7 and 8). The free event—one of the largest Doors Open events in North America—features a wide range of buildings. (Curious about the building above? It’s the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat at 199 Sussex Drive.)

See cutting-edge dance and theatre in Montreal

The Festival TransAmériques (May 22 to June 5) is North America’s largest contemporary dance and theatre festival. This year, it’s offering 20 shows across multiple venues. Expect lots of cutting-edge choreography and thought-provoking performances by artists from places around the world, including Canada, Argentina and Burkina Faso.

WEEK OF JUNE 9 TO JUNE 15

This is just the start of the list for this week. I’m adding to it daily, so keep checking back!

Admire flowers and go shopping in Alexandria

Ranunculus is a plant with big, multi-petaled flowers. (I had to look it up! Check out the photo above if I haven’t painted quite enough of a picture with words.) And Sunwheel Farm just north of Alexandria is hosting a Spring Flower Fest on Saturday, June 14, to celebrate the pretty blooms. From 10am to 3pm, you can tiptoe among more than 4,000 ranunculus plants.

While you’re in the area, you could drop into the ❤️ to Shop Local Market, taking place the same day from 10am to 4pm in Alexandria. Some 20 artisans and vendors will be featured at the market, which is also a fundraiser for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Also on June 14, Alexandria is hosting a community-wide garage sale from 8am to 5pm.

Do yoga by moonlight at Lansdowne Park

It’s a full moon on Wednesday, June 11. If you’d like to mark the occasion with a few downward dogs, you can take a moonlit yoga class on the Great Lawn at Lansdowne Park, starting at 9pm. Admission is free but donations of food (not cash) for the Ottawa Food Bank are appreciated.

Go to a pow wow in Smiths Falls

The Spirit of the Drum Pow Wow returns to Smiths Falls on June 14 and 15, with two days of Indigenous dancing, drumming and singing. Each day begins with a grand entry. It’s all happening at Duck Island (40 Abbott Street North). Note that onsite parking is open to elders, pow wow staff, dancers and drummers only.

Drive a racetrack in Calabogie

Ever wonder what it would be like to take your car for a circuit on a real racetrack? You’ll have a chance to find out during the Novice Track Day experience at Calabogie Motorsports Park on Saturday, June 14, when you can book half-hour blocks of track time. You can use your own car for $125; if you’d like to rent one of the track’s race cars, the package starts at $235. Trucks, vans, SUVs and motorcycles are not allowed.

Try new beers in Kingston

At the YGK Craft Beer Fest at Fort Henry National Historic Site in Kingston (Saturday, June 14), you can check out over 20 beverage makers, lots of food stalls, 15 artisan stalls and live music.

Enjoy live music in Osgoode

From June 13 to 15, Osgoode PorchFest is a family-friendly, community-wide festival in the small community in rural Ottawa. The main event is on Saturday, June 14, when more than 60 musical acts will be performing on multiple porches near Osgoode Main Street, and you can enjoy a block party, a beer tent and food trucks. On Friday night, there’s an open mic at No Go Café. And on Sunday, the fun will include a car show, an artisan market and more music, along with a touch-a-truck event for the kids.

Celebrate Cuban culture at Lansdowne Park

Grab your dancing shoes and bring your appetite: Fiesta Cubana Fest at Lansdowne Park (June 13 and 14) promises lots of dance workshops, festive food and drink, and live music. Tickets are $15 in advance (online) and $20 at the door.

Attend a tea party for a good cause in Ottawa

On Saturday, June 14, the IODE Laurentian Chapter is hosting 125th Anniversary Tea and Silent Auction at St. Bartholomew’s Church in New Edinburgh. The event will raise money for a range of causes, including educational bursaries and scholarships, remote nursing stations, and Indigenous classrooms in Canada’s North, and the educational needs of underprivileged children in Ottawa. Advance ticket purchase required.

Looking for more tips on things to see and do in and around Ottawa? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km 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.