Things to do in Ottawa, the Outaouais, Eastern Ontario and beyond (June 16 to June 29, 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 16 TO JUNE 22

Celebrate summer in Aylmer

L’Outaouais en fête (June 20 to 24) unfolds at Parc des Cèdres in the Aylmer section of Gatineau. Highlights include a Jack Sparrow show, an acrobatic show involving a fire truck (sounds intriguing), bouncy castles, yoga, face painting, and live music.

Join a family-friendly bike ride in Stittsville

On Sunday, June 22, you can join a 1.25-km Family Bike Ride along the Trans Canada Trail in Stittsville from CARDELREC to Village Square Park. (If you’re feeling energetic, you can ride back to CARDELREC, too.) The ride starts at CARDELREC (1500 Shea Road) at 10am.

Take a free Latin dance lesson at Zibi

Dance at Zibi is a free series of beginner-friendly lessons running once a month at Zibi in Ottawa from May through August. During this month’s class on Thursday, June 19, you can join Héritage Colombien for a Latin Folk dance lesson. The class runs from 7pm to 8pm at The Warehouse on Albert Island (28 Booth Street, north of the Canadian War Museum). The organizers encourage participants to get there by foot, bike or public transit, but some parking is available for $5.

Celebrate Cuban culture in Montreal

The Festival International Cubaneando (June 20 to 22) celebrates all things Cuban—and, more widely, Latin American. The fun unrolls in a new location this year—Centre Lasallien Saint-Michel (3001, rue de Louvain Est) and includes dance and music classes and workshops, art exhibitions, Cuban food, and lots of live music. Free admission.

Tour beautiful gardens in Ottawa or the Bay of Quinte

The Abbotsford Seniors Centre in the Glebe is holding a garden tour fundraiser on Saturday, June 21. It will feature 17 gardens (double the number in last year’s tour) in the Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Old Ottawa East, Alta Vista and the Hog’s Back area. Visitors will have the chance to ask the gardeners questions and to get advice. There will also be a flea market at Abbotsford and a plant sale in Old Ottawa South. You can buy tickets by phone or in person at Abbotsford.

Also on Saturday, June 21, the Canadian Federation of University Women club in Belleville is running a Town and Country Garden Tour. It features nine gardens in the Bay of Quinte area.

Laugh at standup comics in Burnstown or funny plays all over.

If comedy’s your thing, this is your week for theatre in Eastern Ontario. The Savannah Sipping Society is opening in Smiths Falls, and other comedies are continuing on stages in Ottawa, Morrisburg, Cornwall, Gananoque and Kingston. Check my theatre post for all the details.

Standup comedy more your style? Neat Coffee Shop in Burnstown is presenting a comedy night on Friday, June 20, featuring Steve Love and headliner Shannon Laverty, emcee’d by Casey Corbin.

Cheer on boaters at Mooney’s Bay

Roughly 5,000 energetic rowers will be getting spectators cheering. Food vendor will be dishing up frozen drinks, BeaverTails and fried halloumi. Yes, it’s time for crowds to converge on Ottawa’s Mooney’s Bay Park for the very popular Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival (June 20 to 22).

Sample potent potables in Montreal

The Mondial de la Bière (June 20 to 22) is a massive indoor-outdoor beer festival in Montreal that features more than 90 breweries, distilleries and cideries. About 400 types of beverages will be available to sample, and there will be lots of music and tastings.

Support authors in downtown Ottawa, Orleans and Westport

Author Khaleefa “Apollo the Child” Hamdan is launching his second book, Poems For Fools Who Fell In Love, at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans on Friday, June 20.

Looking for local reads you might not find at your local bookstore? Look no further than the spring Ottawa Small Press Book Fair on Saturday, June 21. It’s taking place at the Tom Brown Arena (141 Bayview Station Road) from noon to 5pm, and admission is free.

Author and scientist Diana Beresford-Kroeger will be talking about her latest book, Our Green Heart, at Westport United Church in Westport on Saturday, June 21, starting at 3pm. Tickets are free, but the organizers are inviting attendees to contribute a $10 fee at the door if they can. The book challenges all of us to dig deeper into the science of forests and the ways they will save us from climate breakdown—and then do our part to plant and protect them.

Enjoy a free arts festival in Kingston

The Skeleton Park Arts Festival in Kingston (June 20 to 22) features food vendors, the Fat Goose Craft Fair, children’s activities, lots of live music (including a Porch Jazz Parade) and more.

Enjoy a country fair in Maxville

Maxville gets the jump on the avalanche of fall fairs by holding its event in early summer. The Maxville Fair (June 20 to 22) features bingo, a free Sunday breakfast, beach volleyball, a pet show, Highland dancers and other fun.

Hear jazz under the stars in Ottawa

The TD Ottawa Jazz Festival once again features 11 days of music, indoors and out (June 20 to 29). Artists include both jazz and non-jazz acts, including both Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Mavis Staples, Bill Frisell, Allison Russell, Pony Girl, Broken Social Scene and The Roots.

Celebrate Aboriginal culture in Ottawa, Almonte and elsewhere

The huge Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival on June 21 and 22 has become so popular that it’s moving to a larger venue this year: Wesley Clover Parks in Nepean. Attractions will include workshops, demonstrations, family activities, a marketplace, culinary experiences, axe throwing, the SuperDogs, a drone show, a glow-in-the-dark pow wow and non-stop live entertainment. The weekend-long International Competition Pow Wow features Grammy-nominated Bear Creek and 2024 champions Battle Nation as Host Drums. Admission to the festival (including the pow wows) is free.

Mississippi Mills is marking National Indigenous Peoples Day on Saturday, June 21, with a pancake breakfast, storytelling, dancing, crafts, music and a community barbecue in Almonte.

For information on other National Indigenous Peoples Day events happening across Canada, see this Government of Canada website.

Catch free porch concerts in Stittsville and Riverview Park

During the sixth annual Stittsville Front Porch Concerts (Thursday, June 19), you can enjoy free live music played on almost 50 porches scattered across Stittsville. While the music is free, donations to the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada are encouraged. (In its short history, the event has raised over $43,000 for health charities.) The concerts will be happening between 6pm and 9pm, and the rain date is Thursday, June 26.

Not to be outdone, Ottawa’s Riverview Park neighbourhood is hosting a whole Porchfest Weekend (June 20 to 22). The map and times are still being finalized as I write this on June 17, but keep checking the link above as the date gets closer for full details. (Wondering where Riverview Park is? Basically, it’s south of the Trainyards big-box centre and north of CHEO, between the Rideau River and St. Laurent Boulevard, but check this map for greater clarity.)

See classic cars in Carleton Place

Classic car collectors, start your engines: the Wheels on the Mississippi car show rolls into Riverside Park in Carleton Place on Sunday, June 22, sponsored by the Carleton Place Lions Club. As well as vintage wheels, there will be a splash pad for the kids, a 50/50 draw and more.

Try your hand at watercolours in Dunvegan

The Glengarry Pioneer Museum in Dunvegan is presenting a watercolour painting workshop with artist Crystal Beshara on Sunday, June 22. The 2.5-hour class (10am to 12:30pm) is suitable for artists of all levels, including beginners, and all materials are provided.

Rock on to electronic music in Ottawa

The Bud Light Escapade Music Festival at the RA Centre (June 20 to 22) seems to grow bigger and more popular every year. Acts taking to the stage in 2025 include Kygo, Cyclops and Galantis. (If none of those names ring a bell with you, you’re probably outside the festival’s under-30 target market.)

Mark Holi in Montreal

Holi is a Hindu festival of colours that has spread around the world with the South Asian diaspora. Everyone is welcome to join in Montreal’s Holi celebration, Festival des Couleurs, in the Old Port of Montreal (June 21 and 22). What can you expect? First, you’ll need to buy bags of coloured powder when you arrive. Then, you’ll toss the powder at friends and strangers alike, as you listen to lots of live music (everything from Bollywood to reggaeton) and nosh on South Asian treats. Don’t worry—the colour isn’t permanent, although I wouldn’t wear your best clothes, if I were you.

The event takes place at Quai de l’Horlage in the Old Port. You’ll find the entrance to the quay on the St. Lawrence waterfront, near the intersection of rue Bonsecours and rue de la Commune est. Just look for the tall white clocktower.

Shop for art in Picton

Art in the County, a juried art show, returns to Picton this year from June 27 to July 13. Judges will be evaluating the works of artists from across the County, which will be on display on the upper level of the Armoury building in downtown Picton (206 Main Street West, Unit 2E, Picton). Admission is pay what you can ($5 per adult suggested).

Planning ahead? Check out my list of artist studio tours throughout the year.

Enjoy a free faerie picnic in Sandy Hill

Ottawa circus collective Cirquonscient is presenting evening Faerie Pop-Up picnics in Strathcona Park in Sandy Hill throughout the summer. They promise that “graceful faeries and whimsical creatures [will] enchant and delight with all manner of circus arts including aerial acrobatics.” The first picnic is on Tuesday, June 17, and the one-hour show starts at 7:30pm. Bring your own blanket and picnic goodies. Admission is free, but donations to support the collective are gratefully accepted. (And if you can’t make it this time, there will similar events in the same location on July 22 and August 19.)

Go shopping in Metcalfe, Navan, Almonte or Kingston

On Thursday, June 19, the Metcalfe Night Farmers’ Market is happening at the Metcalfe Fairgrounds (2821 Eighth Line Road, Metcalfe) from 5pm to 8pm. Buy from local producers, enjoy hot food from vendors’ stalls and feel free to bring your pooch—as long as he or she is on a leash.

Also on Thursday, June 19, the Almonte Summer Night Market will take over Mill Street in the picturesque Lanark County community. The street will be humming with activity: pop-up vendors, a scavenger hunt, live music, a chainsaw-carving contest and more. The event runs from 5pm to 9pm.

During the Princess Street Promenade in downtown Kingston (Saturday, June 21), the major downtown shopping street will be closed to vehicles. In their place will be live bands, buskers and kids’ entertainers. Browse for free samples and try your luck in store giveaways.

And on Sunday, June 22, the monthly Original Navan Market will offer an opportunity to shop from local producers at the Navan Fairgrounds (1279 Colonial Road, Navan) from 9:30am to 2pm.

P.S.: If farmers’ markets are your jam, don’t miss my list of more than 45 of them!

WEEK OF JUNE 23 TO JUNE 29

I’m still adding events to this section, so please keep checking back!

Enjoy a free festival in Hawkesbury or Rockland

The Hawkesbury Multicultural Festival (June 27 and 28) will host a variety of free concerts by a wide range of artists on several stages in downtown Hawkesbury.

Down the highway in Rockland, the Clarence-Rockland Festival (June 24 to July 1) offers a week of free fun. The program is diverse, including stand-up comedy, seniors’ games, a kids zone, an escape room and live music.

See the RCMP Musical Ride in Ottawa

The RCMP Musical Ride will be performing its very popular Sunset Ceremonies at the RCMP Musical Ride Centre in Rockcliffe (1 Sandridge Road, Ottawa) at 7pm each night from June 26 to June 29. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs. Admission is free but come early for the best seating. If possible, come by public transit, by bike or on foot, as parking is limited.

See fireworks in Montreal

Montreal’s huge fireworks competition, L’International des Feux Loto-Québec, kicks off on Thursday, June 26, and runs on Thursdays select nights until July 31. Competitors include teams from Canada, Japan, Italy, Switzerland, the United States and France. While you can see the fireworks from many places in the city, the grandstand at La Ronde (for which you’ll need tickets) is a good place to appreciate the way the pyrotechnics are synchronized with a musical score.

Go to a strawberry social in Middleville

The Middleville and District Museum in Lanark County is holding a strawberry social on Sunday, June 29. Enjoy strawberry treats and learn about the museum’s resources for genealogy researchers.

Celebrate summer in Aylmer

L’Outaouais en fête (June 20 to 24) unfolds at Parc des Cèdres in the Aylmer section of Gatineau. Highlights include a magic show, bouncy castles, face painting, live music and, on Tuesday, June 24, fireworks.

Enjoy wine and cheese in Mississippi Station

Back Forty Artisan Cheese in Mississippi Station (about 20 minutes north of Sharbot Lake) is hosting its annual Curds & Cooks summer festival on Saturday, June 28. Showcasing the region’s artisan foods and craft beverages, the event gives visitors the chance to buy kombucha, pies, bread, chocolates and more, along with Back Forty’s cheese, chicken, pork and beef. Live music will be provided by Trinidadian steel drum virtuoso Hu Pierre and his band.

Do yoga with alpacas in Brinston

Many people find both yoga and alpacas calming. So The Heart of the Willow—a farm about an hour’s drive south of Ottawa—has had the genius idea of combining the two. It has a morning yoga with alpacas class coming up on Saturday, June 28. The session costs $45 per person and includes a one-hour yoga class and a half-hour “meet and greet” with the alpacas. If you can’t make it in June, two more sessions are scheduled in July. The farm is at 10304 Sandy Creek Road in Brinston.

Browse for art in Kingston and the Rideau Lakes

Artfest Kingston (June 28 to July 1) brings more than 200 artists and artisans from across Quebec and Ontario to City Park in Kingston. Enjoy poetry readings, drop into the kids’ art studio, take a yoga class and nosh on great food, all in a pretty outdoor setting. And it’s free!

The Rideau Lakes Studio Tour is also on this weekend (June 28 and 29). You can admire the creativity of artists in Portland, Elgin, Newboro, Chaffey’s Lock and Philipsville, as well as the scenery along the rivers and lakes of the Rideau Canal system.

See hydroplanes and Honeymoon Suite in Brockville

If you listened to radio in the ’80s, you’ll remember Honeymoon Suite. The band is headlining the evening entertainment on Friday at the 1000 Islands Regatta in Brockville (June 27 to 29), but there will be all sorts of other live music throughout the weekend. During the day, the main attraction will be the high-speed hydroplane races on the St. Lawrence River, but there will also be food vendors and a kids’ zone.

Eat ribs in Gananoque

As well as lots of ribs and pulled pork, the 1000 Islands Family Ribfest in Gananoque (June 27 to 29) will amuse visitors with line-dancing lessons, bouncy castles, a duck race, a free pancake breakfast, an arts-and-crafts fair, lots of live music and more. It’s taking place on the grounds of the Lou Jeffries Arena (600 King Street East). It’s hosted by the Lions and Rotary clubs of Gananoque, and proceeds go to charity.

See 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 June 27 and 28. 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 a water circus at St. Laurent Shopping Centre

The St. Laurent Shopping Centre parking lot will have a glamorous new life for a couple of weeks as the home of the Cirque Italia Water Circus. From June 27 to July 7, the Florida-based, Italian-inspired spectacle will be showcasing acrobats, trapeze artists, dancers and other circus artists under the big top, with one unique twist: Performers do their daring deeds high above a huge pool of water. The video above is for the circus’s Gold version, but Ottawa is getting the Platinum version, which I can only assume is even more over the top (under the big top).

Fish for free across Ontario

Ever wanted to try fishing but balked at paying the licence fee? This is your week! From June 28 to July 6, you can fish in Ontario lakes and rivers without a licence (but you still have to follow the regulations, of course).

Catch some jazz (and more) in Ottawa or Montreal

This is your last week to see some of the great talent in town for the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival, including the Bill Frisell Trio, Chris Botti and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. Alternatively, you can head down Highway 417 to Montreal, where the TD Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (June 26 to July 5) will feature Esperanza Spalding, Nas, Ben Harper, Blue Rodeo and many, many others, including some of the artists who were at the Ottawa fest.

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.