Things to do in Ottawa, the Outaouais, Eastern Ontario and beyond (May 12 to May 18, 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 MAY 12 to MAY 18

Celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday in Morrisburg

At Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg on Sunday, May 18, enjoy Queen Victoria’s birthday just as her subjects might have celebrated it in her own time. Rousing speeches! Redcoats! 1860s-style games! And a brass band!

Buy plants in Orleans, Vankleek Hill, Lansdowne, Portland and Lyndhurst

The Vankleek Hill & District Horticultural Society will be holding its annual plant sale fundraiser on Saturday, May 17. It’s taking place from 9am to noon at 38 Main Street in Vankleek Hill, across from the post office. The organizers promise there will be LOTS of indoor and outdoor plants, at very reasonable prices. New this year: tool sharpening on site.

Also on Saturday, May 17, there will be a plant sale at the fairgrounds in Lansdowne (that’s in the village of Lansdowne, between Brockville and Gananoque, not Lansdowne Park in Ottawa). It runs from 8am to 2pm. That same day, the Rideau Lakes Horticultural Society is holding its annual plant sale at the Emmanuel Heritage Centre in Portland. And a plant sale is just one of the events on the agenda of the community-wide Sidewalk, Yard and Plant Sale in Lyndhurst on Saturday.

On Sunday, May 18, Orleans Blooms is happening at the Orleans Town Centre. This fundraiser for the Kin Club of Orleans will include a plant sale, gardening presentations, and a local art and crafts market.

Put on your dancing shoes in Ottawa and Montreal

Ever dreamed of learning to dance? This is your lucky week, as it marks the return of Dance at Zibi, a series of free monthly dance lessons at Zibi on Albert Island (28 Booth Street, just north of the Canadian War Museum). The outdoor, one-hour lessons are presented by the National Arts Centre. During this week’s class on Thursday, May 15, you can learn K-pop dance moves from Synaptik Dance Crew. (Note that on-site parking is limited.)

Also this week, the 20th annual Montreal Salsa Convention (May 15 to 19) will draw competitors from around the world. Cheer on your favourite dancers or take a workshop to polish your own moves. (And you don’t have to be a “So You Think You Can Dance”-level dancer; beginners are welcome.)

Marvel at buskers in Kemptville

The free Kemptville Buskerfest (Saturday, May 17) will see much of the town’s downtown taken over by jugglers, stilt walkers, illusionists, balloon artists and musicians of all kinds—including an intriguing performer known as “Silver Elvis.” Note that much of downtown will be closed to traffic, but you can park at the North Grenville Municipal Centre (285 County Road 44) and catch a shuttle bus to the event.

Eat ribs in Barrhaven

Bring your appetite! Barrhaven Ribfest and Poutine (May 16 to 19) will be cooking up a storm at Clarke Field (93 Houlahan Street).

See small planes and check out a market in Westport

The Westport/Rideau Lakes Spring Fly-In takes place from 9am until noon on Saturday, May 17, at the Rideau Lakes Flying Club near Westport. Watch planes take off and land, visit the hangars, and enjoy breakfast (from 10am until noon) in exchange for a donation to the club. (As I write this, the club’s website says the event is taking place on May 17, 2024, but rest assured that it IS happening on May 17, 2025—I checked!)

Also in Westport on Saturday, May 17, the Westport Market opens for the season. It features local artists, makers and farmers, and it’s open every Saturday from 9am to 2pm until Labour Day weekend inclusive.

Tiptoe through the tulips in Ottawa, Russell and Vankleek Hill

The Canadian Tulip Festival continues at Commissioners Park on the edge of Dows Lake until Monday, May 19. Along with viewing gorgeous displays of tulips (weather cooperating), you can check out an artisans’ market, enjoy an artisans’ market and movies in the park, take a walking tour, see a combined fireworks and drones show celebrating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands, and more.

This year, Green Corners Farm has a new tulip field (640 North Russell Road, Russell), which will be blooming with 300,000 flowers. Buy tickets in advance for this pick-your-own event. And about an hour east of Ottawa, the Vankleek Hill Tulip Fields at Ouimet Farms Adventure are open to the public. Stroll through fields blooming with thousands of tulips and pick your own. Buy tickets in advance.

Enjoy electronic music in Montreal

Electronic music fans, it’s your big weekend: Piknic Électronik kicks off another season of cutting-edge shows in Montreal’s Parc Jean-Drapeau. Shows take place on Sundays, beginning May 18 and running until October 12.

Hear town criers in Gananoque

Hear ye, hear ye! Municipal heralds from across Ontario will be converging on Gananoque this weekend for the Provincial Town Criers Championships (May 17 and 18).

Go foraging in Kanata

Interested in wild foods? You can join a forage walk through the South March Highlands Conservation Forest in Kanata on Sunday, May 18. On a leisurely, five-hour stroll, you’ll learn about and hunt for edible plants and mushrooms.

Catch an arts festival in Vankleek Hill

Vankleek Hill is hopping this weekend! The May Show arts festival is returning to Main Street in VKH on Sunday, May 18, to celebrate its 41st anniversary. As well as checking out artists’ and artisans’ booths, you can enjoy live music, a children’s parade and more.

See theatre all over

Plays on stages this week include And Then There Were None at Ottawa Little Theatre, I Hate Hamlet in Kanata, a two-part production of the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata at the National Arts Centre, and Next to Normal at the Gladstone Theatre. There’s also a staged reading of Last Known Well, a new play by Ottawa’s Ron Davies, at the GCTC. For the full list and details, see my theatre post.

Hit a garage sale in Little Italy and Chinatown

Attention, bargain hunters: a community-wide garage sale is taking place in Little Italy and Chinatown on Saturday, May 17 (rain date May 18). For details on these and many other sales, see my garage sales post.

Catch a concert in many places

This week, you can take in musical performances of all sorts, ranging from the NAC Orchestra at the National Arts Centre to Aleksi Campagne in Chelsea, Bywater Call in Carleton Place and a Celtic Kitchen Party in Gananoque. Check my concerts post for links to these shows and many more.

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.