Things to do in Ottawa, the Outaouais, Eastern Ontario and beyond (March 24 to April 6, 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 MARCH 24 TO MARCH 30

Get wedding inspiration in Ottawa

Tying the knot soon? Then you might be interested in checking out the Ottawa Wedding Show (March 29 and 30) at the EY Centre, where you can browse for bridal dresses, caterers, photographers, wedding planners and more.

Hear Canadian stories in Seeley’s Bay

Storyfest is an annual tradition in the small community of Seeley’s Bay, northeast of Kingston. In this year’s edition on Sunday, March 30, local writer, explorer and raconteur James Raffan will be presenting his latest show, The Accidental Canadian. This blend of stories, images, songs and humour will paint pictures of the incredible places Raffan has discovered over 50 years of rambling across Canada’s Arctic.

Have some maple fun in Vanier and Aylmer

The Vanier Sugar Festival at the Vanier Museopark (March 24 to 30) will give you the chance to visit an urban sugar shack, but that’s just the beginning of the fun. Other attractions include a fundraising soup competition, live music, a lumberjack competition, art making, Indigenous experiences, a country music dinner, sugar shack meals, a petting zoo, pony rides, bouncy castles, a beer garden and axe throwing. Most of the public events at the Museopark are on the weekend (March 29 and 30).

Meanwhile, Rue Principale in downtown Aylmer is the scene for Le Vieux-Aylmer se Sucre le Bec (March 29 and 30), a weekend-long celebration of all things maple. Enjoy live entertainment as you shop for syrup and more.

P.S.: Don’t miss my big guide to local sugar bushes to find out where else you can enjoy maple syrup this spring.

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 March 28 and 29. 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.

Enjoy South Asian dance in Montreal

The Montreal Natyanjali dance festival brings together dancers from across Canada and the United States to showcase Indian classical dance. It’s taking place in Montreal on Saturday, March 29.

Catch a concert

As usual, there’s tons of live music to choose from this week, including Ladysmith Black Mambazo at Centrepointe, a tribute to The Band in Orleans, Safia Nolin at the NAC and a Gordon Lightfoot tribute band in Morrisburg. See my concert listing for links to these shows and many more.

Dine well in Perth

Looking to save money but still dine well? Perthalicious (March 24 to April 6) will give you the chance to do just that. Throughout the two-week promotion, 15 Perth restaurants will be offering deals on special three-course prix fixe menus. It’s a great chance to try a new-to-you restaurant or revisit an old favourite.

Head to a film festival in Ottawa

The fifth annual Ottawa Black Film Festival will be showing movies in person and online from March 28 to April 1. The final lineup is still being determined, but the event usually screens a range of documentaries, shorts and feature films.

Eat pancakes in Almonte, Cornwall or Toledo

For early risers, the Cornwall Rotary Club is hosting a pancake breakfast at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Cornwall from 7am to noon Saturday, March 29. Proceeds will benefit the Children’s Treatment Centre.

St. Andrew’s United Church in Toledo is hosting its second pancake breakfast of the season from 8am to noon on Saturday, March 29.

The following day (Sunday, March 30), the Union Hall Community Centre just outside Almonte will also be hosting a pancake breakfast. This one will help fund the restoration of the hall, which has been maintained by the community since 1857. Your timed entry ticket entitles you to a big breakfast of pancakes, sausages, baked beans, blueberries, maple syrup, juices, coffee and tea.

See a play

Variety is the name of the game when it comes to plays on stage in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario this weekend. You can choose from leading characters as varied as four Congolese-Canadian girls, a residential schools survivor, a 19th-century astronomer, Sherlock Holmes and Mary Poppins. See my theatre guide for details on these and many other productions.

Make a spring wreath in Perth

Wreaths aren’t just for Christmas! At Kelly’s Flowers in Perth, you can take a workshop to make a spring wreath on Thursday, March 27, beginning at 6pm.

Get gardening inspiration in Ladysmith

Pontiac Seedy Saturday (March 29) is a free event in Ladysmith that promises lots of fun and inspiration for gardeners. Swap open-pollinated and seeds, meet vendors, and attend workshops and talks—including a presentation by my friends Katharine and Eric Fletcher, who live on a farm in Quyon. It’s a great chance to learn about seed saving and environmentally responsible gardening practices.

Have some laughs in Ottawa, Cornwall, Belleville or Peterborough

The Snowed In Comedy Tour is Canada’s biggest coast-to-coast comedy show. This year, its Eastern Ontario shows feature comics Erica Sigurdson, Dan Quinn, Pete Zedlacher and Paul Myrehaug. You can catch them in Peterborough (March 25), Belleville (March 26), Cornwall (March 27) or Ottawa (March 28).

Also for comedy fans, Corner Gas creator and star Brent Butt is bringing his standup comedy show to the Bronson Music Theatre in Ottawa on Friday, March 28.

Eat your way around Prince Edward County

Food lovers, start your engines! It’s another edition of Countylicious (March 27 to April 13), a chance to get a good deal on good food in Prince Edward County. The 13 participating restaurants are offering multi-course prix fixe menus for lunch, dinner or both, starting at $20 per person, excluding gratuities.

WEEK OF MARCH 31 TO APRIL 6

Enjoy maple fun across Ontario

Sugar bushes across the province will be offering special events during the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers’ Association’s Maple Weekend (April 5 and 6). Participating farms in Eastern Ontario include spots in Fournier, Morewood, Wendover, Moose Creek, Lancaster, Kemptville, Almonte, Pakenham, McDonald’s Corners, Lanark, North Elmsley, Portland, Westport, Fermoy, Athens, Mallorytown and Pembroke.

Cheer for competitors at a snowmobile race in Calabogie

Snowmobilers, here’s one for you: The Calabogie 500 hill drag race roars into the Calabogie Peaks Resort on Saturday, April 5. (Given the changeability of spring weather, PLEASE check the website before venturing out, as this event is weather dependent.)

Channel your inner Scot at Beechwood Cemetery

Beechwood Cemetery is hosting a National Tartan Day celebration on Saturday, April 5, presented by the Sons of Scotland Pipe Band. The evening of Scottish music, poetry, history and light refreshments is a fundraiser for the band, so members can travel to represent Ottawa and Canada abroad. Doors open at 6:30pm and the event starts at 7pm.

Browse for handmade goods in Ottawa and Pakenham

Warmer weather must be on its way, because the first local studio tour of 2025 is here! You can enjoy art, crafts, food and heritage locations on the Pakenham Maple Run Tour (April 5 and 6). As well as meeting the artists and shopping for paintings, art glass, pottery, textile art, mosaics, photography, jewellery, clothing, soaps and more, you can nosh on pizza, baked goods and more, and enjoy local craft beer and cider. The Maple Run Tour website provides details on all the tour participants (there are more than 30 artisans) and the nine tour venues, which include a church, a one-room schoolhouse, a sugar bush and a library. You’ll need a car—or a bike and lots of stamina—for this self-driving tour, as the whole route is about 40 kilometres long.

Also coming up, at the EY Centre in Ottawa, the Originals Spring Craft Sale (April 3 to 6) is an immensely popular annual sale of handmade goods created by more than 140 artisans from across Canada. Items will include textiles, jewellery, skin care products, candles, ceramics, wall art, garden decor and gourmet foods.

Eat tamales at Lansdowne Park

The Tamal Festival (Saturday, April 5) is an afternoon celebration of staple of Latin American and Caribbean cuisine: the tamale! Chefs will be cooking up tamale recipes from countries across Latin America, including Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru and Venezuela. As well as tamales stuffed with beef, chicken or pork, there will be sweet, vegetarian and vegan varieties. You can also nosh on churros, Mexican bread and cakes, and there will be kids’ activities, too. Admission is free, but be prepared to pay cash for your tamales and other purchases.

Join a car rally in Chesterville

On Saturday, April 5, the Chesterville and District Lions Club is holding its 35th annual Car Rally. Registration starts at the Legion at 11am and the event starts at noon.

Check out a film festival in the Outaouais

A wide range of French-language movies are screening this week as part of the Festival du film de l’Outaouais (April 3 to 11). As well as placing a special focus on Argentinian films, the festival features movies from Canada, France and beyond.

Go to a music festival in Montreal

Festival de la Voix is a Montreal celebration of vocal music. From April 4 to 27, it will offer concerts—everything from choral music to R&B—and master workshops, mainly on Montreal’s West Island.

Check out a family expo in Nepean

The Ottawa Parent & Child Expo at the Nepean Sportsplex (April 5 and 6) promises fun for the whole family, with everything from costumed characters (Rubble from PAW Patrol will be there) to an inflatable bouncy slide, video games, animal presentations, princesses and more. Plus, there will be free goody bags for the first 1,500 visitors each day.

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.