Things to do in Ottawa, the Outaouais, Eastern Ontario and beyond (December 9 to December 15)

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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!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WEEK OF DECEMBER 9 TO DECEMBER 15

Have some family fun in Kemptville, Smiths Falls, Almonte or the Adirondacks

On Saturday, December 14, the Old Town Kemptville BIA has organized an Old Town Christmas celebration from 10am to 1pm. Details were still to come as I wrote this, but highlights usually include breakfast with Santa and horse-drawn wagon rides, as well as the chance to check out lots of downtown Kemptville shops.

That same day in downtown Smiths Falls, Sleigh the Holidays is a free event running from noon to 3pm. Activities will include horse-drawn wagon rides, reindeer visits, scavenger hunts and more.

Also on Saturday, December 14, the Mill of Kintail Conservation Area in Almonte is hosting its annual Kintail Country Christmas event, from noon to 6pm. Activities include horse-drawn carriage rides, photos with Santa, s’mores, fireside stories, a scavenger hunt, food trucks and more, all at a heritage stone mill. Admission is $20 per vehicle in advance and $25 per vehicle at the gate, with proceeds going toward the mill’s maintenance and restoration.

The Holiday Village Stroll (December 13 to 15) is the big event of the month in Lake Placid, New York. Highlights include a skating party, costume contests for humans and pets, live music, wine tastings, a jingle bell run, an ugly sweater party, and, of course, Santa.

Catch a play in Ottawa, Smiths Falls, Morrisburg or Kingston

Plays opening in Ottawa this week include Bear Grease—A Holiday Special (an Indigenous take on the bobby-soxer musical Grease) and Les musiciens de l’orage (a French children’s show) at the National Arts Centre, and Flop: An Improvised Musical Fiasco at the GCTC. Continuing shows include On the Farce Day of Christmas at Ottawa Little Theatre, Miracle on 34th Street in Morrisburg, It’s a Wonderful Life—A Live Radio Play in Smiths Falls and The Homecoming: A Christmas Story in Kingston. See my local theatre post for details on these and many other shows.

Celebrate the season with your pet in Ottawa

Attention, pet lovers: Two events this weekend will make sure dogs and cats don’t miss out on the holiday fun.

On Saturday, December 14, Robert Plante Greenhouses in Orleans is hosting a Pet Day and Holiday Market. Among the 150 vendors, you’ll find 40 or so pet-focused ones, and your pet can get a photo with Santa, too.

On Sunday, December 15, the Ottawa Humane Society (OHS) is hosting Whiskers in a Winter Wonderland. The afternoon event at the OHS’s headquarters on Hunt Club Road will feature a holiday photo booth for pets, press-on tattoos for kids, a drawing contest, games and lots of other family-friendly fun.

Cheer for up-and-coming hockey players at TD Place

Players vying for a place on Canada’s National Junior Team will face an all-star group of university hockey players at TD Place on December 12 and 13. The series is a tradition that began in 2015, featuring current and past standouts from across the Canadian Hockey League. The two-game series is part of selection camp as Team Canada prepares to the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Banish the darkness in Montreal

Luminothérapie, a one-of-a-kind outdoor interactive light show, returns to Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles this year for another three-month run (November 28 to March 9). The free event riffs features 20 light installations, projections and artistic performances along Ste. Catherine Street West and other downtown streets. It’s all rather hard to explain; check out the link above for photos that will, well, illuminate the event.

Enjoy a concert in Ottawa and elsewhere

This week offers lots of live music in and around Ottawa, including the Carleton Place Town Singers in—you guessed it—Carleton Place, Wayne Rostad in Cornwall, the Cantata Singers of Ottawa at Centrepointe, Sultans of String at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans, the Barrel Boys at Red Bird, Lynn Miles at Irene’s Pub, MonkeyJunk in Burnstown, Gail Gavan in Morrisburg and an Elvis tribute show in Brockville.

For links to these and many more concerts coming up over the next few months, see my constantly updated live music post.

Nosh on cheese in Mississippi Station

Back Forty Artisan Cheese In Mississippi Station is holding a customer appreciation day on Saturday, December 14, from 11am to 4pm. It’s a great chance to buy the farm’s meats and cheeses, and to browse for preserves, textiles and gifts by local makers. You can warm up around the fire with hot drinks and food. Mississippi Station is about an hour and 15 minutes southwest of Ottawa.

Count birds for science

In the Christmas Bird Count, a nationwide event coordinated by Birds Canada, amateur ornithologists head out into nature to learn about birdwatching and do some citizen science. Counts are taking place across Canada between December 14 and January 5. Check the link above to find out about events in your area.

See Santa and model trains in Kingston

Is there a little one in your family obsessed with all things railroad related? Then don’t miss All Aboard at the Pump House Steam Museum in Kingston (Saturday, December 14). Visitors can travel through time, exploring winter fun and games across the decades. Sip hot chocolate at the 1960s Ski Chalet, test your skills in the 1970s Inuit Games, or practise curling indoors like athletes did in the 1980 Winter Olympics! Each booth represents a new decade, with activities for all ages. Santa will be there, too, and you can also check out the museum’s collection of model trains.
Pre-registration for timed admission is required. There’s a sensory-friendly session from 9am to 10:30am.

Do some holiday shopping

Don’t have your shopping done yet? Don’t worry; I haven’t finished, either! Fortunately, there are lots of Christmas craft fairs, holiday markets and art sales happening this weekend, including big events at the National Arts Centre and Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, as well as sales in Alta Vista, Nepean, Bells Corners, Metcalfe, Kemptville, Maxville, Renfrew and elsewhere. Check out my big Christmas markets post for links to these and many other sales.

And if you’re looking for ornaments, don’t miss my post about the jaw-dropping Ottawa Christmas store you have to see.

Experience a “retro” Christmas in Nepean

You know that moment when you truly realize your childhood was a LONG time ago? For me, that moment came when I read the description of A Very Retro Christmas at the Nepean Museum. The drop-in event on Saturday, December 14, aimed kids aged 6 to 12, is billed as a chance to “hop in a time machine and celebrate the holidays with retro 1970s, 80s, and 90s flair.” You mean kids don’t play Ker-plunk anymore? Who knew? Seriously, though, this looks like lots of fun, with storytelling, crafts and a scavenger hunt.

Check out an avant-garde festival at Arts Court

Pique is a quarterly underground arts party at Arts Court (67 Nicholas Street). The winter edition, taking place this year on Saturday, December 14, will feature art installations (curated by Ottawa curator and public speaker Yanaminah Thulla, above), experimental music, DJs and much more. Pique will showcase some 20 artists on multiple stages and admission is pay what you can (from $35 to $65).

See The Nutcracker in Nepean

Ballet Jörgen is bringing its production of the holiday favourite The Nutcracker to the Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe on December 13 and 14.

Be dazzled by festive lights all over

Let there be light! The popular Alight at Night Festival at Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg sees the historical village’s homes, shops, church, fences and trees adorned with roughly one million lights. In Edwards, Stanley’s Olde Maple Farm has an illuminated Holiday Stroll, while in Munster, Saunders Farm has A Country Christmas Holiday Light Stroll. Over in the Pontiac, Chutes Coulonge in Mansfield-et-Pontefract is illuminated during the Festival of Lights. There are also illuminated attractions in Nepean, Stittsville, Cumberland, Orleans, Smiths Falls, Brockville and elsewhere. See my big guide to holiday light installations for details.

See The Debaters in Kingston

Are you a fan of the CBC Radio show The Debaters? This week, you have a chance to be part of a live audience at a recording of the show, which pits standup comics against each other to debate ridiculous questions, at the Grand Theatre in Kingston on Saturday, December 14. This tour sees comics Courtney Gilmour and Sean Cullen going toe to toe, as host Steve Patterson keeps things moving.

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.