Things to do in Ottawa, the Outaouais, Eastern Ontario and beyond (November 18 to December 1)

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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 NOVEMBER 18 TO NOVEMBER 24

Enjoy a festive day in Perth, Westport, Carleton Place, Stittsville or Middleville

In Perth, the Downtown Heritage Perth Business Improvement Association is organizing a holiday shopping event called Once Upon a Christmas on Saturday, November 23. From 10am to 4pm, you can enjoy live music, a vendors’ market, hot chocolate, horse-drawn wagon rides, a drum circle, axe throwing, fun with Santa and his elves, and more.

Down the road in Carleton Place, Winterfest will be taking place on Saturday, November 23, from 4pm to 8pm.
During the free, family-friendly event, you can enjoy roaming carollers and entertainers, free horse-drawn wagon rides, sidewalk sales and a vendor market—and that’s just the beginning of the fun.

The following day (Sunday, November 24), Old-Fashioned Christmas at the Goulbourn Museum (2064 Huntley Road, Stittsville) will be a festive celebration for the whole family. Meet Santa, listen to a holiday story, roast marshmallows over a fire, feed the Christmas goats and make vintage Christmas crafts. It runs from 10am to 3pm, and admission is free (but donations are welcomed).

The Middleville and District Museum is hosting a Victorian Christmas celebration on Sunday, November 24, from noon to 4pm. Visitors can decorate gingerbread cookies, pose for photos in a vintage red cutter, do crafts, and enjoy hot chocolate, apple cider and sweet treats. There will be children’s storytime, too, and local author Claudia Smith will recount tales of Christmas past.  ​

And boutiques in the charming village of Westport will likely be thronged from November 23 to 24, during the Holiday Hop ‘N’ Shop event. The fun will include a parade, in-store events, outdoor Christmas markets, live music, and gingerbread house and ugly sweater competitions.

See cool movies in Ottawa and Montreal

The European Union Film Festival will screen 28 movies at the Ottawa Art Gallery between November 15 and 30. The movies include dramas, comedies, documentaries and more. If you can’t make it to the in-person event, you can purchase streaming access to 19 of the films online.

And in Montreal, the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM), which runs from November 20 to December 1, presents more than 100 movies from dozens of countries, including Senegal, Italy, Singapore, Ukraine and Brazil.

Have some laughs for a good cause in Hammond

On Saturday, November 23, at 7pm, Broken Stick Brewery in Hammond is hosting a Comedy FUNdraiser to rustle up funds for the Prescott-Russell Recreational Trail. The trail is a great amenity for cyclists, cutting across a pretty swath of rural Eastern Ontario east of Ottawa—but it takes money to keep it up!

Catch a play in Ottawa, Kemptville or Smiths Falls

It’s another packed week for theatre fans, with everything from the comedy-drama Steel Magnolias at the Elmwood School and the drama (with funny bits) The Lion in Winter at the Gladstone Theatre (both in Ottawa) to the classic Our Town in Kemptville and a musical version of A Christmas Carol in Smiths Falls, there’s so much to choose from! See my local theatre post for details on these and many other shows.

Hear Bach in Montreal

Artists from around the world come to Montreal each year to celebrate the music of Johann Sebastian Bach during the Montreal Bach Festival (November 16 to December 8). This year, the choices include a free organ concert at St. Joseph’s Oratory on Sunday, November 24, and a performance of Bach’s Grand Motets by the U.K. Ensemble Solomon’s Knot at St. George’s Church on Friday, November 29.

Take the kids to a Santa Claus parade

Lots of communities are hosting Santa Claus parades this weekend, including Kanata, Embrun, Arnprior and Kingston on Saturday, November 23, and Russell and Maxville on Sunday, November 24. See my Santa Claus parades post for links.

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 25 TO DECEMBER 1

Celebrate world cultures in Ottawa

At the World Multicultural Festival at the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre (355 Cooper Street) on Saturday, November 30, you can learn about international cultures through live music, dancing and more. It runs from noon until 9pm, and admission is free.

See the CPKC Holiday Train

Every year, two festively decorated CPKC Holiday Trains roll across North America. One of them will be stopping in Finch, Merrickville, Smiths Falls and Perth on Thursday, November 28. At each stop, there will be a free concert, as well as a collection of money and non-perishable food items for local food banks. For more information on all the stops in Quebec, upstate New York and Eastern Ontario, see my CPKC Holiday Train post.

P.S.: To answer some of the most common questions I’ve been asked in years past about the train:

• It’s now called the “CPKC” train because Canadian Pacific bought the Kansas City Southern railroad in late 2021, merging the two companies.
• The train’s route is determined by which rails CPKC owns and the level of traffic on those routes. So if you’re wondering why the train doesn’t stop in your community, that’s probably why.
• You can’t ride the train, but do bring your phone or camera to take pictures of it!

Watch some cool movies in Ottawa or Montreal

The European Union Film Festival will screen 28 movies at the Ottawa Art Gallery between November 15 and 30. The movies include dramas, comedies, documentaries and more. If you can’t make it to the in-person event, you can purchase streaming access to 19 of the films online.

And in Montreal, the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM), which runs from November 20 to December 1, presents more than 100 movies from dozens of countries, including Senegal, Italy, Singapore, Ukraine and Brazil.

Be dazzled by festive lights in Morrisburg

The popular Alight at Night Festival will light up Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg again this year. This event sees the historical village’s homes, shops, church, fences and trees adorned with roughly one million lights. The fun begins on Friday, November 29, and the event is open select evenings until Saturday, January 4.

Enjoy Christmas fun in Manotick, Metcalfe, Aylmer, Casselman or upstate New York

At the Casselman Christmas Festival (November 28 to December 1), activities include a street party, bingo, street hockey, live music and a parade.

In Manotick, Christmas in the Village (November 29 and 30) will include a light parade, a tree lighting and carolling on Friday night, and a breakfast with Santa, a lunch with the Grinch, fun at Santa’s Workshop and horse-drawn wagon rides on Saturday.

Christmas in Old Aylmer extends over two weekends (November 29 to December 1, and December 6 to 8). This weekend, the amusements include a Christmas market, free hot chocolate, live music and, on Saturday starting at 6pm, a Santa Claus parade.

At Light Up the Park in Victoria Park in Metcalfe on Saturday, November 30, the fun will include live music, hot chocolate and snacks, and beautiful lights.

South of the border, visitors to Dickens Christmas in Skaneateles NY (west of Syracuse) can see costumed actors portraying Dickens characters, enjoy live music and more. It runs weekends from November 30 until December 22, plus Friday, November 29, and Tuesday, December 24.

Drop into a Christmas craft sale or art fair

Attention, holiday shoppers! You can shop at a Christmas craft fair or art sale in all sorts of places this weekend, including Nepean, Carp, Orleans, Manotick, Kars, Chelsea, Almonte, Alexandria, Dunvegan and Petawawa. Check out my big Christmas markets post for links to these and many other sales.

Learn about artist Paul Kane’s impact on Indigenous people

The Royal Canadian Geographical Society is presenting a free talk by historian Ian MacLaren on Wednesday, November 27. Professor MacLaren will be talking about pioneering Canadian artist Paul Kane, discussing the repercussions of Kane’s writing and painting on the Indigenous people of North America.

Laugh at standup comedy at TD Place or Centrepointe

British comedian Michael McIntyre is coming to Ottawa for the first time on Thursday, November 28, when he’ll bring his new Macnificent show to the Arena at TD Place. McIntyre hosts of two of the BBC’s most successful shows, including The Wheel, which he devised and also hosts for NBC in the U.S.

That same evening, Canadian standup star Derek Edwards will be entertaining audiences at the Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe. For a taste of his act, see the video above.

See a cabaret in Almonte

Comedian Rachelle Elie is bringing her raunchy, hilarious cabaret show to the Almonte Civitan Hall on Friday, November 29. Doors open at 6pm for cocktails and snacks, and the cabaret kicks off at 7pm with comedy, music, burlesque and a few surprises. Note that this show is for guests aged 19 and up.

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.

Catch a concert in Ottawa and elsewhere

This week offers tons of choices for live music fans. There’s a very ’80s lineup at TD Place on Tuesday, November 26, featuring Honeymoon Suite, A Flock of Seagulls, Men Without Hats and The Spoons. (Fun fact: The Spoons played my high school in the early ’80s. Do bands even play high schools anymore?)

At the Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe, you can see The Next Generation Leahy (November 26) or Murray McLaughlan (November 29). Jane Siberry (November 28) and Sue Foley (November 30) are among the many acts coming to the NAC. Dwayne Gretzky is taking to the stage at the Bronson Centre (November 30) and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra will be playing the Canadian Tire Centre (November 27).

Beyond Ottawa, shows include Pat Metheny at the Grand Theatre in Kingston (November 27), Marie-Élaine Thibert at Paroisse Ste Euphémie  in Casselman (November 29), and Fortunate Ones at Spencerville United Church (November 29).

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

See a play in Ottawa, Morrisburg, Perth and elsewhere

This is your last weekend to see the comedy-drama Steel Magnolias at the Elmwood School. New to the Ottawa theatre schedule this week are The Island of Lost Memories: A Christmas Mystery (Heist) at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans and The SpongeBob Musical at the Gladstone Theatre in Little Italy. Further afield, shows include Seasons of Love in Carleton Place, Finding Nemo, Jr. in Cornwall, The Winter Wonderettes in Perth and Miracle on 34th Street in Morrisburg. See my local theatre post for details on these and many other shows.

Hear Bach in Montreal

Artists from around the world come to Montreal each year to celebrate the music of Johann Sebastian Bach during the Montreal Bach Festival (November 16 to December 8). This year, the choices include a performance of Bach’s Grand Motets by the U.K. Ensemble Solomon’s Knot at St. George’s Church on Friday, November 29.

Take the kids to a Santa Claus parade

Lots of communities are hosting Santa Claus parades this weekend, including Manotick, White Lake and Vankleek Hill on Friday, November 29; Orleans, Riverside South, Aylmer, Carleton Place, Ingleside, Gananoque and Pembroke on Saturday, November 30; and Clarence-Rockland, Casselman and Alexandria on Sunday, December 1.

Talk about transit at the Sunnyside library

Fed up with OC Transpo? Channel that frustration by going to a meeting of the Ottawa Urbanism Book Club at the Sunnyside branch of the Ottawa Public Library on Monday, November 25. The group will be discussing Steven Higashide’s book Better Buses, Better Cities, and you don’t need to register or even to have read the book to attend. (A tip of the hat to Martha and Darren at The Ottawan newsletter for bringing this one to my attention.)

Enjoy some retail therapy in Rideau Lakes or Alexandria

The Local Christmas Shop and Hop (November 29 to December 1) is a three-day promotion showcasing stores in the Township of Rideau Lakes, which includes Lansdowne, Lyndhurst, Seeley’s Bay, Delta and Elgin. The five small communities are south of Perth and northeast of Kingston, along some pretty back roads. Collect stamps from retailers to be eligible to win one of 32 gift certificates.

Meanwhile, over in Alexandria, the Baby, Please Come Home event will see shops and other businesses open late (until 10pm) on Thursday, November 28, so you can squeeze in some holiday shopping after work.

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.