There’s something for just about everyone in this week’s calendar of events, whether you’d rather be pressing flowers in the Outaouais, touring gardens in Cumberland, buying from local makers in Eganville, enjoying a free arts festival in Merrickville, eating ribs in Cornwall, checking out a street festival in Carleton Place, cheering at a soccer or basketball game at TD Place, or learning about herbs in White Lake. And those are just a few ideas! Read on for all the details.
Table of contents
- WEEK OF JULY 21 TO 27
- Celebrate world cultures in Orleans, Barrhaven and Montreal
- Take your dog to Gananoque
- See the stars near Kaladar
- Meet local authors in Martintown
- Enjoy a play in Pembroke, Prescott and elsewhere
- Sip craft beer in Almonte
- Catch a game at TD Place
- Get a taste of the valley in Eganville
- Build a flower press in Luskville
- Live on the cutting edge in Kingston
- Head to a summer party in Gatineau
- Browse for art in Cumberland, Almonte or Wakefield
- Go to a classical concert in Ottawa and Prince Edward County
- Chow down on barbecue in Cornwall
- Attend a free arts festival in Merrickville
- Catch a music festival in Palmer Rapids
- Shop for vegan food and art in Ottawa
- Head to a fair in Delta
- Enjoy the Bridge Street SummerFest in Carleton Place
- See a movie or make a spoon in Dunvegan
- Check out classic cars in Merrickville
- Get cultured in Saint-Sauveur
- Learn about herbs in White Lake
- See a concert in Ottawa, Shawville, Rideau Ferry or Belleville
- Cast your line in Brockville
- Catch a movie outdoors in Ottawa or Smiths Falls
- SAVE THE DATE
WEEK OF JULY 21 TO 27
Celebrate world cultures in Orleans, Barrhaven and Montreal
The three-day Caravibe festival (July 25 to 27) is bringing Caribbean music and flavours to various locations in Orleans, including Mexi’s Orleans, Petrie Island and the Shenkman Arts Centre.
On Saturday, July 26, the Ottawa Kondattam Tamil Feast at Clarke Fields Park in Barrhaven is an all-day Tamil cultural festival featuring food, music, dance, a vendors’ market, karaoke, a bouncy castle and more.
Also this week, Montreal is celebrating all things Haitian at Haiti en folie (July 23 to 27). Programming includes a food fair, panel discussions and lots of live music.
Take your dog to Gananoque
What dog doesn’t love a road trip? Here’s an outing that’s perfect for pooches: the Thousand Islands Bark Bash (Saturday, July 26, 10am to 3pm), which brings canines and their human companions together to browse for doggie goodies from a range of vendors, see demonstrations and learn about rescue dogs looking for new homes. It’s happening in Gananoque Town Park, at the corner of King Street East and Park Street, and admission is free.
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 July 25 and 26. Even though the tour is free, you need to 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.
Meet local authors in Martintown
Authors at the Mill is a book lovers’ event happening from 10am to 3pm on Saturday, July 26, at the Martintown Mill (northeast of Cornwall). You can meet local authors, shop for new and used books at a mobile bookstore, and enjoy coffee, tea and baked goods.
Enjoy a play in Pembroke, Prescott and elsewhere
Two plays are opening in our region this weekend. At Prescott’s St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival, you can catch Sherlock Holmes and the Vanishing Hour, which sees the British sleuth and his sidekick Watson arriving in Canada to solve a mystery on the St. Lawrence River. And in Pembroke, it’s opening night for Stone Fence Theatre’s 2025 production, High Times at the Heart Institute, a musical about Canada’s health care system (OK, that’s a sentence I don’t get to write very often). You can learn more about these and many other plays—including comedies in Ottawa and Morrisburg, Mary Poppins in Gananoque and more—in my theatre post.
Sip craft beer in Almonte
The Almonte Craft Beer Fest returns to the grounds of the Almonte Old Town Hall on the evening of Friday, July 25. Nine beverage makers (including wine and spirits makers, as well as brewers) will be on hand. You can also enjoy food from the Almonte Butcher Shop, Hummingbird Chocolate Maker and other local companies, and live music by Jon VW Trio and the Silver Creek Band. Tickets are limited, so you might want to buy yours in advance online.
Catch a game at TD Place
Sports fans, here are two games for you at TD Place at Lansdowne Park: You can cheer on Ottawa’s new professional women’s soccer team, Ottawa Rapid FC, when they play Halifax Tides FC at TD Place on Friday, July 25, and root for the Ottawa BlackJacks men’s basketball team as they take on the Saskatchewan Rattlers on Saturday, July 26.
Get a taste of the valley in Eganville
The first of five Taste of the Valley events in 2025 is coming to the Eganville Arena on Saturday, July 26. These very popular events showcase food producers and artisans from across Renfrew County in the Ottawa Valley. Shop for fresh meats, vegetables and baked treats, handmade crafts, local honey and maple syrup, and more.
Build a flower press in Luskville
Mountain View Farm in Luskville is offering an afternoon flower-press workshop on Sunday, July 27. Each participant will build flower press to take home, using wooden panels and simple hardware. You’ll also learn how to press blooms and to make more presses at home. If time allows, you’ll be able to gather flowers at the farm, too.
Live on the cutting edge in Kingston
The Kick and Push Festival in Kingston (July 24 to August 17) brings innovative, interactive shows to theatres and more unusual venues across the Limestone City (past performances have taken place everywhere from a fire escape to a graveyard). Productions this year include Providence, set the day before the Kingston and Pembroke Railway opens in 1875; it’s being staged outdoors on one of the last remaining bits of track from the “K&P” Railway.
Head to a summer party in Gatineau
Festibière Gatineau has morphed and expanded to become the new Festival Parasol (July 24 to 26). Don’t worry; there’s still lots of craft beer and food. But you can also propel a pedal boat around “the largest mobile pool in North America” (think of it as a really, really big kiddie pool), check out a speakeasy, take dance lessons, and enjoy endless tunes spun by DJs and played live.
Browse for art in Cumberland, Almonte or Wakefield
The Cumberland Art and Garden Tour on Sunday, July 27, will feature four diverse gardens, with artwork for sale at five locations. The self-guided tour is free and can be done in any order, between 11am and 3pm. Along the way, you’ll meet some of artists, gardeners and entrepreneurs, and you can shop for paintings, stained-glass pieces, hooked rugs, photographs, marquetry, sculptures, wooden items, mixed-media pieces and more.
The Bloomfest Garden Art Show and Sale continues at the Whitehouse Nursery and Display Gardens outside Almonte until July 27. Works by 21 artists will be on display throughout the nursery’s display gardens, which include beds of daylilies in full bloom.
Art in the Park is taking place every Saturday afternoon (noon to 4pm) in July and August in Parc Roquebrune (Turntable Park) in Wakefield. You’ll find it along the scenic pathway between the Wakefield General Store and the End of the Line Boutique. Visitors can take part in free artist-led workshops and demonstrations, enjoy live music, and meet artists in their mobile studios (and buy their works).
Go to a classical concert in Ottawa and Prince Edward County
Ottawa Chamberfest continues until July 27. Scattered across 11 locations in Ottawa and one in Almonte, the festival offers everything from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons to sea shanties, torch songs, yoga, and concerts for children.
Classical music fans can also check out Music at Port Milford (July 19 to August 2). This combined festival and youth summer school presents chamber music concerts on Saturday nights at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Picton.
Chow down on barbecue in Cornwall
At the Cornwall Ribfest (July 24 to 27), five different ribbers are expected to be on hand, tempting visitors with juicy barbecue. There will also be lots of other food vendors, as well as a beer garden, live music, a midway and kids’ activities. The festival takes place in Lamoureux Park (100 Water Street East, Cornwall).
Looking for more ribfests to check out this summer and fall? Check out my list of barbecue events around the region.
Attend a free arts festival in Merrickville
The Merrickville Festival of the Arts is returning to the village on July 26 and 27. The free, family-friendly event offers up artsy fun galore, including drumming, a flash mob, theatre, visual art and live music. It runs from 10am to 5pm both days in Blockhouse Park (279 St. Lawrence Street), with live music on porches all over Merrickville. There’s also a free concert by Arbour Season at The Pews on Friday, July 25.
Catch a music festival in Palmer Rapids
The Palmer Rapids Twin Music Festival (July 24 to 27) bills itself as two festivals—country and bluegrass—in one, on the banks of the Madawaska River south of Barry’s Bay. And you can camp there, too. The festival site is at 937A Cedar Grove Road in Palmer Rapids.
Shop for vegan food and art in Ottawa
The Vegans Who Snack Food + Art Festival is coming to the Parkdale Market on Saturday, July 26, from 5pm to 9pm. Bring your reusable bags, containers and coolers to carry home goodies—including bahn mi, noodles, ice cream, coffee, chai and lots more—from more than 60 vendors. The site has accessible parking and an accessible washroom, and admission to the family-friendly festival is free. And don’t forget your pooch, as leashed dogs are welcome.
Head to a fair in Delta
The fun at the Delta Fair (July 24 to 27) includes truck and tractor pulls, live music, a baby show, pony rides, chainsaw art carving, lawn mower races, and craft and agricultural competitions.
Enjoy the Bridge Street SummerFest in Carleton Place
A half-kilometre downtown stretch of Bridge Street in Carleton Place will likely be packed with visitors, musicians and food vendors during the lively Bridge Street SummerFest. It’s free, it’s family friendly and it’s happening from 10am to 3pm on Saturday, July 26.
See a movie or make a spoon in Dunvegan
The Glengarry Pioneer Museum in Dunvegan is offering two special events this week. First up is an outdoor screening on Friday, July 25, of A Christmas Village Romance, which was filmed at the museum five years ago. (Hey, it’s never too early in the year for holiday rom-com lovers to start indulging, right?) And on Saturday, July 26, you can learn to make a wooden spoon in a four-hour workshop (advance registration required).
Check out classic cars in Merrickville
There will be more than cars at the Merrickville Classic Car Show at the Merrickville Fairgrounds (106 Read Street) on Sunday, July 27; you can also enjoy a barbecue, live music, draws and more.
Get cultured in Saint-Sauveur
The Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur (July 23 to August 3) is a multidisciplinary arts festival in the Laurentians featuring a diverse selection of dance and musical performances. Performances will include a show by Ballets Jazz Montréal, a world music concert by Élage Diouf, a dance battle in Georges Filion Park and a concert by Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain.
Learn about herbs in White Lake
The Ottawa Valley Midsummer Herbfest comes to the Waba Cottage Museum and Gardens (24 Museum Road, White Lake) on Sunday, July 27, from 10am to 3pm. Billing itself as “a celebration of healthy living,” it offers everything from live music and guided kayak tours to museum talks and craft workshops. Food and artisan vendors will be on site, too. Free admission. Accessible parking and an accessible washroom are available.
See a concert in Ottawa, Shawville, Rideau Ferry or Belleville
There are lots of shows on the concert schedule this week, including a Traveling Wilburys tribute in Orleans, Arkells in Belleville, Mikhail Laxton and Sarah Hagen in separate shows in Shawville, Landlady at the Ottawa Tennis Club, and Rich McGrath in Rideau Ferry. For links to these and many other shows, see my concerts list.
Cast your line in Brockville
Anglers, bring your boat (or rent one there) to join the Paul Gill Memorial Fishing Derby in Brockville on Saturday, July 26. The fundraiser in the waters off Hardy Park will raise money for local sports programs. And on shore, a vendor village, bouncy castles, food vendors, balloon artists and magical princesses will keep the whole family entertained from 10am to 2pm.
Catch a movie outdoors in Ottawa or Smiths Falls
At TD Place at Lansdowne Park, you can enjoy a free outdoor screening of The Mitchells vs. the Machines on Thursday, July 17. That same night, Smiths Falls’ free series of family movies in Centennial Park (under the water tower) continues with Inside Out 2.
SAVE THE DATE
Here are a few upcoming events you might want to add to your calendar, if you’re planning ahead. (Look for details on these events and many others in upcoming posts.)
- July 31 to August 3: Les FestivILES, Gananoque
- August 1 and 2: Glengarry Highland Games, Maxville
- August 2 to 9: Smiths Falls Old Home Week
- August 8 to 10: Ottawa International Busker Fest
- August 8 to 10: Twist Fibre Festival, Saint-André-Avellin
- August 8 to 10: 1000 Islands Kingston Poker Run
- August 8 to 17: Water and Dirt Festival, Renfrew County
- August 9 and 10: Trainfest, Smiths Falls
- August 14 to 17: Ottawa Greek Festival
- August 16 to 24: Capital Pride, Ottawa
- August 22 and 23: Ottawa Valley Buskerfest, Pembroke
- August 22 to 24: Upper Gatineau Whitewater Festival, Maniwaki
- August 24: Tour de Bonnechere, Eganville
- August 27 to 31: Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival
- September 10 to 14: Cityfolk, Ottawa
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.
