26+ things to do, August 25 to 31, 2025: Artisans, Welsh fun and hot air balloons

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This week’s calendar of events is a bit shorter than recent ones have been, likely because many people are busy prepping their kids to head back to school next week. But that doesn’t mean there still isn’t a LOT to do! From rockabilly in Brockville and hot air balloons in Gatineau to an artisan show in Maberly, a Welsh festival in Ottawa, an antiques fair in Merrickville and step dancing in Pembroke, there’s a lot of fun to choose from. I’ve even found a spot where you can do yoga with chickens—and that’s an opportunity that doesn’t come up every day.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Rock the weekend away in Brockville

The Red, Hot and Blue Rockabilly Weekend in Brockville (August 28 to 31) offers music-lovers four days of live rockabilly, along with a vintage market, a boat cruise, jive dancing classes, a beach party and more.

Catch a play in Ottawa or Gananoque

This is your last week to see Cottagers and Indians at the Thousand Islands Playhouse in Gananoque, which is also staging Stag and Doe. In Ottawa, Five Alarm continues at Ottawa Little Theatre. For details on these and many other plays, check out my theatre post.

Have fun at a fair in Shawville, Perth or Newington

Feel like a fair?

Glass Tiger, Parmalee and Brent Kissel are among the musical entertainers at the Shawville Fair (August 28 to September 1). There’s lots here for kids, as the event bills itself as the Valley’s most family-friendly fair.

Fun at the Perth Fair (August 29 to September 1) includes lawn mower races, a dog agility show, truck and tractor pulls, and—intriguingly—zucchini races.

At the Stormont County Fair in Newington (August 29 to September 1), highlights include a parade, a classic car show and a baby contest.

All three fairs offer a midway, a demolition derby, livestock competitions, live music and lots more. (Looking for more fairs in September and October? Check out my extensive list of fairs.)

Admire Gardens of Light in Montreal

The annual Gardens of Light extravaganza opens at the Montreal Botanical Garden (4101 Sherbrooke Street East, Montreal) on Friday, August 29, and runs nightly from 6pm to 9pm (until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays) until Sunday, November 2. If you’ve never checked it out before—and even if you have—you are in for a treat. See displays of huge, elaborate lanterns illuminating the legend of the Mountains and Seas in the Chinese Garden; ethereal, atmospheric lighting evoking Japan’s wildlife and mountains in the Japanese Garden; and an immersive installation on the theme of an ode to the moon in the First Nations Garden.

This event is very popular, so I’d recommend buying your timed tickets in advance online. The tickets include admission to the rest of the garden during the day.

Discover art all over

The Sundance Artisan Show (August 30 to September 1) is taking place in a two-acre setting of forests and fields along a riverbank, about 15 minutes southwest of Perth (126 Maberly-Elphin Road at Highway 7, Maberly). Browse for pottery, clothing, jewellery, stained glass, soaps, clothing and more from 40 local artisans, and enjoy tasty treats cooked up by local chef Tim Cota from Tichborne. The show runs from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday, and from 10am to 2pm on Monday. Admission and parking are free.

In Carleton Place, the Arts Carleton Place Art is hosting its Shooting Stars Art Show from Wednesdays through Sundays until September 7.

Art in the Park will finish its summer-long run in Parc Roquebrune (Turntable Park) in Wakefield on Saturday, August 30, from noon to 4pm.

Fantasy in the Forest (August 30 and 31) is a one-of-a-kind mixed-media art show and sale. It takes place in a forest in South Frontenac, about 150 kilometres southwest of Ottawa, and has a distinctly fairy-tale/elfin vibe. Admission is free. The location is about halfway between Westport and Kingston; the exact address is 1860 Draper Lake Road, Perth Road, Ontario. The show runs, rain or shine, from 10am to 5pm, and admission is free.

More than two dozen artists and artisans are participating in the Rednersville Road Art Tour (August 30 to September 1). Drive from studio to studio to browse for paintings, quilts, sculptures, jewellery and many other types of pieces. So where the heck is Rednersville Road? It hugs the shore of the Bay of Quinte in Prince Edward County. The studios will be open from 10am to 5pm each day.

P.S.: If studio tours are your thing, check out my big list of local studio tours.

Have a horsey weekend in Morrisburg

Horse Lovers’ Weekend at Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg (August 30 to September 1, 9:30am to 5pm) showcases horses and riding techniques of all descriptions. You can see driving horses, riding horses, and work horses doing their thing, enjoy a wagon ride, see a Capital Cowgirls show, learn about equine therapy and Ojibwe spirit horses, and more. This is one of Upper Canada Village’s most popular events of the year, so you’ll probably want to buy your tickets in advance. The event is included with your museum admission. You’ll find Upper Canada Village at 13740 County Road 2 in Morrisburg.

Visit a chicken sanctuary near Perth

I’ve written about yoga with goats, yoga with cats and yoga with puppies. But here’s a first for me: yoga with chickens! That’s just one of the activities you can enjoy during an open house at Secondhand Stories, a chicken sanctuary near Perth, on Saturday, August 30. You can also learn about vegan cooking, take a dreamcatcher workshop, browse for goods from local vendors and enjoy story time, as well as touring the sanctuary.

Fly high at the Festival de montgolfières de Gatineau

To me, the Labour Day weekend is a bit magical: It’s the one weekend of the year I can look up and be almost guaranteed to see something like a giant ice cream cone or a large pink elephant drifting overhead. That’s thanks to the Festival de montgolfières de Gatineau (AKA the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival) (August 27 to 31) at Parc de la Baie in Gatineau.

If you want to enjoy a balloon ride, book ahead and be prepared to arrive at the crack of dawn (afternoon flights are available, too, but the weather can be trickier at that time of day).

Throughout the weekend, you can enjoy everything from fireworks and a big midway to live music (including Flo Rida on Thursday and Alessia Cara on Sunday), an artisans’ fair, a silent disco, wrestling, a car show and a comedy night. Tickets and passes are available at a wide range of prices, and some activities—such as the midway and balloon rides—cost extra. Children aged two to 10 are admitted free.

Browse for antiques in Merrickville

On Saturday, August 30, the Merrickville Antique and Artisan Show (Merrickville Fairgrounds, 106 Read Street) features some 50 dealers from across Ontario and Quebec. Shop for furniture, collectibles, books, jewellery and many other vintage items. The show runs from 10am to 5pm. Admission is $8 (children 12 and under are admitted free).

Eat, drink and be merry at an Eastern Townships festival

The Fête des Vendanges at Pointe Merry Park in Magog (August 30 to September 1, and September 6 and 7) showcases more than 75 food and beverage exhibitors from across the Eastern Townships area of Quebec and beyond. You can enjoy tastings, live music and more, all on the shore of Lake Memphrémagog.

Catch a concert at Tremblant

The hills of Mont Tremblant will be alive with the sound of music this weekend during La Fête de la Musique de Tremblant (August 29 to September 1). Concerts will range across Canadian and international musical genres, from alpenhorn to electronica, including a show by Quebec favourites Coeur de pirate. Choose from more than 30 performances on stages across Tremblant, all for free.

Tap your toes to fiddlers and step dancers in Pembroke

Want to see some impressive musicianship and dancing—possibly by the same person at the same time? Then the Pembroke Old Time Fiddling and Step Dancing Annual Championships (August 29 and 30) will be just your cup of tea. Thousands of dollars in prize money is on the table, so the competition—in age groups ranging from “9 and under” to “65 and over”—will likely be fierce.

Earlier in the week (Tuesday, August 26), you can catch a performance by The StepCrew at Festival Hall @ L’Équinoxe in Pembroke. With dancers and musicians The Chieftains, Cherish the Ladies and Bowfire, this show highlights three distinct styles of percussive dance—Ottawa Valley step dance, Irish stepdance and tap—with live Celtic music. See the video above for some idea of what to expect.

Celebrate all things Welsh in Ottawa

Speaking of Celtic traditions: the North American Festival of Wales (August 27 to 31) will be lighting up downtown Ottawa with the spirit of Wales. This annual event has been going since 1929—it last swung by Ottawa in 2000—and it’s BIG. Highlights include a Taste of Wales on Wednesday (sample whiskey, cakes and more); a WelshFest Takeover of Sparks Street on Thursday (free live performances galore), followed by a standup show by Welsh comedian Tudur Owen at the Delta hotel; and two shows at Christ Church Cathedral: the Welsh Male Voice Choir on Saturday and a community hymn sing on Sunday.

P.S.: I’m a longtime fan of Wales, and you can read my recent story about walking in Wales over on the EverythingZoomer website.

Revel at a festival in Cardinal

Labourfest (August 30 to September 1) in the St. Lawrence community of Cardinal offers a little something for just about everyone, from a canine watersports competition and a parade to a show-and-shine car show and a “luminary lane” of hand-made illuminated bags.

Eat burgers everywhere

If hamburgers are your thing, you’ll love Le Burger Week (September 1 to 7)! Restaurants across Canada will be serving up unique versions of the popular barbecue staple.

Watch street dancers in Montreal

At the JOAT International Street Dance Festival in Montreal (August 26 to September 1), more than 150 artists will be competing in all sorts of dance battles—breaking, popping, hip-hop and more—and there will be choreography workshops for visitors, too.

Get some garlic in Verona

The Verona Lions Club is holding its annual Garlic Farmers Market at the Lions Hall at 4504 Verona Sand Road (about 20 minutes north of Kingston) on Saturday, August 30, from 9am to 2pm. Shop for all things garlic! Admission is by donation.

See award-winning photography in Montreal

Judges sifted through thousands of photos submitted by photographers around the world to select prize-winning images, which will be on display at the World Press Photo exhibition at Montreal’s Bonsecours Market (August 27 to October 13). The show will be open daily from 10am until 10pm (until midnight on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays). Tickets are $13 for students and seniors and $16 for everyone else, plus tax; children 10 and under are admitted free. Tickets are available at the door only, and only by credit or debit.

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.)

• September 4 to 14: Toronto International Film Festival
• September 6: Latin Sparks Festival, Ottawa
• September 10 to 14: Cityfolk, Ottawa
• September 13: Downtown Music Festival, Smiths Falls
• September 13: Carleton Place Porchfest
• September 18 to 21: Kingston Writersfest
• September 19 and 20: Kanata Craft Beer Festival
• September 20: Taste of Wellington, Ottawa
• September 24 to 28: Ottawa International Animation Festival
• September 24 to 28: POP Montreal International Music Festival
• October 3 to December 6: Ontario Festival of Small Halls, multiple locations
• October 4 and 5, and 11 and 12: Annual Biology Butterfly Show, Carleton University, Ottawa
• October 18: Mystic Market, Smiths Falls
• October 22 to 26: Ottawa International Writers Festival
• October 23 to 26: Gatineau Hills Fiddle Festival, Chelsea

NEED A PLACE TO STAY?

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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.