43+ events in or near Ottawa, September 1 to 7, 2025

8.6K

Just because the Labour Day weekend is over doesn’t mean the fun has stopped! This week, your choices include everything from a comics convention at the EY Centre and a powwow in Cornwall to a writers’ festival in Brockville, Fibrefest in Almonte, two harvest festivals, a flower show in Manotick, a food festival in Vankleek Hill, and big festivals in Ottawa celebrating Latin and African culture.

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Enjoy a dragon boat festival in Carleton Place

The Carleton Place Dragon Boat Festival on Saturday, September 6, will see paddlers racing on the Mississippi River near the Carleton Place Canoe Club (189 John Street). As well as cheering on the competitors, you can nosh on goodies from local food and drink vendors and check out an artisans’ market. Proceeds from the event will support Lanark County Interval House.

Go to a street party in Vanier

BeechFest (Saturday, September 6) is a Vanier street party featuring live music, street entertainers, food vendors and more. The hub will the a stage set up in St. Charles Market, at the corner of St. Charles Street and Beechwood Avenue. The fun runs from 3pm to 9pm.

Knit, spin or weave up a storm in Almonte

The ever-popular Fibrefest is returning to Almonte on September 6 and 7. It’s such a draw that it is spread across two locations: the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum (3 Rosamond Street East) and the Almonte Community Centre (182 Bridge Street). Come learn about knitting, rug hooking, spinning, weaving, quilting and other fibre arts. The festival runs from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday, and admission is $5 per person per day. There are also workshops from September 3 to 13, which you’ll need to sign up for in advance.

Check out a free arts open house in Orleans

The Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans is hosting a free Open House on Sunday, September 7, from 11am to 3pm. Art, dance, circus and martial arts workshops are just some of the fun activities on offer. You can learn about pottery, movie making and more, too.

Go to a fall fest in Williamstown

On Saturday, September 6, We 3 Girls & Co. is holding a Fall Fest Extravaganza at the Williamstown Fairgrounds. You can browse for unique goods from more than 80 vendors and nosh on food truck fare from 10am to 4pm.

Cycle through Prince Edward County

Feeling energetic? You can sign up for a 50K, 100K or 150K bike ride through scenic Prince Edward County on Saturday, September 6, as part of the County Gran Fondo event.

Spot celebrities at Ottawa ComicCon

If you’re a superfan of comics and SF, you probably already know that Ottawa ComicCon is coming back to the EY Centre (4899 Uplands Drive) from September 5 to 7. But did you know that some pretty big names will be there signing autographs, posing for photos, or otherwise seeing and being seen? They include actors Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Vincent D’Onofrio (Daredevil), Jenna Coleman (Dr. Who) and Mike Colter (Luke Cage), and comic book creator Mike McKone (Fantastic Four). Even the cast of Trailer Park Boys will be there! And, of course, you can shop for comics, collectibles and lots of other merch, too.

Buy baked goodies in Alexandria

The Glengarry Artists’ Collective is holding a bake sale in Mill Square in Alexandria on Friday, September 5, from 10am to 2pm. Funds raised will go towards arts initiatives in Glengarry County.

Meet authors and enjoy an arts festival in Brockville

The St. Lawrence Writers Festival is a new event happening in Brockville from September 5 to 7. The all-Canadian literary event will feature author talks and panels, a horror boat cruise, a play reading, a comedy night with CBC Radio personality Ali Hassan, and more.

If you’re in Brockville on Saturday, September 6, you can also check out the King Street Arts Festival, from 10am to 4pm. The downtown street will be closed to traffic, and you can check out a makers’ market, enjoy live music, score some deals from local merchants, try some hands-on art activities and more. The organizers will also be giving out free swag bags and art kits, while supplies last.

Take the kids to a movie in Westboro

You can catch a free outdoor screening of the classic family movie Adventures in Babysitting in Westboro on Friday, September 5. It’s taking place on the grounds of the Churchill Seniors Centre (345 Richmond Road, Ottawa), and the movie starts at dusk. Bring your own lawn chair or blanket.

See a powwow in Cornwall

The Akwesasne Powwow (September 6 and 7) will bring Indigenous dancers, drummers, crafters and food vendors to Lamoureux Park in Cornwall for a busy weekend. Visitors can see competitions, shop the vendors’ market and more. The gates open at 10am each day and the festivities begin with a grand entry at noon daily. Cornwall Transit will be offering free public transportation with many stops around the park.

Put on your dancing shoes in Ottawa

The Latin Sparks Festival on Saturday, September 6, is a one-day celebration of cultures from the Rio Grande to the tip of South America. Dance to salsa, reggaeton and more courtesy of DJs and live bands, and if you’re not sure of the steps, don’t worry—there will be dance lessons! Food and drink vendors will be dishing up Central and South American cuisine and cocktails, and you can cheer on competitors in a dance battle. The festival is happening at LeBreton Flats in Ottawa.

Savour great food in Metcalfe, Vankleek Hill or Montreal

On Thursday, September 4, the last Metcalfe Farmers’ Market Night Market of the season is happening at the Metcalfe Fairgrounds (2821 Eighth Line Road, Metcalfe) from 5pm to 8pm. Farmers, artisans and food vendors will be on hand, and there will be live music, too. The rain-or-shine, indoor-outdoor event is dog friendly.

On September 5 and 6, dozens of food trucks will gather at Montreal’s Parc Olympique for First Fridays, a celebration of food truck fare. (Note that, despite the name, it runs on Friday and Saturday.) This event is usually really popular, so I’d take transit to the site, if I were you. It’s a five-minute walk from the Viau metro station.

The Festival of Flavours is returning to Vankleek Hill on Sunday, September 7. Local food producers will be setting up tents along the town’s main street, and there will be free activities to enjoy from 10am to 4pm.

Enjoy a harvest festival in Barrhaven or Dunvegan

Sunday, September 7, is a good day for harvest festivals, with two taking place that day.

At the Barrhaven Harvest Fest at the Nepean Woods Park and Ride, you can shop for produce, hot food, crafts and more from more than 60 vendors. Entertainment will include bouncy castles, kids’ activities and live music. Admission is free, and the event runs from 10am to 2pm.

The Harvest Fall Festival at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum (1645 County Road 30, Dunvegan) usually draws big crowds. This year, you can enjoy a horse parade, a rooster crowing contest, pioneer harvest and craft demonstrations, live music, children’s activities, and other fun. You can also shop for baking, preserves and plants, and buy hot food, cold drinks and homemade pie on site. The festival is a great chance to visit the museum’s heritage buildings, too. And you can try your luck at a cow pie raffle. Don’t worry—you won’t have to bring a smelly souvenir home; you’ll just have to bet on where a wandering cow will leave a, um, pie, and you could win a cash prize. Looking for more things to do in the area? Check out my route through Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry in my post about great fall drives.

Celebrate African cultures at Mooney’s Bay

AfroFestival Ottawa will bring the music, food, art and culture of multiple African nations to Mooney’s Bay Park in Ottawa on September 6 and 7. You can check out workshops, kids’ activities, a marketplace and more. Headliners on the packed concert schedule include Nashie Zim, Vibe Tribe, Baba MD Band and Salomao. The recap video from last year’s event, above, gives you some idea of what to expect. Tickets are free.

Go to an art show in Sandy Hill

Art in Strathcona Park (Saturday, September 6) is a fundraiser—and awareness raiser—for the Mental Illness Caregivers Association of Canada. From 10am to 4pm, you can stroll among artists’ and artisans’ booths, browsing for paintings, jewellery, pottery and more. Strathcona Park is on the eastern edge of Ottawa’s Sandy Hill neighbourhood, beside the Rideau River.

Tour a quarry in Clayton

Have you ever wondered what goes on at a quarry? Well, this weekend’s your chance find out. During the Tatlock Quarry Open House in Clayton (Saturday, September 6), you can take a guided bus tour of the quarry, see displays of mining equipment and more, and enjoy a free barbecue and live music. The first 200 people to donate food or cash to the Lanark Highlands Food Pantry will also get some free maple syrup. The quarry is on the Omya Canada property at 177 McIlraith Road in Clayton, and the open house starts at 9:30am.

Have fun on a farm in Quebec or near Kingston

From September 5 to 7, farms in Kingston and the surrounding Frontenac County will be participating in Open Farm Days. Depending on the day and the site, you could enjoy a farm-to-table dinner, take a tapas tasting tour, go to a plowing match and more.

Farms across Quebec will be participating in a “doors open” event called Portes Ouvertes on Sunday, September 7. Depending on the site, you might see cows being milked, learn about orchard management, sample wine, ride a tractor or discover all sorts of other things about farm life. Participating farms near Ottawa include Ferme aux saveurs des monts in Val-des-Monts and Ferme Victor Drury between Wakefield and Farrellton. (Website is in French.)

Hunt for bargains in Old Ottawa South

The Old Ottawa South Porch Sale on Saturday, September 6, will see bargain hunters converging on the central neighbourhood, located between the Glebe and Billings Bridge. The sale officially runs from 8am to 3pm, but the early bird really does get the best selection.

See a “living library” at Beechwood Cemetery

I may be odd, but I’ve always loved walking through cemeteries (OK, maybe not at night on Halloween, but generally). I find them both fascinating and tranquil. If you do, too, then here’s an event for you: the annual “living library” historical event at Ottawa’s Beechwood Cemetery (280 Beechwood Avenue) on Sunday, September 7. This year, actors in costume will tell the stories of notable trailblazers buried at Beechwood, including a paleontologist and a 1920s women’s hockey player. The event runs from 2pm to 3:30pm, and Beechwood advises visitors to arrive by 3pm if they want to see all of the actors’ portrayals. It’s a self-guided tour, so you walk around the site at your own pace. Admission is free and no registration is required.

Browse at a craft fair in the Glebe

Square Lemon Ottawa is hosting a Fall Craft Market at the Glebe Community Centre in Ottawa on Saturday, September 6, from 10:30am to 3pm.

Catch a music festival in Mallorytown or Belleville

Some 16 acts will be performing at the Big River Country Festival (September 4 to 6) at Happy Acres Campground in Mallorytown. Single-day passes and all-weekend pass/camping packages are available.

Further west, the Hollyrood Fall Classic Country Jamboree (September 4 to 6) will be bringing about a dozen acts to Belleville. Day passes and weekend passes are available, and the weekend passes include camping.

Also in Belleville, the Downtown Blues Festival (September 5 and 6) will be bringing about a dozen blues acts to outdoor streets and indoor stages across downtown Belleville. (Miss Emily is the closing act on Saturday night, and if you get the chance to see her, do! She puts on a great show.) Admission to all concerts is free, but donations for the Gleaners Foodbank are appreciated.

Have fun at a fair in Almonte, Renfrew or Picton

Entertainment at the Renfrew Fair (September 4 to 7) includes concerts by The Alan Jackson Experience and Big Sugar, a midway, a demolition derby, and livestock shows. It’s all happening at the Renfrew Fairgrounds, 115 Veterans Memorial Boulevard.

At the Almonte Fair (September 5 to 7), the fun includes a midway, wagon rides, livestock competitions, magic shows, a chili cook-off, chainsaw carving, a demolition derby and concerts.

Down in Prince Edward County, the Picton Fair (September 5 to 7) features a dog show, a midway, live music, an arm-wrestling contest, a celebrity bake-off, a baby show and more. The fairgrounds are at 375 Main Street East in Picton.

Immerse yourself in a film festival in Toronto

It’s like an all-you-can-eat-and-then-some buffet for movie lovers: the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) pretty much takes over Toronto from September 4 to 14. My husband and I went years ago, and it was a blast. You really have to experience it to believe it: hundreds of movies in more than a dozen theatres across the downtown core, with enthusiastic fans lining up for hours and discussing their favourite flicks. As usual, you can choose from films from around the world (this year, source countries include Kenya, Norway, Pakistan and Mexico) or catch an Oscar-bait Hollywood flick. A-list celebrities are expected to be there, too, including Charli XCX, Idris Elba, Sydney Sweeney and Paul Mescal.

See a concert all over

Here are a few of the concerts happening in our region this week. For a bigger list of shows throughout the fall, check out my concert list.

• September 4: Alexander Bella, Pat Rees and Matt Spafford, Live on Elgin, Ottawa
• September 4: LH Express, Carleton Place Gallery
• September 4: The Lightfoot Band, Brockville Arts Centre, Brockville
• September 5: Hunks and Punks, Rainbow Bistro, Ottawa
• September 5: Townes with Arthritis Kid and Danny Depanneur, Live on Elgin, Ottawa
• September 6: Great/Scott (AC/DC tribute), Rainbow Bistro, Ottawa
• September 6: Amos the Transparent, Neat Coffee Shop, Burnstown
• September 7: Refreshing Crystal Hour, Live on Elgin, Ottawa
• September 7: Country Rocks, StoneCropAcres Winery + Vineyard, Morrisburg

Nosh on barbecue in Kingston

At the Kingston Ribfest and Craft Beer Show (September 5 to 7), you can buy chicken and ribs barbecued by five top ribbers, along with other treats like ice cream, corn on the cob, funnel cakes and craft beer. This event at Memorial Centre Park (303 York Street, Kingston) includes a kids’ fun zone and lots of live music, too. Admission is free, but the kids’ zone requires tickets or an all-day wristband.

Admire fancy flowers in Manotick

The Manotick Horticultural Society is holding its Fall Horticultural and Design Show on the lawn of Dickinson House (1127 Mill Street, Manotick) from 9:30am to 3pm on Saturday, September 6.

Sip soup in suburban Montreal

Do you like soup? I mean, really like soup? Then the Festival de la Soupe de Vaudreuil-Soulanges (on the west side of Montreal) on Sunday, September 7, will be your cup of chowder. You can taste all kinds of soups by local chefs and vote for your favourite, while enjoying entertainment in Parc historique Pointe-du-Moulin (2500, boulevard Don-Quichotte, Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot) on the shore of the St. Lawrence. The soup fest runs from noon until 4pm, and admission is free.

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 10 to 14: CityFolk, Ottawa
• September 12 to 14: Orléans Ribfest and Poutine
• September 13: Taste of Manotick
• September 13: Black and Bluegrass Festival, North Gower
• September 13: Downtown Music Festival, Smiths Falls
• September 13: Carleton Place Porchfest
• September 18 to 21: Asinabka Film and Media Arts Festival, Ottawa
• September 18 to 21: Cranium Festival, Ottawa
• September 18 to 21: Kingston Writersfest
• September 19 and 20: Kanata Craft Beer Festival
• September 19 to 21: Great India Festival, Ottawa
• 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?

If you’re planning to head to any of these events and you need accommodation, why not use the map below to find a place to stay? If you book a place (anywhere in the world!) using the map, I’ll receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting this site!

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.