39+ fun things to do in and around Ottawa, January 26 to February 1

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If you’d like to get outside in the fresh (frosty?) air this week, you can ski or snowshoe by moonlight, skate on an outdoor rink with Kurt Browning, or enjoy a raft of winter festivals (including the opening weekend of Winterlude). Prefer to stay cozy indoors? Check out a home renovations show, dig into a bowl of poutine or mac ‘n’ cheese, join an indoor walking group at the National Gallery, go to a mini pow wow, see Swan Lake, or taste dishes from top chefs. Wherever your travels take you, dress warmly and drive safely!

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Get home reno ideas in Ottawa

If you’re planning to do some renovations in 2025, the Ottawa Home and Remodelling Show (January 29 to February 1) at the EY Centre should be a great place to get some inspiration.

See top chefs compete (and sample their dishes) in Ottawa

The Canadian Culinary Championship returns to Ottawa this weekend. In three events spread across two days (January 30 and 31), you can watch 10 chefs from across the country compete for the top prize—and taste the results of their work! (Ottawa’s contender is Jason Sawision from Stofa.) The weekend starts with a Mystery Wine competition at the Rogers Centre on Friday night. On Saturday morning, there’s a Black Box challenge at La Cité. The championship wraps up with a Grand Finale at the Rogers Centre on Saturday night.

Eat chili in Hunt Club

Do you have a chili recipe that your family raves about? Or are you just feeling hungry? You could check out the Chili Cook-Off at Moose McGuire’s pub in Hunt Club on Sunday, February 1. Come prepared just to eat or to compete! If you want to vie for a cash prize, you’ll need five litres of chili and a slow cooker or other gadget to keep it warm.

Learn about Indigenous traditions in Ottawa and Gatineau

Pibòn Fest (January 30 to February 1) will showcase Indigenous culture with activities in Ottawa’s ByWard Market Square, in the ByWard Market Building and on George Street. The Assembly of Seven Generations event will include an Indigenous makers’ market, traditional hide tanning, live performances and a fashion show.

The following day, a Mini Pow Wow at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau will feature a Grand Entry opening ceremony, followed by drumming and dancing in many styles by participants of all ages. The event runs from 11am to 4pm on Sunday, February 1. You don’t have to buy a ticket to the museum to attend the free pow wow.

Skate with Kurt Browning in Gananoque

Canadian figure skating icon Kurt Browning and Olympic figure skating choreographer David Wilson will be in Gananoque on Wednesday, January 28, for a free event. After a one-hour outdoor skate starting at 6:30pm (weather permitting), the celebs will be doing a meet-and-greet indoors at the Lou Jeffries Arena. I hope the 2014 Kurt Browning video above gives you a smile and gets you in the skating mood!

Check out an LGBTQ film festival in Kingston or sale in Ottawa

In Kingston, the Reelout Queer Film Festival (January 29 to February 7) screens more than 65 movies in just about every genre, from comedy and drama to shorts and documentary. This year’s theme is “Exploring Space,” and many of the films explore what it means to hold, save and/or create spaces for communities that need them.  

The 2SLGBTQIA+ Valentine’s Day Market is getting a one-week jump on Valentine’s Day by taking place on Sunday, February 8, at the Glebe Community Centre. You can shop for food and other locally made products from local queer- and trans-owned small businesses.

Get metaphysical in Ottawa

The Ottawa Mystic Market at the Next Door event space at 955 Gladstone Avenue (January 31 and February 1) will give you the chance to shop for crystals, candles, home decor and clothing, and consult tarot card readers, psychics and others, all with a mystical bent.

Enjoy a winter carnival

Winter carnivals big and small are livening up communities near and far this weekend. As well as a little Ottawa celebration you may have heard of called Winterlude (January 30 to February 16), you can choose from the following (driving time from downtown Ottawa is in parentheses):

• Montague Township (0:55): Montague Winterfest, January 29 to February 1
• Moose Creek (0:45): Winterfest, January 30 to February 1
• Morewood (0:50): Winter Carnival, January 30 to February 1
• Lanark (1:00): Frosty Fling, January 30 to February 1
• White Lake (0:55): White Lake Winter Carnival, January 30
• Sarsfield (0:35): Carnaval Sarsfield, January 31 

P.S.: Don’t miss my big list of nearby winter carnivals for links to other winter festivals later in the season.

Have some laughs in Ottawa, or in and around Smiths Falls

Winter getting you down? It looks like a big weekend for comedy in the Smiths Falls area. You can cheer up with a night of pro standup comedy at The Tap Room in Smiths Falls on Friday, January 30. The following evening (Saturday, January 31), you can catch a Yuk Yuks comedy show at Rosedale Hall in Montague Township (just east of Smiths Falls).

Closer to home, you can catch American standup comedian and actor Eddie Griffin at the Hard Rock Casino Ottawa on Friday, January 30.

See a play in Ottawa or Kingston

Plays on stage this week include the first full-length production of One Small Misstep, a new sci-fi musical by local artists Sandy Gibson and Silas Chinsen (at the Gladstone Theatre) and “a multisensory theatre performance” called Créatures (at the National Arts Centre). See my theatre post for details on these and many other plays coming up this year.

Mark World Wetlands Day at Cooper Marsh

The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne’s (MCA) Environment Program, the Raisin Region Conservation Authority and their partners are celebrating World Wetlands Day on Saturday, January 31, from 10 am to 2 pm at Cooper Marsh Conservation Area in South Glengarry. At the free, family-friendly event, you can learn about wetlands through displays and activities, enjoy hot chocolate by a campfire, take a guided snowshoe tour, and more. Cooper Marsh is about 25 kilometres east of Cornwall.

Catch a concert

Lots of live music is on stage across the region this week, including Atlantic Firth at Ottawa’s Red Bird, Sophie Lukacs at Motel Chelsea, Voices Rock Medicine at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orléans, Lynn Miles with Keith Glass at The Pews in Merrickville, and Jay Thomas at Calabogie Peaks Resort. You can also catch a tribute show celebrating the music of the Eagles in Brockville. See my concerts post for links to these and many other shows.

Dig into poutine across Canada

It’s winter. It’s cold. It’s dark. What better time to console yourself with cheesy carbs, right? That must be the thinking behind La Poutine Week (February 1 to 7), which showcases poutine makers across Canada. Check out the La Poutine Week website to find a purveyor of poutine goodness near you. The list will be posted later this week, but it usually includes shops in Ottawa, Gatineau, Montreal and more.

Celebrate all things maple at Parc Oméga

Parc Oméga in Montbello is holding its annual Sugar Fest on January 31 and February 1 (12:30pm to 3:30pm each day). Festivities will include horse-drawn sleigh rides, a cross-cut sawing competition, face painting, music, and sales of taffy and other maple products.

Fun fact: To write this paragraph, I had to look up the French word godendard, used on the park’s Facebook post about the festival. According to Google, godendard has two meanings: either a fearsome 14th-century weapon used to spear knights off their horses or a Canadian cross-cut saw used by teams of two. I’m assuming Parc Oméga meant the cross-cut saw, but if you see any knights hobbling around the park this weekend, let me know.

Get fit at the National Gallery of Canada

The National Gallery of Canada is launching a free indoor walking program this week, on Friday, January 30. The one-hour walks start at 9:30am and are for all ages. While you’re there, why not check out the galleries after your walk? You’ll need to pay the admission fee, but it’s well worth it. The galleries are wonderful places to escape winter’s chill. (P.S.: I got this tip from the Ottawa Voyageurs Walking Club, a great group I belong to.)

Sample lots of mac and cheese in Brockville

If cold winter winds have you craving the carby comfort of a bowl of macaroni and cheese, you might be interested in the Downtown Brockville Mac ‘n’ Cheese Fest. Starting on Sunday, February 1, and continuing throughout February, the event will pit downtown Brockville restaurants against each other to see which can earn the title of best mac ‘n’ cheese purveyor. It’s my civic duty to try them all, right?

See student comic illustrations in Gatineau

Students at the Université du Québec en Outaouais have been working since the fall on a project with Mères au front, an organization of mothers and grandmothers working to protect the future for children in the face of climate change. On Wednesday, January 28, from 6pm to 8pm, the university is holding a vernissage of the comic art the students have created. The pieces touch on a range of environmental themes and will be on display at UQO’s Lucien Brault campus until February 1.

Check out a flea market at Lansdowne Park

At Lansdowne Park, 613flea is back with another busy indoor market on Saturday, January 31, featuring 150 vendors selling hand-made items, antiques, vintage clothing, foods and one-of-a-kind products. (Note that this market was originally scheduled for last week but was postponed due to the extreme cold. The forecast looks slightly more promising this week—as I write this on Tuesday, the projected windchill in the morning on January 31 is only -25C! Woo hoo!)

Ski by moonlight in Orleans or near Morrisburg

On Saturday, January 31, the Friends of the Sanctuary are organizing a ski and snowshoe by moonlight night at the Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary, 14 kilometres east of Morrisburg. Cost is $5 per person, and equipment rentals are available. No advance registration needed. Arrive by 6:45pm.

The following evening, Ski Heritage East is running an evening of cross-country skiing on its trails in Ottawa’s east end. Admission is by donation, with funds going toward trail maintenance. It starts from the Roy G. Hobbs Community Centre at the north end of Champlain Street in Orleans at 7pm.

See Swan Lake in Brockville

An international troupe of dancers is bringing their production of the classic Tchaikovsky ballet Swan Lake to the Brockville Arts Centre for one night only on Friday, January 30.

Get happy at the Ottawa Art Gallery or Lansdowne Park

Wouldn’t we all like to be a little bit happier? An organization called Happiness Habits 613 is offering a free happiness workshop and open studio at the Ottawa Art Gallery on Sunday, February 1. The afternoon event will give participants tips and tools for cultivating healthy, achievable habits. Admission is free but advance registration is required.

The same organization is also sponsoring a free strength and mobility workout by Studio Twitch in the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park. It starts at noon on Sunday, February 1. Free tickets are available online.

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.