57+ things to see and do in and around Ottawa, April 20 to 26

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I think this is my biggest calendar of events so far in 2026! Take your pick from events galore, including 50th anniversary celebrations for both the Festival of the Maples in Perth and Théâtre de l’Îe in Gatineau; poutine festivals in Orléans and Renfrew; Earth Day events all over; a guided forest walk near Eganville; the season home opener of Atlético Ottawa; an outdoor and adventure show at the Nepean Sportsplex; a sustainability fair in Kemptville and an art show in Merrickville; and much, much more. Plus (shamelessly biased plug), you can see my husband Paul in a play at the Gladstone Theatre! Have fun, wherever the road leads you.

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Plan your outdoor adventures at an Ottawa show

The Ottawa Outdoor and Adventure Travel Show at the Nepean Sportsplex (April 25 and 26) will offer inspiration galore for outdoorsy types. Shop for camping gear, kayaks, e-bikes, SUPs and more from a wide range of vendors, and learn about outdoor travel destinations and family fun ideas at free presentations. Admission and parking are free, too.

Toast a theatre anniversary in Gatineau

Four Gatineau craft breweries have cooperated to create a new beer to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Théâtre de l’île in the Hull sector of Gatineau. They’ll be launching the beer at a free event at the theatre on Tuesday, April 21. Along with a free tasting, you can enjoy DJ tunes and improv theatre. Families are welcome.

Celebrate all things maple in Perth

The Festival of the Maples in Perth on Saturday, April 25, caps a month-long celebration of all things maple in Lanark County. This is the festival’s 50th anniversary, and the attractions will include a vendors’ street fair, an antique and classic car display, lumberjack shows, a climbing wall, and live music.

Catch a game at TD Place

Soccer fans, take note: Atlético Ottawa takes on Vancouver FC in its season home opener on Sunday, April 26, at TD Place.

If hockey’s more your speed, the PWHL’s Ottawa Charge take on the Toronto Sceptres at the Arena at TD Place on Saturday, April 22.

Dine well in Perth and Prince Edward County

Looking to save money but still dine well? This is your last week to catch two restaurant promotions.

Perthalicious (April 8 to 22) will give you the chance to do just that. Throughout the two-week promotion, 15 Perth restaurants will be offering deals on special three-course prix fixe menus. It’s a great chance to try a new-to-you restaurant or revisit an old favourite.

Similarly, Countylicious (April 9 to 26) is a chance to get a good deal on good food in Prince Edward County. Over a dozen restaurants are offering multi-course prix fixe menus for lunch, dinner or both, starting at $20 per person, excluding gratuities.

Compete in a paddling race in Richmond

Despite its name, the Jock River Canoe Race (Saturday, April 25) is open to paddle craft of all kinds, including canoes, kayaks and SUPs. The 12.5-kilometre friendly race starts just south of Munster and ends at Jock River Park in Richmond. Wondering what the course is like? Check out a paddler’s-eye view of one of the river’s rapids in the video above.

Learn about the St. Lawrence River in Cornwall

The SD&G Historical Society’s Winter Speakers Series wraps up on Tuesday, April 21, with a talk by Cornwall Community Museum curator and local historian Don Smith. He will provide glimpses of the people, businesses, events and geographic features along the river that have shaped Cornwall, from Indigenous peoples and Loyalists to the construction of the Cornwall Canal and the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Sing your heart out in Ottawa

Do you love to sing but fear you’re not good at it? Would you enjoy singing with others? Then the Pitch ImPerfect Singers may have the event for you. The group regularly convenes at Trinity United Church Ottawa on Maitland Avenue to sing together, and everyone is welcome. No experience required! On Tuesday, April 21, the theme is Weather We Like It or Not. All the songs will have some sort of weather theme—perfect for April, when the weather seems to change about 10 times a day.

Head to a film festival in Ottawa or Toronto

The Irish Film Festival Ottawa (April 24 to 26) at the Canadian Museum of Nature celebrates independent Irish movies. It’s a great chance to catch the comedy-drama Horseshoe (about four siblings battling over their father’s estate) and a slate of other Irish films.

The Latin American Film Festival (April 24 to May 16) begins this week at Saint Paul University on Main Street in Old Ottawa East. Movies this week come from Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Argentina and Peru. Admission is free, but you should go online to reserve a ticket.

This year, the more than 113 featured documentaries from 47 countries at Toronto’s Hot Docs Festival (April 23 to May 3) focus on everything from a girls’ book club in Kabul to the music of Judas Priest. There’s even a surreal film about a talking Czech cow.

Enjoy a ladies’ night in Carp

The theme of this year’s Carp Agricultural Society’s Ladies’ Night is Carptucky Derby. The evening at the Carp Fairgrounds on Friday, April 24, will include a dinner and live music.

See a magic show in Pembroke

Enchanted Wonders: A Family Magic Show is coming to Festival Hall @ L’Équinoxe in Pembroke on Sunday, April 26. The show features four Canadian entertainers who have performed in venues as diverse as the Canadian National Exhibition, the Calgary Stampede and Disney cruise ships.

Learn about sustainability in Kemptville

The North Grenville Sustainability Fair and EV Show comes to the North Grenville Municipal Centre in Kemptville on Sunday, April 26. Learn about electric vehicles, ways to green your home, and other local eco-friendly products and services. There will be activities for kids, too. Admission is free.

Shop for art and celebrate spring in Manotick

Members of the Manotick Art Association will be showing and selling their works at the Inspirations art show and sale from April 24 to 26, at the Manotick Curling Centre. There will be live music on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, too. Admission is free, but the organizers will be collecting cash donations for the Manotick Food Cupboard.

Also in Manotick, the Manotick Village Spring Fling (Saturday, April 25) promises to be a day of live music, demonstrations, shopping and family fun. Restaurants will be offering special menu items and stores will be doing promotions.

See a play in Ottawa or Winchester

There are all sorts of plays on stages around the region this week. They include a double-feature of one-act plays at The Gladstone in Ottawa: Crackers, the story of two parrots who don’t get along, trapped in the same cage, and Debate Debacle, about a prime minister who is catastrophically overconfident (my husband is playing the PM!). You can also catch Renovations for Six, a Norm Foster comedy about a dinner party gone wrong, in Osgoode; a comedy about crime-solving seniors, Four Old Broads, in Winchester; and a French-language play, Agamemnon in the Ring, that blends Greek mythology and Québecois wrestling, at the NAC. Check my theatre guide for more information on these and many other plays.

Make an art journal in Stittsville

If you love journalling—or simply doodling!—you might be interested in a journalling meetup at the Stittsville Branch of the Ottawa Public Library on the afternoon of Saturday, April 25. Bring your own notebooks and art supplies (some supplies will also be provided). Space is limited, so you need to register in advance.

Enjoy a music festival in Ottawa

The Ottawa Grassroots Festival (April 23 to 26) is a family-friendly event featuring folk, Indigenous and Franco-Ontarian music. Concerts take place at the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa in McKellar Park and artists include Les Bilinguish Boys, Alysha Brilla and Meredith Moon. Daytime shows are free; for other shows, you’ll need to buy a ticket.

The Ottawa Piano Festival (April 24 to May 3) sees piano students showing off their keyboard skills at Woodroffe United Church.

Join a guided walk near Eganville

The Ottawa Valley Chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society is hosting a guided walk at the Shaw Woods Outdoor Education Centre near Eganville on Saturday, April 25. It will include the Old Growth Trail, where you can see giant hemlocks that are over 200 years old. The walk will also include the East Side Trail, where you might spot migrating waterfowl from a lookout above Shaw Pond.

See Stars on Ice at the Canadian Tire Centre

I know lots of people are caught up in the Senators’ playoff run, but I’m not talking about those stars on ice. Instead, Stars on Ice is a figure skating extravaganza coming to the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata on Sunday, April 26. It features lots of world champions and Olympians, including Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, Elvis Stojko and Kaetlyn Osmond, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud, and Madeline Schizas. (If you can’t make it to the Ottawa show, the tour also lands at Place Bell in Laval on April 30.)

Catch a concert

Live music abounds in our region this week, from Glass Tiger at the Théâtre du Casino and Jane Siberry at the National Arts Centre to Men of the Deeps at Centrepointe, Kristen Martell at Motel Chelsea, and Tom Allen and Friends in Perth. Terra Spencer is doing three shows, at Red Bird in Old Ottawa South, Little Red Wagon Winery in Shawville and the MERA Schoolhouse in McDonald’s Corners. But if you wanted to see viral sensations Angine de Poitrine in Gatineau, you’re out of luck—that show is sold out. Avoid future disappointments of that nature by checking out my concerts post, which lists shows coming up this week and in the next few months.

Learn about permaculture gardening in Wakefield

Éco-Odyssée Nature Park in Wakefield is offering a three-hour workshop on outdoor garden preparation on Saturday, April 25. Participants will learn the basic principles of permaculture gardening.

Browse for art in Ottawa

On April 24 and 25, the Out-of-the-Box artist collective will be holding Fibre Fling 2026—a show and sale of their fibre and mixed media art—at Kitchissippi United Church on Island Park Drive in Ottawa.

Mark Earth Day in downtown Ottawa, Stittsville, Arnprior or Smiths Falls

Earth Day is happening this year on Wednesday, April 22, and there are lots of ways to mark it. Here are just a few.

A digital exhibition called The Creativity of Plants opens at the Ottawa Art Gallery on Earth Day. It brings together works by 31 artists from 21 countries and invites visitors to reflect on the resilience, intelligence, adaptability and enduring presence of plants.

The Friends of Stittsville Wetlands are hosting a forum called All About Turtles at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Stittsville on Earth Day. As well as raising public awareness about turtles and conservation, the event is designed to gauge interest in a proposed turtle conservation program for the Goulbourn Wetland Complex and Poole Creek. You can attend in person or by livestream, and advance registration is required.

Also on April 22, Cold Bear Brewing Co. in Arnprior will be hosting an Earth Day Clothing Swap, from 6pm to 9pm. If you drop off clothing contributions in advance, you’ll receive a 10% off coupon. (Hat tip to The Ottawan for bringing this event to my attention.)

And on the same day in Smiths Falls, you can tour the grounds of the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum, which lead down to the Old Slys Rapids on the Rideau River. Along the way, you’ll learn a bit about local geography and flora.

Dig into poutine in Orléans or Renfrew

It must be spring, because poutine festival season has started! Everyone’s favourite cheese-curd treat will be the star of this weekend’s Orléans PoutineFest and Street Food Frenzy (April 24 to 26). There will be live music, food trucks and more to amuse you, too. It’s all rolling out on Centrum Boulevard (just east of Place d’Orléans).

You can also enjoy cheesy, gravy-doused fries of all descriptions at Renfrew Poutine Feast (April 23 to 26). It’s happening at Haramis Park near the Renfrew tourist information centre, off Highway 60 just south of Highway 17.

Go to a home show in Prescott

The Prescott Spring Home and Trade Show (April 23 to 25) will feature 80 vendors indoors each day, as well as artisans outdoors on Saturday. It’s taking place at the Leo Boivin Community Centre in Prescott.

Have some laughs in Ottawa or Kingston

Also this week, Women Fully Clothed is coming to Kingston Grand Theatre on Friday, April 24. It features Jayne Eastwood (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Hairspray, Dawn of The Dead, The Santa Clause), Teresa Pavlinek (Doc, Workin’ Moms), Kathy Greenwood (Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Ghosts) and Robin Duke (Saturday Night Live, SCTV, Schitt’s Creek), entertaining the audience with funny sketches and songs.

Make your own kombucha in Athens

Kombucha is a fermented, carbonated drink made from tea, fruit, botanicals and spices. If you’d like to learn to make it, you can sign up for a two-hour afternoon workshop at the Glen Elbe Learning Centre in Athens on Saturday, April 25.

Hit a comic convention in Ottawa or Cornwall

Attention, comic book fans: The Capital Comic Book Convention is returning to the RA Centre in Ottawa on Sunday, April 26. Vendors will include comic artists, writers and publishers, as well as collectors and retailers.

The Cornwall and Area Pop Event—better known as CAPE—comes to the Benson Centre in Cornwall on April 25 and 26. Focusing on comics, SF and fantasy, the event will feature guests such as Tyler Johnston and Evan Stern from Letterkenny, Sarah Voigt and Casey Hartnett from Terrifier 2, and Justin Paul Kelly and Scott McCord from PAW Patrol.

Shop for books all over

In Renfrew, the Canadian Federation of University Women is holding a huge used book sale at Renfrew Collegiate Institute on Friday, April 24 (4pm to 9pm) and Saturday, April 25 (9am to 2pm). Sadly, after 65 years, this will be the last year for the sale, so if you’ve ever thought about checking it out, this is your year.

This is also the weekend of the popular Rockcliffe Park Spring Book Sale at the Rockcliffe Park Recreation Centre (April 25 and 26).

The Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association is holding its monthly mammoth book sale at the James Bartleman Archives and Library Materials Centre in Nepean on Saturday, April 25. Thousands of gently used books (including lots of graphic novels), CDs and DVDs will be available at good prices.

And Saturday, April 25, is Canadian Independent Bookstore Day. Indie bookstores across the country will be celebrating the event with special events and deals. During the Ottawa Indie Bookstore Crawl (April 24 to 26), you can qualify for a draw for gift certificates for local bookstores by visiting seven local bookshops. And if you buy a book from a participating bookstore on April 25, you can also enter a national draw for a $1,000 gift card to be used at the indie bookstore of your choice! (There are also four $200 prizes to be won.)

Immerse yourself in ideas in Montreal

Blue Metropolis (April 23 to 26) is a huge multilingual event in Montreal that bills itself as a celebration of books and ideas. This year, the theme is Words for Understanding One Another. Even though the “official” in-person event lasts just four days in late April, there are virtual online events as well, beginning on April 13.

Run (or watch) a race in Kingston or Cornwall

Itching to get out for a good run after a long winter? You can choose from a selection of in-person races (from a 2K for kids to a half-marathon) during the Limestone Race Weekend in Kingston (April 25 and 26). To participate, you must register online by April 22; no same-day registrations will be available.

On Saturday, April 25, the St. Lawrence Marathon is a Boston-qualifier marathon along the St. Lawrence River shore, between Morrisburg and Cornwall. All of its races (which also include a 5K, 10K and half-marathon) are sold out, but you could cheer for racers along the scenic route.

Discover local vendors in Fitzroy Harbour, Winchester, Kemptville and Almonte

At the Local Business Expo at the Joel Steele Community Centre in Winchester on Saturday, April 25, you can check out products and services offered by 100 local vendors. There will be live musical performances and a fashion show, too, as well as a touch-a-truck attraction and magic shows for kids.

Also on Saturday, you can check out the St. Michael’s Spring Craft Show at St. Michael’s Catholic High School in Kemptville, or the Fitzroy Harbour Spring Market at the Fitzroy Harbour Community Centre.

And on Sunday, April 26, the Craft and Colour Vendor Market at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in Almonte showcases artisans who are Black, Indigenous or people of colour.

See a new ballet at the National Arts Centre

The National Ballet of Canada commissioned choreographers Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber to create a new, full-length production to open its 2025–26 season. Procession explores the ritual of moving together in formation, to a newly arranged, Baroque-inspired-yet-modern score. The National Ballet will bring the production to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa from April 23 to 25.

Bid on wines at the Chateau Laurier

Looking to add to your wine cellar and to support a good cause while you do it? Then consider the Ottawa Wine Auction on Friday, April 24. You can attend in person at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel in Ottawa or on Zoom. Proceeds support the Music & Beyond festival.

Test your trivia chops at the Vanier sugar shack

How’s your knowledge of all things francophone? You can put it to the test at a quiz night at the Vanier sugar shack on Thursday, April 23. The theme is Franco Fun and there will be prizes! Admission is free.

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.