So, did you enjoy spring before it instantly morphed into summer? 🤣
Whatever the weather brings us this week, there will be lots of ways to enjoy it, indoors and out. From street parties in Hull and Glen Robertson to a circus festival in Ottawa, a bike fest in Montreal, book sales and plant sales, ballet and line dancing, lilacs and monster trucks, and ribs, comedy and the Great Glebe Garage Sale, I’ve found more than 50 reasons to hop on your bike or into the car and do some exploring. Enjoy!
Table of contents
- Go to a carnival in Smiths Falls
- Get hypnotized in Gatineau
- Learn to dance in Ottawa or Vankleek Hill
- Browse for bargains in the Glebe and Carleton Place
- Dig into some ribs in Kanata
- Catch a concert all over
- Enjoy ballet in Cornwall
- Buy some new plants in Vanier, Orleans or Vankleek Hill
- Attend a powwow in Ottawa
- Paddle for prizes in Spencerville
- Walk for a good cause in Ottawa
- Catch a burlesque show in the ByWard Market or Perth
- See a play in Ottawa, Almonte, Cornwall or Montreal
- Revel at a free festival in Hull
- Go to a farmers' market in Metcalfe, Navan, Orléans or Smiths Falls
- Enjoy gourmet food at a glam gala in Ottawa
- Learn about sustainability in Westport
- Buy books in Ottawa
- See a fire truck and superheroes in Chénéville
- Head to a party in Glen Robertson
- Love those lilacs in Franktown and Prince Edward County
- Go shopping in Val-des-Monts or Kingston
- Marvel at circus performers in Ottawa
- See LGBTQ movies in Toronto
- Bike 'til you drop in Montreal
- Enjoy a drag brunch in the Glebe
- Get geeky in Napanee
- Thrill to monster trucks in Kanata or Kingston
- Have some laughs in Ottawa
Go to a carnival in Smiths Falls
The Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum is hosting a Spring Carnival on Sunday, May 24, from 11am to 2pm. The fun will including a barbecue, live music, a bouncy castle, vendors, a petting zoo and more.
Get hypnotized in Gatineau
Convinced you can’t be hypnotized? Are you willing to put that conviction to the test? Messmer, who bills himself as the World Master of Hypnosis, brings his new show 13Hz to Salle Odyssée in Gatineau on Wednesday, May 20. He once hypnotized 1,066 people simultaneously, so consider yourself warned.
Learn to dance in Ottawa or Vankleek Hill
Every Thursday night at Beau’s Brewing Co. in Vankleek Hill, you can learn how to kick up your heels with country line dancing lessons. The next one is on Thursday, May 21.
The National Arts Centre is hosting a free house dance class on the afternoon of Sunday, May 24. DJ John Arano will be spinning the tunes and dancer Sarah Lee (AKA Tangent) will be teaching the moves.
Browse for bargains in the Glebe and Carleton Place
You can choose from two community-wide garage sales on Saturday, May 23: the Great Glebe Garage Sale in Ottawa’s downtown Glebe neighbourhood and the Carleton Place Community-Wide Garage Sale. Find links and more in my garage sales post.
Dig into some ribs in Kanata
This weekend’s Kanata RibFest and Mac My Cheese Fest (May 22 to 24) offers live entertainment, craft beer and, of course, lots of gooey ribs and mac-and-cheese. And free parking! It’s all happening at the Community Hub at 400 March Road.
Catch a concert all over
It’s another packed week of live music all over the region. A series called The NXT LVL will be showcasing local acts in several Ottawa venues. Big Sugar at the Bronson Music Theatre in Ottawa, and Monkey Rock Music is doing back-to-back shows at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield. The NAC Orchestra is playing three nights of Latin music, Country Boys are at the Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau, Phil Jenkins is at the Motel Chelsea, and there’s an AC/DC tribute show in Perth. For links to these and many more shows, see my concerts post.
Enjoy ballet in Cornwall
On Sunday, May 24, Ballet Jörgen will be performing its version of William Shakespeare’s classic comedy of love and magic, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Danced to Mendelssohn’s famous score, this production has a Canuck twist: It’s set in Canada’s North. This afternoon matinée performance is taking place at the Aultsville Theatre.
Buy some new plants in Vanier, Orleans or Vankleek Hill
On Saturday, May 23, Orleans Blooms is happening at a new location: St. Helen’s Anglican Church. The new spot will offer indoor space for vendors. This fundraiser for the Kin Club of Orleans will include a plant sale, gardening presentations, a barbecue, kids’ activities, and a local art and crafts market.
That same day, there’s a vegetable seedling sale at 433 Pauline Charron Place in Vanier from 10am to 2pm. Available plants will include tomato, cucumber, zucchini, pepper, eggplant, ground cherry, kale, lettuce and Swiss chard, as well as herbs and flowers.
Also on Saturday, the Vankleek Hill & District Horticultural Society will be holding its annual plant sale fundraiser. It’s taking place from 9am to noon at 38 Main Street in Vankleek Hill, across from the post office. The organizers promise there will be LOTS of indoor and outdoor plants, at very reasonable prices—and you can get your tools sharpened.
Attend a powwow in Ottawa
The Odawa Traditional Powwow is taking place at the Odawa Native Friendship Centre on St. Laurent Boulevard on May 23 and 24, with traditional Indigenous dances, drumming, storytelling, music and cuisine.
Paddle for prizes in Spencerville
The Spencerville Mill Canoe Poker Run will see canoeists and kayakers take to the South Nation River at 9am on Saturday, May 23, and paddle to Spencerville. Prizes are up for grabs, paddlers get lunch at the end of the race, and the money raised goes to the Spencerville Mill and Museum.
Walk for a good cause in Ottawa
Tulipathon 2026, taking place in Commissioners’ Park on Sunday, May 24, includes a 1.5K walk and a 3K walk. Both raise funds for the Multifaith Housing Initiative, which builds affordable housing in Ottawa.
Catch a burlesque show in the ByWard Market or Perth
The Rainbow Bistro in the ByWard Market is hosting Eve of Sin, an evening of burlesque drag and variety, on Thursday, May 21. And Perth is getting saucy this weekend with Rouge Light District’s evening of burlesque at the Station Theatre (Saturday, May 23).
See a play in Ottawa, Almonte, Cornwall or Montreal
At least two plays are opening in our region this week: the Gen X musical The Perfect Time in Almonte and the farce A Fox on the Fairway in Cornwall. And four plays will wrap up their runs this week: The Birds and the Bees at Ottawa Little Theatre, Fun Home at the Gladstone, The Heart of Robin Hood at Kanata’s Ron Maslin Playhouse, and Wine and Halva in Montreal. For details on these and many upcoming plays, see my theatre post.
Revel at a free festival in Hull
Today, I learned a new-to-me French word! Organizers of the free Saucette and Showssettes festival (May 21 to 24) encourage attendees to “put on your best gougounes.” Gougounes? A quick Google search revealed that gougounes means “flip-flops.” Bring on summer, I say! The organizers also promise “musical performances, drag shows, giant karaoke, live podcasts and activities for the whole family.” The festival is happening on rue Laval in the downtown Hull sector of Gatineau.
Go to a farmers’ market in Metcalfe, Navan, Orléans or Smiths Falls
Four farmers’ markets in our region are opening for the season this week, in Orléans (May 21), Smiths Falls (May 22), Metcalfe (May 23) and Navan (May 24). For links and information, see my farmers’ markets post.
Enjoy gourmet food at a glam gala in Ottawa
An Evening of Warrange is a gala evening of fine food taking place at Ottawa’s Hellenic Events Centre on Tuesday, May 19. Wondering what “warrange” is? The theme honours local community fundraiser Warren Creates, who—in addition to founding the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival and the Can-Go Afar Foundation—is known for wearing orange! The evening will include dishes from six Ottawa chefs, live entertainment, a tribute presentation, and silent and live auctions.
Learn about sustainability in Westport
EcoFest Westport (Saturday, May 23) includes talks, tours and a hike, all related to environmentally conscious ideas. You can learn about invasive species, carbon-neutral housing, a local dark skies initiative and more. There will be a full slate of live music, too. The talks and tunes will be at the Cove Inn in Westport.
Buy books in Ottawa
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, May 23. Thousands of gently used books, CDs and DVDs will be available at good prices.
Also on Saturday, the first-ever Ottawa Book Expo is coming to the Rideauview Community Centre. You can meet local authors, and shop for books and book-related items.
Local mystery authors Lis Angus, Brenda Chapman, Ross Fatori, C.J. Fournier, Mike Martin and Michelle Young will be giving readings and signing copies of their books at the Indigo store in South Keys on Sunday, May 24.
See a fire truck and superheroes in Chénéville
La Journée des Héros (Sunday, May 24) is a celebration of heroes real and imaginary in Chénéville. Firefighters and other municipal safety, health and prevention professionals will be giving demonstrations, and entertainers dressed as superheroes will be keeping the crowd amused. A DeLorean like the car from Back to the Future will be there, too. Free admission.
Head to a party in Glen Robertson
Meet Me on Main Street is a series of summer parties that take place in communities across Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry each summer. The first one of the season is happening in Glen Robertson (about an hour and 15 minutes southeast of Ottawa) on Friday, May 22. Enjoy a barbecue and drinks, along with live music by Backtracks.
Love those lilacs in Franktown and Prince Edward County
I have two ways for you to celebrate the sweet scent of spring this weekend. Not far from Ottawa, the Franktown Lilac Festival in Lanark County (Saturday, May 23) features a breakfast, live music, children’s activities, a craft market, a silent auction, a Highland dancing demonstration and wagon rides, among other fun.
A bit further afield, the Rotary Lilac Ride (Sunday, May 24) lets you choose a 25K, 50K or 100K bike route through lilac-laden Prince Edward County.
Go shopping in Val-des-Monts or Kingston
On May 23 and 24, Arts-aux-Parcs is a two-day arts fair at Ecole du Sommet in Val-des-Monts, Quebec. The free event will feature 55 artists.
In downtown Kingston, you can enjoy Art After Dark on Friday, May 22, when art galleries will be open late and you can check them out on a free walking tour. And on Sunday, May 24, there will be an outdoor vintage market on Montreal Street, between Princess and Queen.
Marvel at circus performers in Ottawa
The Ottawa Circus Festival is coming to Arts Court (2 Daly Avenue) and Aerial Antics (2215 Gladwin Crescent) this weekend (May 22 to 24). You can see performances and competitions, and if you fancy trying your hand at a bit of circus artistry yourself, there will be workshops on handstand techniques, aerial hoop dynamics and other skills.
See LGBTQ movies in Toronto
There’s much, much more to the world of movie relationships than boy meets girl—and you can see lots of those movies all in one city. Inside Out: Toronto LGBT Film Festival (May 22 to 31)—a celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender movies—is the largest such event in Canada and one of the five top LGBT film fests in the world.
Bike ’til you drop in Montreal
The Montreal Go Bike Festival (May 24 to 31) gives you the chance to take several bike tours of the island of Montreal on car-free streets.
Enjoy a drag brunch in the Glebe
Irene’s Pub in the Glebe is hosting Capital Kingdom’s All Ages Drag King Brunch on Sunday, May 24, with family-friendly fun. Meals are available for purchase (separately).
Get geeky in Napanee
Napanee ComiCon at the Best & Bash Arena (Saturday, May 23) is your chance to revel in all things comic related. Browse for comic books, toys, DVDs, jewellery, anime and more. Cosplay is encouraged, as are donations of non-perishable food. Special guests will include comic artist Dan Day, YTV host Scott Yaphe and movie maker/musician Brett Kelly.
Thrill to monster trucks in Kanata or Kingston
If you like big trucks and you missed the chance to see some in Navan last weekend, you’re in luck. Monster Spectacular, one of the country’s biggest monster truck shows, will be at the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata on Saturday, May 23, and at Slush Puppie Place in Kingston on Sunday, May 24.
Have some laughs in Ottawa
If you’re in the mood for a night of comedy, your choices this week in Ottawa include Jessica Kirson at the Bronson Music Theatre (Friday, May 22), Chris Tucker at the Hard Rock Casino (Sunday, May 24), headliner Jason Blanchard with MC Ben Walker at Absolute Comedy (May 18 to 24), and a comedy fundraiser for Biscuits and Purrs Cat Rescue at Yuk Yuk’s (Sunday, May 24).
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.
