Fall is harvest season and, wow, do I ever have a great crop of things for you to see and do this week! As well as three Oktoberfests, about half a dozen studio tours, five plays and two music festivals, this week’s list includes a food truck festival in Renfrew, a writers’ festival in Kingston, Pumpkinferno at Upper Canada Village and the Metcalfe Fair. Plus, I’ve found a pumpkin-flinging event in Seeley’s Bay, a walk with cows in Cornwall and an archaeological dig in Quyon! Truly, there’s something for everyone this week.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Go to a fundraising dance in Arnprior
- Enjoy supper for a good cause in Carp or Perth
- Walk with cows in Cornwall
- Get crafty in Lombardy
- Attend a vernissage at Carleton or in Orléans
- Browse at a fall market in Renfrew, Rideau Ferry or Spencerville
- Learn about the history of Russell
- Run or walk for a good cause in Ottawa, Arnprior or Kingston
- Enjoy great concerts all over
- Tuck into food truck fare in Renfrew
- Say cheers at an Oktoberfest in Ottawa, Kemptville or Ladysmith
- Find inspiration for your home at the Cohere Centre
- See a play in Ottawa, McDonald's Corners, Gananoque or Pembroke
- Touch a truck in Navan
- Fling pumpkins in Seeley's Bay
- Participate in the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
- Get a scare in Ottawa, L'Orignal or Kingston
- Eat pancakes in Middleville
- Celebrate fall all over
- Go to a fair in Metcalfe
- Enjoy a writers' festival in Kingston
- Visit with artists in many places
- Harvest carrots in Ottawa
- Join a fall colours walk in Aylmer or Lanark
- Join an archeological dig in Quyon
- Learn about architecture in Ottawa
- Check out a plowing match in Oxford Mills
- CONTINUING EVENTS
- SAVE THE DATE
- NEED A PLACE TO STAY?
Go to a fundraising dance in Arnprior
The Fall for CHEO Fundraising Dance at the Arnprior Parish Hall (Friday, October 2) will feature food by The Cupboard, prizes and draws, kids’ activities, and live music by Ambush with special guests Arc of Fire. UPDATED
Enjoy supper for a good cause in Carp or Perth
KIN Vineyards is the venue for the Carp Village Harvest Supper on Saturday, October 3. After a meal featuring local meat and produce, there will be dancing under the stars to music by The Berns. It’s a fundraiser for the West Carleton Food Access Centre. UPDATED
Comfort & Joy is a fundraiser for The Table Community Food Centre in Perth on Saturday, October 3. Local chefs will be competing against each other to make the best comfort food dishes, and there will be live music and a raffle, too. Admission is pay what you can. UPDATED
Walk with cows in Cornwall
The title of Walk with Cows sums up the main attraction! On October 3 and 4 in Cornwall’s Lamoureux Park, you can walk with a cow. You can also check out a petting zoo, enjoy live music and nosh on food truck fare. It’s a fundraiser for a local animal sanctuary called Cowland (AKA Rick’s Ranch), where about 30 dairy cows are living out their lives in peace. UPDATED
Get crafty in Lombardy
Do you like to knit or crochet—or to buy lovely yarn creations made by others? Then don’t miss the Ottawa East Fibre Festival in Lombardy, just outside Smiths Falls, on October 3 and 4. Some 30 vendors will be on hand selling yarn, craft supplies, handmade items and more. UPDATED
Attend a vernissage at Carleton or in Orléans
An exhibition called Decolonize This Place, featuring 10 Indigenous artists, is open now at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orléans and runs until November 13. You can meet the artists at a vernissage on Friday, October 2, from 6pm to 8pm.
On Sunday, October 4, from 2pm to 4:30pm, the Carleton University Art Gallery is celebrating the launch of two fall exhibitions: Joi T. Arcand: ᑳᐃᓯᓈᑿᐦᑭᐃᑘᐏᓇ kā-isinākwahki itwēwina: The Shape of Words and Faisa Omer: Threading Roots. These are the first major solo shows in Ottawa for the two Ottawa-based artists. Arcand brings her snappy pop nostalgia style to asserting Cree identity and presence. Omer uses photography and textiles to reflect on the connections among family history, cultural inheritance and belonging. Both artists will be at the free event.
Browse at a fall market in Renfrew, Rideau Ferry or Spencerville
At the Handmade Harvest Market in Renfrew on Saturday, October 3, you can browse local vendors’ stalls for artwork, home décor, jewellery, clothing, bath and body products, specialty foods, and more. It runs from 11am to 4pm and admission is free; organizers will also be collecting donations of hygiene products and non-perishable food for the Renfrew District Food Bank.
CC’s on the Rideau in Rideau Ferry is hosting its outdoor Harvest Market on Saturday, October 3, from 10am to 3pm. Along with more than 25 local vendors, there will be food, drink and live music. The $2 entry fee goes to support Lanark County Interval House.
The Spencerville Autumn Market actually takes place just south of Spencerville at Edwardsburgh Cardinal Fire Station 1 on Sunday, October 4. As well as shopping for goods from local vendors, you can see firefighting demonstrations and nosh on barbecued goodies. UPdATED
Learn about the history of Russell
The Stories That Built Russell: Voices, History and Heritage is the title of a talk by three local historians at the Township of Russell Public Library on Saturday, October 3. The afternoon event is free, but registration is recommended.
Run or walk for a good cause in Ottawa, Arnprior or Kingston
This is the weekend for one of the capital’s biggest walk/run events, the Race for the Kids to raise money for CHEO. To participate in the 2K, 5K or 10K races at Wesley Clover Parks in Nepean on Sunday, October 4, you must register online in advance.
On Saturday, October 3, the L’Arche Arnprior Walk ‘n’ Roll is a 2K fundraising event for L’Arche, which supports people with intellectual disabilities. It starts at 10am and the Kenwood Corporate Centre.
Also on Saturday, October 3, the Best Buddies Friendship Walk is a 1K walk in Kingston to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It starts and ends at Lake Ontario Park. ALL UPDATED
Enjoy great concerts all over
The Ontario Festival of Small Halls is back, offering a packed schedule of concerts in intimate venues across Eastern Ontario starting on Friday, October 2, and continuing throughout the fall. Honestly, there are WAY too many concerts and locations to list here. Just to give you a taste of what’s happening on the first weekend, you can catch The White Buffalo in Almonte or Prescott, Ashley MacIsaac in Almonte or Kingston, Lloyd Spiegel with Bright Springs Community Fiddle Orchestra in Maberly, and East Coast Experience in Carleton Place. UPDATED
This is also the final weekend of the Prince Edward County Chamber Music Festival (October 2 to 4).
Aside from those festivals, here are some of the many other concerts happening in our region this week:
- October 1: Rheostatics, Ottawa
- October 2: Petr Cancura Quartet, Ottawa
- October 2: Bring Me the Horizon, Ottawa
- October 2: k.d. lang, Ottawa
- October 2: Thompson Live, Roxy’s Proxy and Clark Thomas, Osgoode (fundraiser for medical treatment)
- October 2: Jesse Cook, Gatineau
- October 2: Métis Kitchen Party (Amanda Rheaume, Jason Lepine, Lionel Desjarlais), Almonte
- October 2: Lukas Oak, Westport
- October 2 and 3: Fleetwood Mac Mania, Perth (tribute show)
- October 2 and 3: Million Dollar Quartet, Brockville (’50s and ’60s)
- October 3: Logan Staats, Ottawa
- October 3: Introspection, Gatineau (Pink Floyd tribute)
- October 3: LH Express, Wakefield
- October 4: OperOttawa, Ottawa (opera gala)
- October 4: Skye Consort and Emma Björling, Chelsea
Tuck into food truck fare in Renfrew
Do you like food truck goodies? Microbrews? Live acoustic music? Well, you’re in luck, because the Renfrew Craft Beer and Food Truck Festival offers all those things, and it rolls into Low Square in Renfrew on Saturday, October 3, from noon to 8pm. UPDATED
Say cheers at an Oktoberfest in Ottawa, Kemptville or Ladysmith
Even though October is just beginning, the Ottawa region’s Oktoberfest season is drawing to a close. Your last three chances (as far as I know) to raise a stein and enjoy some German-style food and music are happening in the Outaouais at Oktoberfest Ladysmith (October 2 to 4), at the Tavern on the Hill Oktoberfest in Ottawa on Saturday, October 3; and at Kemptville’s first-ever Oktoberfest, also on Saturday, October 3. UPDATED
Find inspiration for your home at the Cohere Centre
The Ottawa Fall Home Show (October 1 to 4) is back at the Cohere Centre (formerly the EY Centre) for four days of home-related talks and workshops. Speakers include Anita Murray of local housing website All Things Home, Patrick Barker of Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa, designer and HGTV host Sarah Richardson, and handyman Chris Palmer. Compare products from all sorts of suppliers, including contractors, HVAC companies, landscapers, pool installers, home decor retailers and many more. UPDATED
See a play in Ottawa, McDonald’s Corners, Gananoque or Pembroke
There’s a play for just about every taste this week. This is your last chance to catch the Norm Foster comedy The Long Weekend in Morrisburg or the bittersweet tale Wonderful Joe in Gananoque. You can also see The Cottage in Ottawa, Something Rotten! in Kemptville and Come From Away in Gananoque. For details on these and many other plays, see my theatre post. UPDATED
Touch a truck in Navan
If you have a mighty machine-obsessed child, you’ll want to rumble on over to the Robert Plante Greenhouses in Navan for a free Touch-a-Truck Event on Saturday, October 3. Kids of all ages—and adults, too, if they’re so inclined—can clamber in and out of some 20 oversized vehicles, including tractors, trucks and emergency vehicles. A coffee truck will be on hand serving up snacks and drinks, and you can shop for pumpkins, wreaths, fall plants and seasonal decor, too. The event runs from 9am to 2pm, and the last hour is a sensory-friendly hour. UPDATED
Fling pumpkins in Seeley’s Bay
Forman Farms in Seeley’s Bay is hosting a pumpkin smashing and corn maze event on October 3 and 4. As well as lofting pumpkins with a cannon or a trebuchet, and trying their luck in the corn maze, kids and their parents can enjoy face painting, pumpkin decorating, food truck fare and more. UPDaTED
Participate in the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Wednesday, September 30, is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Throughout our region and across Canada, communities and organizations will be holding events to reflect on the tragic impact of the Indigenous residential schools system and to honour survivors and the children who never came home. One of the biggest commemorations in Eastern Ontario is the Reconciliation Through Art event in Almonte (October 2 to 4), which features workshops, talks, a film screening, a jingle dress dancing presentation and more. For details on these and other events, as well as links to educational resources, see my post about the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. UPDATED
Get a scare in Ottawa, L’Orignal or Kingston
Capital Pop-Up Cinema’s slogan is “Bringing the Magic of Cinema to Unexpected Places Around the Ottawa Region.” And Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa’s Manor Park neighbourhood definitely fits the definition of “unexpected” movie venue! It’s the site of the movie series’ last screening of the season. On Saturday, October 3, the cemetery is hosting a unique movie double bill. First up at 6:30pm is a performance by Nick Schofield, a Gatineau-based electronic music artist. Next is a 1938 movie short, An Optical Poem, with Schofield providing live musical accompaniment. The main feature, a 1942 horror classic called The Mummy’s Tomb, starts at 7:30pm. Admission is free and no tickets are required. Bring your own lawn chair or rent one on site (supplies are limited). UPDATED
In the west end, Stittsville Haunted Heritage Tours will be putting fear into the hearts of participants on Friday and Saturday evenings until Saturday, November 7. UPDATED
The Haunted Walk is offering paranormal investigations at multiple locations across the region this fall, including the Billings Estate National Historic Site in Alta Vista, the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum and the L’Orignal Jail. Of course, the Haunted Walk also offers an ongoing series of ghost tours in Ottawa, Gatineau Park, Kingston and Toronto. UPDATED
Eat pancakes in Middleville
It’s a long way to go for breakfast, but if you’re in the Middleville area anyway, you might want to swing by the fairground for a pancake breakfast on Sunday, October 4.
Celebrate fall all over
The Old Ottawa South Community Association is holding its annual Fall Fest on Saturday, October 3, from noon to 4pm, in Windsor Park. Amusements will include games, crafts, live music and bouncy castles. Admission is free, and food and drink will be available for purchase. UPDATED
Just up the road in the Glebe, there will be a Harvest Block Party on Saturday, October 3, from 9am to 5pm. Centered on the intersection of Bank Street and Third Avenue, the free event will feature live music, dancing and fitness classes, arts and crafts, local vendors, and more.
Also on Saturday, October 3, Kiwan Farms (at the corner of Hunt Club and Hawthorne roads in Ottawa) is holding a Fall Harvest Festival from 10am to 3pm, with pumpkin painting, local vendors, a photo booth, food trucks and other fun. UPDATED
Pumpkinfest is a three-day celebration of all things fall in Carleton Place, from October 2 to 4. The fun includes line dancing, live music, wrestling, mini-golf, a pets and people parade, bouncy castles, circus shows, and much more. UPDATED
The Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum is hosting its Fall Fest on Sunday, October 4, from 11am to 2pm. Activities will include wagon rides, pumpkin carving, face painting, scavenger hunts, a bouncy castle, museum tours and a vendors’ market. UPDATED
At Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, everyone’s favourite display of thousands of elaborately carved artificial pumpkins is back. Pumpkinferno takes place throughout the reconstructed 1860s village, with eerie lights and spooky music adding to the fun. It runs on select nights until Saturday, October 1. Buy your tickets online to avoid disappointment, as this event is very popular. UPDATED
Go to a fair in Metcalfe
This might be your last chance this year to enjoy a local fall fair! The Metcalfe Fall Fair (October 1 to 4) features a midway, demolition derby, truck pull and pet show, plus live music and lots of other fun. UPDATED
Enjoy a writers’ festival in Kingston
Dozens of authors will be appearing at this year’s Kingston Writersfest (October 1 to 4), including Jody Wilson-Raybould, Ottawa’s own Kate Heartfield, and Glenn Dixon (his newest novel, The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances, captivated me earlier this year). Choose from a wide array of solo author talks, panel discussions, workshops and readings. UPDATED
Visit with artists in many places
Studio Space Ottawa is celebrating its seventh anniversary with a free open studio and art sale on October 2 and 3 at 2477-A Kaladar Avenue. The building is home to 41 studios and more than 50 artists, whom you can meet and see at work. UPDATED
The West Carleton Arts Society’s fall show and sale, Expressions of Art, is happening at the Carp Fairgrounds on October 3 and 4. It features the work of more than 30 local artists.
This is the second and final weekend of the Chelsea Wakefield Studio Tour (October 3 and 4), a wonderful opportunity to drop into artists’ studios while enjoying the beginning of the fall colours in the Gatineau Hills.
The Merrickville Artists Guild Studio Tour (October 3 and 4) features 24 artists spread across 13 locations in the picturesque Rideau Canal village.
In and around Eganville and Combermere, you can check out the fall edition of the Madawaska Valley Studio Tour (October 3 and 4).
The Kingston Art Tour (October 3 and 4) takes you to artists’ studios in Kingston and surrounding communities, such as Sydenham, Barriefield and Glenburnie.
And much further west, you can catch the first weekend of the Haliburton Highlands Studio Tour, in and around Haliburton (October 3 and 4, and October 10 and 11).
P.S.: If you like meeting artists and buying their works, don’t miss my big list of local studio tours. UPDATED
Harvest carrots in Ottawa
Carrot Fest continues on Saturday, October 3, at Ottawa Farm Fresh on Ramsayville Road (in the Greenbelt, just off the eastern end of Walkley Road). This is your last chance this season to help harvest more than 10,000 pounds (!) of organic carrots. Other fun at the festival includes live music and food; you can also shop in the farm store. UPDATED
Join a fall colours walk in Aylmer or Lanark
The Ottawa Voyageurs Walking Club is running a walk to enjoy the fall colours, starting at the Aylmer Marina on Saturday, October 3. You can choose from 5K, 8K and 10K routes, and the fee is $2 for non-members. Registration beginning at 9:30am and the walks at 10am. UPDATED
Also on Saturday (rain date Sunday), you can join a free fall colours walk on Blueberry Mountain in Lanark, from 10am to 2pm. The 5K (round trip) trail ascends gradually through a forest. You’ll pass a waterfall, and you’ll tackle a short, steep (185m) climb to reach a lookout. Light refreshments will be available. Donations to support the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust are welcome. UPDATED
Join an archeological dig in Quyon
This weekend, Les Amis du Sault des Chats (Friends of the Chats Falls) are running a free, public archeological dig in Quyon, in the Quebec region of the Pontiac. People of all ages are welcome to pick up a trowel or a brush to participate in some real archaeology. The dig is taking place at the stone foundation of a former Hudson’s Bay Company trading post that closed in 1837. Participants are finding pioneer and trading post items. The dig is open from 10am to 4pm on October 3 and 4. If you’d like to participate, the group invites you to contact them by email (see details in the link above). UPDATED
Learn about architecture in Ottawa
Ottawa Architecture Week actually lasts longer than a week, with the first event on September 21 and the last on October 9. The activities are designed to engage visitors in the nuts and bolts of architecture and urban design. The theme this year is Currents of Bytown, so there will be a special emphasis on water and on the city’s 200th birthday. Events this week include a talk about Ottawa’s waterfronts at the NCC River House on Tuesday, September 29, and a tour of the Ottawa Art Gallery followed by a lecture on Thursday, October 1. UPDATED
Check out a plowing match in Oxford Mills
The Grenville Plowman’s Association is throwing the 104th annual Grenville Plowing Match at a farm in Oxford Mills on October 2 and 3. Watch plow operators at work and enjoy family-friendly activities.
CONTINUING EVENTS
Don’t miss these ongoing museum exhibitions, sales and other events.
- Ontario Culture Days (until October 4, 2026)
- Sixth and Broadway, Cornwall (until October 10, 2026)
- Rising Suns: Art from the Confederacies of the Great Lakes and Rivers, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (until October 11, 2026)
- Helen McNicholl: An Impressionist Journey, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (until October 12, 2026)
- ሀሌታ | Haleta: The Threshold of Being, Ottawa Art Gallery (until November 8, 2026)
- On Guard For Thee…, Priest’s Mill Arts Centre, Alexandria (until November 8, 2026)
- One World Bazaar, Manotick (until November 22, 2026)
- Napoleon—The Immersive Saga, Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau (until January 10, 2027)
- Wild Colour, Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa (until January 10, 2027)
- Close to Conflict—Canada and the American Civil War (until February 28, 2027)
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.)
- October 9 and 10: La Grande Braderie de Mode Québécoise, Gatineau
- October 9 to 11: Maple Leaf March, Ottawa
- October 10: Fall for Merrickville
- October 15 to 18: Petawawa Ramble Festival
- October 16 to 18: Can*Con, Kanata
- October 17 and 18: Red Trillium Studio Tour, West Carleton
- October 22 to 25: Ottawa International Writers Festival
- October 22 to 25: Signatures Handmade Market, Ottawa
- October 22 to 25: Gatineau Hills Fiddle Festival, Chelsea
- October 22 to November 15: Countylicious, Prince Edward County
- October 24: Mystic Market, Smiths Falls
- October 24: Vankleek Hill Fibre Frolic
- November 6 and 7: Orléans Cork and Fork Festival
- November 13 to 15: Homes for the Holidays, Ottawa
- November 13 to 26: European Union Film Festival, Ottawa
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.
