53+ fun events in and around Ottawa, October 5 to 11

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There’s more to do this week than eat turkey (fun as that is)! From ghostly events in Smiths Falls and Dunvegan to fall festivals in Manotick and Merrickville, and from a fashion sale in Gatineau to a walking tour in the Glebe, the calendar is packed. Enjoy!

Table of contents

See John Cleese in Ottawa

If you want to see Monty Python and the Holy Grail at the National Arts Centre and then hear John Cleese answer questions about it on October 9 or 10, you’d better hurry. As I write this, only a few tickets remain. You might even say they’re the Holy Grail.

Celebrate cycling on Parliament Hill

Tuesday, October 6, is Bike Day on the Hill, a celebration of everyday cycling taking place on Parliament Hill. The focus this year will be on cycling’s contribution to nation building. There will be events outside and inside, so you’ll need to register in advance and bring photo ID. The festivities start at 5pm.

Stroll through the forest near Kingston

If you’re available on a weekday afternoon, you could sign up for a guided forest walk at Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area, just north of Kingston, on Tuesday, October 6. Participants on the gentle, 90-minute walk will learn about the forest’s trees, and the birds and mammals that call them home.

Find fashion deals in Gatineau

La Grande Braderie de Mode Québécoise, a fashion sale featuring dozens of Quebec designers, will be drawing fashionistas to the Hilton Lac-Leamy in Gatineau (October 9 and 10). Designers are offering discounts of up to 70%.

See the stars near Kaladar

Near the night of the new moon each month, weather permitting, the Lennox and Addington County Dark Sky Viewing Area offers a free Laser-Guided Stargazing Tour on Friday and Saturday nights. Each tour starts about an hour after dusk and lasts approximately 90 minutes. You’ll get a laser-guided tour of the night sky and perhaps peek through a telescope. The next tour nights are October 9 and 10. Even though the tour is free, you need to go online to reserve a spot if you’re interested. The viewing area is in Erinsville, just south of where Highway 7 intersects with Highway 41 in Kaladar, Ontario.

Enjoy a play

Continuing plays in and around Ottawa this week include The Cottage at Ottawa Little Theatre, Something Rotten! in Kemptville and Come From Away in Gananoque. This week is also your only chance to see the French-language production Neige sur Abidjan at the NAC. See my theatre listing for details on these and many other upcoming plays.

Learn about midwifery in Wakefield

Fairbairn House Heritage Centre in Wakefield is screening the documentary Bringing Birth Home on Wednesday, October 7. The film focuses on the history of midwifery and home births in the Gatineau, which is also the subject of the museum’s current exhibition. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with two midwives featured in the documentary and the film’s co-directors.

Commune with ghosts in Smiths Falls

On Thursday, October 8, you can take a candlelit ghost tour through the Heritage House Museum in Smiths Falls. Learn about ghost sightings and other mysterious happenings in the museum and the wider Smiths Falls area.

Celebrate fall in Manotick, Merrickville, Tamworth or Rigaud

There’s lots happening at the Fall Finale at Watson’s Mill in Manotick on Saturday, October 10, including wagon rides, kids’ craft activities, a scavenger hunt and lawn games. It’s also your last chance this season to see the mill in wheat-grinding action.

That same day, you can head to Heritage Stables on the outskirts of Merrickville for Fall for Merrickville, a celebration of the season that runs from 10am to 4pm. The attractions will include a vendors’ market, food trucks, live music, a petting zoo, wagon rides and more—even a mechanical bull!

Also on Saturday, Salmon River Sugar Bush near Tamworth (north of Napanee) is hosting Fallin’ for Maple. The family-friendly event will offer wagon rides, a petting zoo, a pancake breakfast, fall games, barbecued goodies, a vendors’ market and more.

From October 10 to 12, the Festival des Couleurs in Rigaud features a wide range of amusements, including live shows, a kids’ zone, a farmers’ market, food trucks and much more.

Take a magical walk in Montebello

Would you like to spend an hour strolling past 17 forest tableaus telling the story of a wolf cub? That’s what you’ll do if you buy tickets for Oniro, billed as “an immersive journey combining spectacular projections, enchanting scenery, spellbinding music and human voices.” The one-kilometre forest trail at Parc Oméga in Montebello is open on Friday and Saturday nights. Note that the wood-chip forest trail is not suitable for visitors with mobility restrictions. You can buy a ticket just for Oniro or a combo ticket that also gives you daytime access to Parc Oméga’s drive-through wilderness park.

Seek out paranormal activity in Dunvegan

The Haunted Walk and Phantoms of Yore have joined forces to offer ghost hunters a seven-hour (!) investigation into ghosties and ghoulies and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum in Dunvegan. The sessions are on October 10 and 11.

Enjoy an event for a good cause in Sandy Hill

Glow Forward is a fashion show fundraiser for five Ottawa’s women’s shelters: Cornerstone Housing for Women, Harmony House, Nelson House, Interval House and Chrysalis. It’s happening at the Allsaints event space in Sandy Hill on Thursday, October 8.

That same night, on the other side of Sandy Hill, The Art of Support: Parents’ Lifeline Soirée will be raising funds for families dealing with youth mental health and addiction challenges. The evening includes tasty bites, live art demonstrations, interactive art activities and a silent auction. It’s happening at the Ottawa Art Gallery.

Discover Queen Anne architecture in the Glebe

Attention, architecture buffs: You can sign up for a 90-minute walking tour on Saturday, October 10, that will highlight Queen Anne architecture in Ottawa’s Glebe neighbourhood.

Go for a long walk or run downtown, in Cumberland or in Wakefield

If you want to offset your Thanksgiving feast with a bit of exercise, you have a walking festival and two runs to choose from this weekend.

La Marche Maple Leaf March (October 9 to 11) is a three-day, non-competitive walking festival that attracts participants from all over North America and beyond. You can choose from walks of various lengths: 5K, 10K, 20K and 42K (that last one is a marathon-length walk, in case you were wondering). Some are city walks, while others meander through parks and countryside. All walks start and end at the Royal Canadian Legion Montgomery Branch downtown (330 Kent Street).

Is running more your thing? In Cumberland, the Ottawa Fall Colours Run (October 10 and 11) offers 3K, 5K, 10K, half-marathon and marathon runs, as well as a 1K Turkey Trot for kids and a 1K Wedding Dress Dash. The longer runs are qualifiers for the New York and Boston marathons. Runners set off from the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum.

And the Wakefield Covered Bridge Run (Sunday, October 11) features 3K, 5K, 10K and half-marathon runs across the namesake bridge and into Gatineau Park.

Enjoy a concert

Capital Music Week continues in Ottawa until October 10. It features concerts, workshops, an awards show and more, shining the spotlight on more than 100 musicians at venues across the city.

In addition, this week is packed with all kinds of other concerts, including the following.

• October 5: Metric, Broken Social Scene and Stars, Ottawa
• October 6: W.A.S.P., Ottawa
• October 7: Pat Metheny, Nepean
• October 8: Begonia, Ottawa
• October 8: David Leask, Carleton Place
• October 9: Heartbroken and Bootleg Creedence, Orléans
• October 9: Angelica Jones with Smelloship, Ottawa
• October 9: Skyler & Jayla with Mathew Falvai, Wakefield
• October 9: M&M, Carleton Place
• October 9: The Ramblers, Perth
• October 9: The Espionage Orchestra, Brockville
• October 9: SoulFire, Westport
• October 10: Ann Wilson, Ottawa
• October 10: The Traveling Milburys, Orléans
• October 10: Two Crows for Comfort, Chelsea
• October 10: Bootleg Creedence, Deseronto
• October 11: The Start, Ottawa

Get a tattoo in Gatineau

Ever dream of getting inked? The Ottawa-Gatineau Tattoo Expo, taking place at the Palais des congrès de Gatineau from October 9 to 11, could be your chance.

Browse for art in Lanark County or Haliburton

Thanksgiving weekend (October 10 and 11) is a fun one for art lovers. In Lanark County, the Crown and Pumpkin Studio Tour winds through Almonte, Clayton, and Pakenham. More than 40 artists and artisans will be offering an extensive range of art, craft, design, food and beverages at 16 stops. Also in Lanark County, the Perth Studio Tour will showcase two dozen artists in five studios between Perth and Maberly. And if you’re heading west, you can catch the final weekend of the Haliburton Highlands Studio Tour.

See Thunder From Down Under

If you’re aware of Australia’s Thunder From Down Under, you probably know that they are what is genteelly described as “the world’s #1 male revue.” Expect lots of washboard abs, sexy choreography and rowdy audience interaction when the troupe’s Canadian tour rolls across Eastern Ontario and Quebec this week. Dates include the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orléans (October 5), the Brockville Arts Centre (October 7) and the Casino de Montréal (October 8 to 10).

Catch a film festival in Montreal

I doubt many of the films showcased at Montreal’s Festival du nouveau cinéma (October 8 to 18) will be showing up on Netflix anytime soon, so catch them while you can. From Guinea-Bissau, Japan, Greece, Brazil and many other places, filmmakers have submitted everything from experimental animated films to documentaries. Over its 55-year history, the festival has presented films by all sorts of innovative directors, including Guy Maddin, Jane Campion, Atom Egoyan and Wim Wenders.

Mark Diwali in Ottawa

Diwali Mela, a celebration of the Indian festival of lights, is coming to the Cohere Centre in Ottawa on Saturday, October 10. The fun will include kids’ activities, food and gift vendors, and cultural performances. Admission and parking are free.

Go to a market in Gloucester, Stittsville, Navan, Russell, Perth or Cornwall

Robert Plante Greenhouses in Navan is hosting its second annual Thanksgiving Market on October 10 and 11. Browse for unique products from more than 200 vendors—crafts, gifts, food and more—and check out the tropical plants in the greenhouses. It runs from 9am to 4pm on both days.

On Saturday, October 10, the Family Bazaar at the Pineview Community Hub in Gloucester will offer local vendors, food and drink, and creative workshops for adults and kids (11:30am to 4:15pm). That same day in Orléans, the Fetch Local Market at the Ray Friel Recreation Complex is a dog-friendly market that helps raise money for pet-focused organizations (10am to 3pm). And also on Saturday, in Stittsville, the Gobblefest FUNdraiser will feature 35 vendors, food and door prizes (10am to 2pm).

And on Sunday, October 11…

• the last regular Community Market of the season is taking place at the Russell Fairgrounds (10am to 2pm);
• Ecotay Perth is hosting an Autumn Harvest Market, featuring 50 local vendors, a petting zoo, live music, hot food and a bar (10am to 3pm); and
• you can shop from more than 25 vendors at the Falloween Market at the Royal Canadian Legion in Cornwall (10am to 4pm).

CONTINUING EVENTS

Don’t miss these ongoing museum exhibitions, sales and other events.

• 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 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 7: Vankleek Hill Christmas Homes Tour
• November 7: Kemptville Comedy Night
• 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!

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.