Not surprisingly, there’s lots of Christmas-related fun to be had this week, from parades and decorated trees to shopping events and the CPKC Holiday Train. But it’s not all gingerbread and mistletoe—there’s also a new exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada, a discussion of freedom of expression in Almonte, nine theatre productions, a demonstration of 19th-century cooking in Carleton Place and all sorts of concerts. Happy road tripping!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Take the kids to a Santa Claus parade
- Have some laughs in Ottawa
- Check out a new show at the National Gallery of Canada
- Learn about cooking with fire in Carleton Place
- See the CPKC Holiday Train
- Watch some cool movies in Ottawa or Montreal
- Admire decorated trees in Ottawa or Brockville
- Take the kids for a vintage train ride in Smiths Falls
- Catch a concert all over
- Be dazzled by festive lights in Bells Corners, Cumberland, Morrisburg or Brockville
- Learn about freedom to read in Almonte
- Enjoy Christmas fun in Manotick, Metcalfe, Aylmer, Kemptville, Renfrew or Gananoque
- Meet music-loving authors in Kingston
- Drop into a Christmas craft sale or art fair
- Banish the darkness in Montreal
- Catch a play in Ottawa, Winchester, Carleton Place, Perth or Elgin
- Collect cookies in Smiths Falls
- Indulge in some retail therapy in Rideau Lakes or Alexandria
- Hear Bach in Montreal
Take the kids to a Santa Claus parade
Lots of communities are hosting Santa Claus parades this weekend, including Manotick, White Lake and Vankleek Hill on Friday, November 28; nine communities on Saturday, November 29; and Russell and Clarence-Rockland on Sunday, November 30. See my Santa Claus parades post for links.
Have some laughs in Ottawa
In the mood for some comedy? This week, you could catch a night of standup hosted by Alex Carruthers and featuring Lauren Lane at Braumeister Brewing Company in Hintonburg (Wednesday, November 26), and/or head to Live on Elgin to be part of the audience as comedian Laura McLean records her debut comedy album (Friday, November 28).
Check out a new show at the National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada’s latest show is Winter Count: Embracing the Cold (November 27, 2025, to March 22, 2026). Featuring more than 150 works from the early 19th century to the present—including paintings, sculptures and works on paper—it delves into the transformative experience of winter through artists’ eyes, touching on themes of survival, adaptation and kinship.
Learn about cooking with fire in Carleton Place
Ever wondered how your ancestors got dinner on the table before microwaves, gas cooktops and electric stoves? Then Cooking with Fire! at the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum may intrigue you. Historical interpreter Lianne van Leyen will demonstrate how 1860s cooks made meals and desserts on an open hearth or with a woodstove, and you can sample some of the results. There will be two sessions on Saturday, November 29, at noon and 2pm, and tickets are $20 each.
See the CPKC Holiday Train
Every year, two festively decorated CPKC Holiday Trains roll across North America. One of them will be stopping in Finch, Merrickville, Smiths Falls and Perth on Friday, November 28. At each stop, there will be a free concert, as well as a collection of money and non-perishable food items for local food banks. For more information on many of the other stops around Montreal and in Eastern Ontario, see my CPKC Holiday Train post.
P.S.: To answer some of the most common questions I’ve been asked in years past about the train:
- It’s now called the “CPKC” train because Canadian Pacific bought the Kansas City Southern railroad in late 2021, merging the two companies.
- The train’s route is determined by which rails CPKC owns and the level of traffic on those routes. So if you’re wondering why the train doesn’t stop in your community, that’s probably why.
- You can’t ride the train, but do bring your phone or camera to take pictures of it!
Watch some cool movies in Ottawa or Montreal
The European Union Film Festival will screen 28 movies at the Ottawa Art Gallery between November 14 and 29—one from each of the 27 members of the EU and a fundraising screening of an Oscar-nominated Ukrainian documentary. The films include dramas, comedies, documentaries and more. If you can’t make it to the in-person event, you can purchase streaming access to 14 of the films online.
And in Montreal, the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM), which runs from November 20 to 30, presents more than 120 movies from dozens of places, including Taiwan, Lebanon, Ukraine, Senegal, Croatia and Brazil.
Admire decorated trees in Ottawa or Brockville
I was asleep at the switch last week, when I forgot to alert you that the Trees of Hope event is back at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel. This fundraiser for CHEO sees beautiful trees decorated by companies, organizations and community groups on display at the hotel until January 6. The video above gives some sense of what the event is all about.
This weekend in Brockville, you can also see gorgeous decorated trees at CABN during the Festival of Trees (November 28 to 30). As well as getting holiday photos and enjoying hot chocolate, you can buy raffle tickets to win a tree. The event is a fundraiser for Leeds and Grenville Interval House.
Take the kids for a vintage train ride in Smiths Falls
Saturday, November 29, is the first of three Saturdays when you can take the kids to see the North Pole Express at the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario in Smiths Falls. (It’s also running on December 6 and 13.) Highlights include rides on a vintage train (AKA the North Pole Express), tractor rides, the chance to send “Santa-grams” from an old-timey telegraph office, carollers, a vendors’ market and more. You can also buy a professional photo with Santa, taken in the museum’s 1899 dining car. Tickets are going quickly, so you might want to grab yours soon if you’re keen.
On Sunday, November 30, the Bytown Railway Society will be offering free rides on Santa’s Holiday Train around the grounds of the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa. The day begins with a low-sensory hour from 10am to 11am, followed by rides for all from 11am to 4pm. Get photos with Santa, too. Rides on the vintage train are first come, first served, so you’ll probably want to get there early.
Catch a concert all over
Live music in the region this week includes The Plowboys in Athens (November 27), Jill Barber at the NAC (November 28), Hawksley Workman in Lanark (November 28), the Soweto Gospel Choir at the NAC (November 29), and Charlie Angus and the Grievous Angels at the Rainbow Bisto (November 30). You can also catch tributes to Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, ABBA, and David Bowie. For links to these and many more concerts coming up over the next few months, see my constantly updated live music post.
Be dazzled by festive lights in Bells Corners, Cumberland, Morrisburg or Brockville
The popular Alight at Night Festival will light up Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg again this year. This event sees the historical village’s homes, shops, church, fences and trees adorned with roughly one million lights. The fun begins on Friday, November 28, and the event is open select evenings until Saturday, January 3.
Meanwhile, just south of Bells Corners in Ottawa, Mādahòkì Farm is opening its Trail of Lights and Traditions on Thursday, November 27. From Thursdays through Sundays until December 28 (excluding Christmas Day), you can walk along a trail decorated with woodland animals and light installations to experience Christmas with an Indigenous twist.
For the next four weekends (Friday through Sunday, until December 21), the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum in Ottawa’s east end will be transformed into a Vintage Village of Lights. The museum’s 1920s and 1930s heritage buildings will be decorated for the holidays, and visitors can enjoy light displays, visit with Santa, decorate gingerbread cookies, do crafts, relax around the bonfire, shop for gifts, nibble on baked goodies and more. Advance registration required.
And in Brockville, River of Lights on Blockhouse Island (right downtown, on the waterfront) is a free attraction open nightly from Saturday, November 29, until Sunday, January 4, weather permitting. You can enjoy a full sound-and-light show between 6pm and 10pm, or delight in the lights on their own from 5pm to 6pm or 10pm to 11pm.
Check out my post about holiday light shows for details on similar attractions across Eastern Ontario and Quebec.
Learn about freedom to read in Almonte
Freedom of expression is always a hot topic, and two librarians will be tackling it in Almonte on Thursday, November 27. During Free Expression and the Public Library, Ottawa Public Library chief librarian and CEO Sonia Bebbington and Christine Row, CEO/chief librarian of Mississippi Mills Public Library, will discuss libraries’ commitment to intellectual freedom in the face of censorship challenges, and how it supports freedom of expression, critical thinking and democracy. Registration required, and admission is pay what you can.
Enjoy Christmas fun in Manotick, Metcalfe, Aylmer, Kemptville, Renfrew or Gananoque
In Manotick, Christmas in the Village (November 28 and 29) will include a light parade, a tree lighting and carolling on Friday night, and brunch with the Grinch, fun at Santa’s Workshop and horse-drawn wagon rides on Saturday.
Christmas in Old Aylmer extends over two weekends (November 28 to 30, and December 5 to 7). This weekend, the amusements include a Christmas market on all three days and a Santa Claus Parade on Saturday, starting at 6pm.
On Friday, November 28, Gananoque is launching its Festival of Lights with a tree lighting, the opening of Candy Cane Lane, live music, street performers and free hot chocolate, and downtown stores will be open extended hours. The town crier will be on hand, too, to get things going.
In Kemptville, Old Town Christmas on Saturday, November 29, will feature breakfast with Santa, horse-drawn carriage rides, story time with the mayor, photo ops and more. It runs from 10am to 1pm.
At Light Up the Park in Victoria Park in Metcalfe on Saturday, November 29, the fun will include live music, hot chocolate, chili, cookies, coffee, and beautiful lights.
That same night in Renfrew, Light Up the Square will offer live music, photos with Mrs. Claus, kids’ activities, hot beverages, cookies, a holiday market and more, from 4pm to 8pm (the large tree will be illuminated at 6pm).
Meet music-loving authors in Kingston
Kingston authors Josephine Matyas and Craig Jones will be signing copies of their latest book, The Music Lover’s Guide to North America, at Novel Idea Bookstore in Kingston on Thursday, November 27. Their publisher describes it as “the first-ever guidebook to North American music museums and other sites, from the iconic to the obscure.”
Drop into a Christmas craft sale or art fair
Attention, holiday shoppers! You can shop at a Christmas craft fair, art sale or night market in all sorts of places this weekend, including Nepean, Carp, Orléans, Manotick, Kars, Gatineau, Almonte, Cornwall, Vankleek Hill, Killaloe and many more. One of the largest events is the 613Christmas Market at Carleton University, with 200 vendors. Check out my big Christmas markets post for links to these and many other sales.
Banish the darkness in Montreal
Lumino, a one-of-a-kind outdoor interactive light show, returns to Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles this year for another three-month run (November 27 to March 8). The free event features 20 light installations, projections and artistic performances along Ste. Catherine Street West and other downtown streets. It’s all rather hard to explain; check out the link above for photos that will, well, illuminate the event.
Catch a play in Ottawa, Winchester, Carleton Place, Perth or Elgin
Four new shows hit theatres around the region this week: Big Stuff at the GCTC in Ottawa, Annie at the Carleton Place Town Hall, The Lion in Winter at Studio Theatre in Perth and Elf, Jr.—The Musical at Rideau District High School in Elgin. Also, the five shows that opened last weekend continue this weekend: Les Belles Soeurs at the Gladstone Theatre, Hay Fever at the Elmwood School, Annie at Centrepointe, The Real Sherlock Holmes in the Stuart Holmes Arena in Osgoode and Lost in Yonkers at the Old Town Hall in Winchester. For details on these and many other plays, see my theatre roundup post.
Collect cookies in Smiths Falls
Now THIS is my kind of scavenger hunt! During the Smiths Falls Cookie Crawl (Saturday, November 29), participants will pick up a cookie box and map, then visit participating businesses throughout downtown Smiths Falls to collect a dozen cookies and enjoy warm beverages. The crawl runs from 10am to 1pm and you’ll need to buy a ticket; click the link above for ticket info.
Indulge in some retail therapy in Rideau Lakes or Alexandria
The Local Christmas Shop and Hop (November 28 to 30) is a three-day promotion showcasing stores in the Township of Rideau Lakes, which includes Lansdowne, Lyndhurst, Seeley’s Bay, Delta and Elgin. The five small communities are south of Perth and northeast of Kingston, along some pretty back roads. Collect stamps from retailers to be eligible to win one of 38 gift certificates.
Meanwhile, over in Alexandria, the Baby, Please Come Home event will see shops and other businesses open late (until 10pm-ish) on Thursday, November 27, so you can squeeze in some holiday shopping after work.
Hear Bach in Montreal
Artists from around the world come to Montreal each year to celebrate the music of Johann Sebastian Bach during the Montreal Bach Festival (November 15 to December 7). This year, the choices include three concerts at St. Joseph’s Oratory, a performance of Bach’s 6 Partitas by German-Iranian pianist Schaghajegh Nosrati on November 26, a concert by Argentine accordionist Théo Ould on November 27 and jazz interpretations of Bach’s pieces by pianist Paul Lay (December 2; see video above).
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.