Yes, 62 is a big number of things to do this week! The high number is due to multiple Christmas festivals, Santa Claus parades and holiday markets. But hey, having TOO MANY options is a great problem to have, right? And it’s not all holly and mistletoe this week, either; you can also catch a standup show in Brockville, eat Japanese desserts in Little Italy, delve into the world of comic books in Gatineau, choose from five hockey games in Ottawa or join a fundraising run at Lansdowne Park.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Go to a Christmas festival in Casselman
- Enjoy The Nutcracker in Ottawa
- See a play in Ottawa, Carleton Place, Smiths Falls, Perth, Cornwall or Gananoque
- Celebrate Christmas with the mayor at Ottawa City Hall
- Sample Japanese desserts in Little Italy
- Experience a "retro" Christmas in Nepean
- Pitch your movie idea and see local films at Arts Court
- Enjoy a Christmas farm fun in Edwards or Munster
- Revel in Christmas fun in Osgoode, Aylmer, Almonte, Merrickville, Perth or Prescott
- Have some laughs in Brockville
- Catch a concert in Ottawa and elsewhere
- Visit a festive house in Smiths Falls
- Take the kids to a Santa Claus parade
- Hear Bach in Montreal
- Catch a game in Ottawa
- Be dazzled by festive lights in Morrisburg, Fort Coulonge and elsewhere
- Pop into a Christmas market
- Learn about comics in Gatineau
- Take a ghostly tour of the Bytown Museum
- Banish the darkness in Montreal
- Lace up your running shoes at Lansdowne Park
Go to a Christmas festival in Casselman
At the Casselman Christmas Festival (December 4 to 7), activities include a disco skate, bingo, standup comedy, street hockey, a Christmas market, a street party and a parade. UPDATED
Enjoy The Nutcracker in Ottawa
Yes, it’s time for the dance of the Sugarplum Fairy! The National Arts Centre has the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker from December 3 to 7. UPDATED
See a play in Ottawa, Carleton Place, Smiths Falls, Perth, Cornwall or Gananoque
Plays continuing this week include the comedy Big Stuff at Ottawa’s GCTC, the historical drama The Lion in Winter in Perth and the family musical Annie in Carleton Place. Opening this week are the Shakespearean comedy Twelfth Night at the Gladstone Theatre in Ottawa, a Charles Dickens-Arthur Conan Doyle mashup called A Sherlock Carol at Ottawa Little Theatre, Miracle on 34th Street in Smiths Falls, Willy Wonka, Jr. in Cornwall and Red vs. the Wolf in Gananoque. See my local theatre post for details on these and many other shows. UPDATED
Celebrate Christmas with the mayor at Ottawa City Hall
During Christmas with the Mayor at Ottawa City Hall (Saturday, December 6), you can roast marshmallows, make taffy on snow, sip hot chocolate, eat Beavertails, visit with Mrs. and Mrs. Claus, skate on the Rink of Dreams (it’s set to open for the season that day), take a horse-drawn wagon ride, enjoy live entertainment, see a tree lighting and meet Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. Admission is a donation to the Ottawa Food Bank, and the event runs from 3pm to 6pm. UPDATED
Sample Japanese desserts in Little Italy
Mochi is a Japanese dessert made from rice that is steamed and pounded into a dough, then wrapped around sweet fillings. If you’re intrigued by this description, then you can see mochi being made—and sample the results—at Mochitsuki 2025, taking place at the Preston Event Centre in Ottawa’s Little Italy on Sunday, December 7. You can also enjoy performances by local Japanese cultural groups, and shop for Japanese food and other products. UPDATED
Experience a “retro” Christmas in Nepean
You know that moment when you truly realize your childhood was a LONG time ago? For me, that moment came when I read the description of the Retro Christmas Children’s Holiday Party at the Nepean Museum. The drop-in event on December 6 and 7, aimed kids aged 10 and under, is billed as a chance to “enjoy nostalgic fun inspired by the 1970s, 80s, and 90s” and “check out the vintage toys on display, including Pogs, Viewmasters and Mr. Potato Head.” You mean kids don’t use Viewmasters anymore? Who knew? Seriously, though, this looks like lots of fun, with arcade games, crafts and a scavenger hunt. UPDATED
Pitch your movie idea and see local films at Arts Court
Digi60 is Ottawa’s digital filmmakers’ festival, and it’s coming to Arts Court from December 5 to 7. New and emerging filmmakers, screenwriters, actors and other movie types can learn about pitching, storytelling, makeup and more, and see screenings of locally made films. If you just want to watch the movies and aren’t interested in the workshops, that’s cool—you can buy tickets to individual events or a full festival pass. UPDATED
Enjoy a Christmas farm fun in Edwards or Munster
In December, Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm in Edwards will be transformed into a two-part Christmas attraction. On Saturdays and Sundays from December 6 to 21 (as well as December 22 and 23), families can visit the Christmas Village to take a tractor-drawn wagon ride, do crafts, visit Santa, buy a Christmas tree and more. On evenings from Thursday through Saturday from December 4 to 20 (as well as December 27, and January 2 and 3), you can enjoy the Holiday Stroll, an illuminated path through the woods. Timed tickets for both events are for sale on the farm’s website, and the video above gives you a peek at the Holiday Stroll.
Over in Munster, A Country Christmas at Saunders Farm gives you the chance to meander along a holiday light stroll, make bears and cookies, visit Santa and his elves, see a puppet show, navigate snowy hedge mazes, sip cider and enjoy festive foods, shop for Christmas trees and wreaths, and more. Activities vary by time of day. The attraction is open on select afternoons and evenings from December 6 to 30.
If you’re looking for more bright lights, check out my post on local light trails and other illuminated attractions. UPDATED
Revel in Christmas fun in Osgoode, Aylmer, Almonte, Merrickville, Perth or Prescott
Fireworks are one highlight of Light Up the Night in Almonte (Friday, December 5). Food and drink vendors will open their booths at 6:30pm and the music starts at 7pm. Live musical entertainment includes everyone from the Almonte Legion Pipe Band and a pair of puppeteers to Rachelle Behrens and Nelson Colt. Santa will be on hand, too.
In Perth, the Festival of Lights and Drone Show (Friday, December 5) will begin at 5:30pm with a performance by Rubies in the Rough. The Table Community Food Centre will be offering refreshments and taking donations for its community programs. Around 6:15pm, dozens of coordinated lights will rise above the Tay Basin in a drone show. Afterward, you can head inside the Crystal Palace to enjoy the beautifully lit community Christmas trees, decorated by local businesses, organizations and community groups.
Christmas in the Village in Osgoode (December 5 to 7) offers a parade of lights and a tree-lighting ceremony on Friday night; gingerbread decorating, a pancake breakfast, photos with Santa, a Christmas craft market and other fun on Saturday; and an artisan market, jazz and more on Sunday.
The second weekend of Christmas in Old Aylmer (December 5 to 7) features fun for the whole family. This weekend, the amusements include live music, a Christmas market and free hot chocolate.
In Prescott, RiverWalk Wonderland (Saturday, December 6) celebrates the town’s waterfront along the St. Lawrence River. The fun includes live music, a petting zoo, horse-drawn wagon rides, a vendors’ market, family activities, photo ops and thousands of holiday lights.
Highlights of Christmas in Merrickville (Saturday, December 6) include breakfast with Santa, a craft market, a Christmas parade, horse-drawn wagon rides, face painting, carol singing and a tree lighting. ALL UPDATED
Have some laughs in Brockville
Canadian standup comedian Derek Edwards brings his Oxy Moron show to the Brockville Arts Centre on Saturday, December 6. The video above gives you a taste of his comedy style.
Catch a concert in Ottawa and elsewhere
This week offers tons of choices for live music fans. Còig is at the Little Red Wagon Winery in Shawville, The Once is playing in Carleton Place and Manotick, the Vocestra chorus is offering candlelight Christmas concerts at Centretown United Church, and Wayne Rostad and Friends are at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. For links to these and many more concerts coming up over the next few months, see my constantly updated live music post. UPDATED
Visit a festive house in Smiths Falls
During Holiday Heritage House at the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum (Sunday, December 7), you can tour the museum’s period rooms, which will be decorated for the season. Costumed guides will share the history of holiday traditions in Eastern Ontario, and you can enjoy a cup of tea or apple cider, and a homemade dessert.
Take the kids to a Santa Claus parade
This weekend is almost your last chance to take the kids to a local Santa Claus parade this year. Fortunately, there are lot to choose from, including parades in Osgoode on Friday, December 5; in Stittsville, Pakenham, Winchester, Merrickville, Perth, Renfrew, Brockville, Petawawa and Napanee on Saturday, December 6; and in Casselman and Almonte on Sunday, December 7. (If you miss them all, you’ll have one last chance to go to a parade on Saturday, December 13, in Carp.) UPDATED
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 week, performances include an a capella concert by the Swiss J.S. Bach Choir of St. Gallen on Saturday, December 6, and a grand finale performance of the St. John Passion on Sunday, December 7. UPDATED
Catch a game in Ottawa
Hockey fans, here’s your game schedule for the week: Ottawa Charge (December 2); Ottawa Senators (December 4 and 6); Ottawa 67s (December 5 and 7).
Be dazzled by festive lights in Morrisburg, Fort Coulonge and elsewhere
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 began on Friday, November 28, and the event is open select evenings until Thursday, January 15.
Meanwhile at Chutes Coulonge in the Pontiac, the Festival of Lights opens on Friday, December 5, a and runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until December 28. Wander along a lighted trail, sip hot chocolate and eat treats around a bonfire, and thrill to the thunder of the water.
If you love illuminated holiday displays, don’t miss my big roundup of Christmas light installations across the region. UPDATED
Pop into a Christmas market
There are lots of Christmas craft fairs, holiday markets and art sales happening this weekend, including big events at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, as well as sales in Manotick, Orleans, Cumberland, Wakefield, Winchester, Kemptville, Merrickville, Smiths Falls, Perth, Brockville and elsewhere. Check out my big Christmas markets post for links to these and many other sales. UPDATED
Learn about comics in Gatineau
At the Rendez-vous de la Bande Dessinée de Gatineau, taking place at the Maison du citoyen in Gatineau from December 5 to 7, you can meet authors, find out how to draw comics, learn about the comic industry in Quebec and more. Admission is free.
Take a ghostly tour of the Bytown Museum
Is Christmas too cheerful and happy for your liking? Then you might be a prime customer for the Haunted Walk’s Nightmare Before/After Xmas Ghost Tours. On Saturdays throughout December (as well as Friday, December 5), you can take a ghostly tour in and around the Bytown Museum, which ghost hunters believe is one of Ottawa’s most haunted buildings. According to the Haunted Walk, “Once inside, you’ll learn why some Haunted Walk tour guides are too scared to give tours of the museum—even at Christmas time.”
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; official opening on Wednesday, December 3). The free event riffs features 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. UPDATED
Lace up your running shoes at Lansdowne Park
The Salvation Army Santa Shuffle and Elf Run (Saturday, December 6) raise money to help the most vulnerable members of our community. You can choose from a 1km walk or a 5km run, both starting at Lansdowne Park and heading along the Queen Elizabeth Driveway. UPDATED
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.