27+ fun things to do in and around Ottawa, January 12 to 18

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Not daunted by ice and snow? You can snowshoe under the stars or take a cross-country skiing lesson this week. Would you rather curl up indoors? Play board games in Almonte, sip tea and listen to James Joyce’s words in Lowertown, or check out Ottawa ComicCon at the EY Centre. Armchair travellers can virtually visit mountain landscapes at a film festival in Kingston. Artsy types can hit an after-hours party at the National Gallery of Canada, take an art class in Osgoode or Carleton Place, or make a vision board in Vanier. And if you just want a weekend with your besties, a hotel in Perth has a girlfriend getaway package for you.

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Enjoy a winter carnival in Embrun, Pakenham, Arnprior or Laurentian Valley

Multiple communities are hosting winter carnivals this week, including the Embrun Carnival (January 16 to 25), the Frost Festival in Pakenham (January 16 to 25) and the Alice in Winterland Carnival in Laurentian Valley (January 16 to 23). And the Arnprior Optimist Winter Carnival, which started last weekend, continues until Sunday, January 18, with bowling, swimming, a breakfast, crafts for kids and more. Check my list of local winter carnivals for details on these and many other frosty festivals.

Get away with your girlfriends in Perth

Perhaps hoping to rustle up some bookings during a quiet season of the year, the Perth Parkside Hotel & Spa is offering a girls’ getaway package this weekend (January 16 to 18). The package includes two nights’ accommodation, several meals, a trivia night, two workshops, a horse-drawn carriage ride and more.

Catch a play in Ottawa

This week sees the world premiere of a play called Copperbelt at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. It revolves around Eden, a junior operations manager at an international mining firm in Toronto. When her father falls ill, she’s forced to return to Zambia and face her wealthy, estranged family. See my plays roundup for details on this and many other upcoming plays.

Enjoy night and day snowshoeing in Gatineau Park

Have you always wanted to try night snowshoeing but never quite gotten around to it? This could be your year. The Friends of Gatineau Park are offering Snowshoes Under the Stars on Friday nights until the end of March (weather permitting). The event includes snowshoe rental, a trail pass, a guided walk (during which you’ll learn how animals adapt to winter) and hot chocolate at the end. Separate French and English hikes will be offered each evening. Over the course of the winter, the event will be held at different trails in the park. Hikes start at 7pm. Tickets are $20 (free for children aged 12 to 17; activity not recommended for younger children).

Don’t forget that the NCC is also offering free guided snowshoeing hikes in Gatineau Park on weekends throughout the winter. Learn to spot and identify animal tracks! The outings are offered alternately in English and French, on Saturdays and Sundays, and snowshoes are provided. Spaces are limited, so register in advance.

Go to a glowing craft party at the National Gallery

On Thursday, January 15, the Scotiabank Great Hall at the National Gallery of Canada will be transformed into a black-light Glow Party, with DJ tunes, craft activities and more. Wear white or neon to get the full glow effect!

Dance the night away in Montreal

Thursday, January 15, sees the launch of Igloofest, a four-weekend electronic music festival on Jacques Cartier Pier in the Old Port of Montreal (January 15 to February 7). With DJs and musicians from multiple countries, you’ll be able to dance yourself warm no matter how far the mercury falls. (P.S.: A shorter edition of this festival will be coming to Gatineau from February 12 to 14.)

Sip icewine in Niagara

It’s a bit of a hike, especially at this time of year, but the Niagara Icewine Festival (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, January 16 to February 1) might be worth the trip if you’re a wine lover. It offers three jam-packed weekends of events celebrating Canada’s famous dessert wine, in and around Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Learn to cross-country ski in Gatineau

Keen to learn—or relearn—how to cross-country ski? Parc de Ferme-Dalton is offering is offering a two-hour morning class on Sunday, January 18. (If you can’t come then, the class repeats on Tuesday, February 3.)

Play board games in Almonte

Equator Coffee Roasters’ cafe in Almonte is hosting a board games night on Saturday, January 17. The theme is video games (especially Mario Wii—there will be a tournament) and costumes are encouraged! Bring your friends, bring your board games, and nosh on sandwiches, shareables, coffee and alcoholic beverages as you play.

Enjoy tea and James Joyce in Lowertown

The James Joyce Association of Ottawa is presenting an afternoon event combining tea, live music and readings from James Joyce’s The Dead on Saturday, January 17. It’s taking place at the St. Brigid’s Centre for the Arts on St. Patrick Street. Guests are invited to dress in their “best Edwardian garb.” Let me just check my closet …

See mountain movies in Kingston

Each year, the Banff Mountain Film Festival travels around Canada, screening movies with mountain themes. This week (January 15 to 17), it’s at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts in Kingston. Proceeds will go toward local outdoor programs, sustainable community initiatives and non-profit organizations.

Take an art class in Osgoode or Carleton Place

Act quickly if you’d like to sign up for paint night for adults at the Osgoode Legion on Wednesday, January 14—it’s almost sold out. Participants will get step-by-step guidance to create a cute picture of a sleeping fox. (If you can’t make it to this evening, the Dreaming Heart Art Studio is offering the same class at Russell United Church on Wednesday, January 21.)

Over in Carleton Place, artist Choleena DiTullio is leading a three-hour workshop called Up-Cycling in Art at the Carleton Place Collective on Sunday, January 18. Participants will create an artwork to bring home from recycled materials, and no art experience is necessary.

Dive into comics at the EY Centre

If comics and related collectibles are your jam, you can get your fix of all things Marvel, DC and beyond at the winter edition of Ottawa ComicCon, happening at the EY Centre on January 17 and 18.

Try your hand at ice carving in Ottawa

How cool—OK, pun intended—is this? You can learn the basics of ice-carving during a 90-minute, indoor, hands-on workshop near West Hunt Club Road and Prince of Wales Drive on Saturday, January 17. (The class will be repeated on January 31 and February 14.)

Make a vision board in Vanier

If you’re still in “new year, fresh start” mode, you might be interested in a Breathe Move Make evening at Anina’s Café in Vanier on Thursday, January 15. Participants will get do some gentle qigong exercise as well as making a vision board.

Browse for local products in Russell

Lots of vendors—including farmers and other food producers, artisans, and representatives of community groups—are expected to be on hand for the Living Locally Fair at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School in Russell (Saturday, January 17). Admission is free, but donations to the local food bank will be gratefully accepted.

Cheer at a hockey game in Ottawa

At TD Place this week, the Ottawa 67s take on les Olympiques de Gatineau (a game the league is billing as “the battle of the Ottawa River”) on Friday, January 16, and then face off against the Peterborough Petes on Sunday, January 18.

And it’s also a big week for the Ottawa Senators, as they’re playing the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, January 13, and their arch-rivals the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, January 17.

Groove to an open-mic night in Merrickville

Iron Forge restaurant in Merrickville is launching its winter season of musical open-mic Tuesdays this week, on January 13. Check out the local talent while enjoying pizza and other dishes.

Get outdoors with the Canadian Ski Challenge

Looking to work off some of that holiday turkey and champagne? You can sign up for the Canadian Ski Marathon’s Canadian Ski Challenge. Your task: Complete as many 15km and/or 50km ski trips as you can, anywhere you like, between January 1 and March 25. The more you do, the more badges you can earn! (Kids can earn badges for trips of 2km and 10km, and children under age 14 can register for free.)

Have some laughs in Ottawa or Brockville

Craving some comedy to ward off the winter blues? You can catch some standup laughs at the Carleton Tavern in Ottawa on Tuesday, January 13, or at the Keystorm Pub in Brockville on Thursday, January 15.

Delve into classic rock in Gatineau

Time is running out to catch Retro—Popular Music in Canada From the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, an exhibition at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau. The deep dive into the glory days of CanCon (hands up, everyone who remembers when you couldn’t escape BTO, Honeymoon Suite and Tom Cochrane on AM radio) is closing on Sunday, January 18.

Catch a concert in Ottawa and elsewhere

Shows coming up this week include Lloyd Spiegel and Lisa Baird at Centrepointe, James Leclaire at Motel Chelsea, Shawn Tavernier at Calabogie Peaks Resort, the Ottawa Community Concert Band at Centre Wakefield-La Pêche, and Amanda Rheaume, Kellylee Evans, Malia Rogers and Tara Holloway at the GCTC. You’ll find links to these and many, many more performances in my concerts calendar.

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.