53+ fun events in and around Ottawa: May 11 to 17

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This week and the upcoming long weekend offer tons of good reasons to hit the road to destinations near or far, depending on how far your gas budget will stretch!

Gardeners can choose from a plethora of plant sales. Art and craft fans can check out a young artists’ exhibition in Orléans, an art festival in Vankleek Hill, and an art show and sale in Plaisance, or learn to spin wool in Arnprior or make a quirky doormat in Renfrew.

Feeling hungry? You can chow down on ribs in Barrhaven or cake in Almonte.

For family fun, there’s a Rapid FC soccer game in Ottawa, a buskers’ festival in Kemptville, the opening weekend of the Brockville Railway Tunnel and a circus in Kingston. Dance more your style? Take a free dance class at Zibi, or check out electronic and salsa festivals in Montreal.

Wherever your travels take you, have fun!

Table of contents

Celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday in Morrisburg

At Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg on Sunday, May 17, enjoy Queen Victoria’s birthday just as her subjects might have celebrated it in her own time. Rousing speeches! Military drills! 1860s-style games! And a brass band!

Pick up plants and trees all over

On Saturday, May 16,

• Almonte United Church is holding a plant sale from 8am until noon;
• Overgrown Acres in Tay Valley (just outside Perth) is holding a morning seedling sale;
• the Ottawa Valley Reptile and Plant Expo at the Renfrew Armories in Renfrew gives you the chance to shop for plants and reptile supplies AND meet reptile breeders (okay, that’s a twist);
• the Friends of the Mac Johnson Wildlife Area are holding the first of several dates of their annual tree sale in Tincap (just north of Brockville);
• Garden Brockville is holding a plant sale at Swift Waters Elementary School in Brockville;
• there will be a plant sale at the fairgrounds in Lansdowne (that’s in the village of Lansdowne, between Brockville and Gananoque, not Lansdowne Park in Ottawa) from 8am to 2pm;
• the Rideau Lakes Horticultural Society is holding its annual plant sale at the Portland Community Hall in Portland from 9am to 1pm; and
• a plant sale is just one of the events on the agenda of the community-wide Sidewalk, Yard and Plant Sale in Lyndhurst on Saturday.

Ottawa Farm Fresh on Ramsayville Road—in the Greenbelt, just east of Highway 417 and south of Walkley Road—is holding a three-day organic seedlings sale (May 14 to 16) culminating in a Spring Fest on Saturday, May 16. At the Saturday event, the fun will include farm tours, family bean planting, the chance to touch a tractor (trust me—kids love this kind of thing), snacks and more.

And if you’d like to divest yourself of a few plants while getting a few more for free, check out the Stittsville Plant Swap at the Stittsville branch of the Ottawa Public Library on May 16 and 17. The rules are simple: You must bring at least one plant to swap, and you can pick up as many plants as you contribute (but no more!).

Go to a cake picnic in Almonte

This totally sounds like my kind of event. On Saturday, May 16, dessert lovers can check out a cake picnic at Gemmill Park in Almonte. Bring a home-baked cake, and get slices of other people’s donations to enjoy in the park or bring home.

Shop for folk art in Plaisance

Le Centre d’art populaire du Québec in Plaisance re-opens for the season on Friday, May 15. The folk art centre is kicking things off with L’art pop en folie, a three-day festival (May 15 to 17) where you can buy works by some 20 Québec artists and try your hand at making art yourself. Plaisance is about 45 minutes east of Gatineau, on the way to Montebello.

Get sporty in Ottawa and Prescott

This week, you can see the pro women’s soccer team Ottawa Rapid FC take on the Halifax Tides on Wednesday, May 13, at the Arena at TD Place.

If you haven’t already been training for months, you probably shouldn’t register for Hyrox Ottawa (May 14 to 17). That’s because it’s an indoor race event that sees competitors running a kilometre, doing some sort of workout (like rowing or burpee broad jumps), then running another kilometre and doing another workout. For eight kilometres. However, you can buy a ticket to be in the stands and cheer them on.

You can still register for the River Run in Prescott. Taking place on Saturday, May 16, it includes 1K, 5K, 10K and 15K races. (Of course, you could just cheer from the sidelines, too. Encouragement is important, right?)

Marvel at 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 May 15 and 16. Even though the tour is free, you should 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.

Put on your dancing shoes in Ottawa and Montreal

Ever dreamed of learning to dance? This is your lucky week, as it marks the return of Dance at Zibi, a series of free monthly dance lessons at Zibi on Albert Island (28 Booth Street, just north of the Canadian War Museum). The outdoor, one-hour lessons are presented by the National Arts Centre. During this week’s class on Thursday, May 21, you can learn Bollywood dance moves from ArohaFest. (Note that on-site parking is limited.)

Also this week, the annual Montreal Salsa Convention (May 14 to 18) will draw competitors from around the world. Cheer on your favourite dancers or take a workshop to polish your own moves. And you don’t have to be a “So You Think You Can Dance”-level dancer; beginners are welcome. New this year is Limitless, a stage for dancers 17 and under who have physical, cognitive, sensory or neurodiverse differences.

Applaud buskers in Kemptville

The free Kemptville Buskerfest (May 15 and 16) is a two-part affair this year, for the first time. On Friday night, there’s a free indoor event at the North Grenville Community Centre with buskers, face painting, a DJ and more.

Saturday will see much of the town’s downtown taken over by jugglers, stilt walkers, illusionists, balloon artists and musicians of all kinds during the day, as well as food trucks. Note that much of downtown will be closed to traffic, but you can park at the North Grenville Municipal Centre (285 County Road 44) and catch a shuttle bus to the event. The website also lists several parking lots where you can leave your car and walk downtown.

Eat ribs in Barrhaven

Bring your appetite! Barrhaven Ribfest and Poutine (May 15 to 18) will be cooking up a storm at Clarke Field (93 Houlahan Street).

Learn to spin wool in Arnprior

Ever wonder how a sheep’s wool is transformed into yarn? You could learn at a drop spindle/wheel workshop at the Arnprior and District Museum on Saturday, May 16. It’s part of a month-long series of workshops delving into the fibre arts.

Check out a market

Several local farmers’ markets are opening for the season this weekend. Friday, May 15, sees the opening of markets in Eganville and Maxville. Saturday, May 16, is opening day for Ottawa markets at the Log Farm, in Old Ottawa East and in Westboro, as well as markets further afield in Almonte, Bristol, Cobden, Crosby, Napanee, Pembroke and Wakefield. And on Sunday, May 17, the seasonal farmers’ market opens in Odessa. For details on these and many other events, see my farmers’ market post.

There are also several one-off spring markets happening on Saturday: One at Domaine Perrault Vineyard in Navan (featuring food, crafts and wine) and another in Westport (that’s a warmup for the regular Westport farmers’ market, which starts on July 4).

In addition, this is the first month for the monthly Gloucester Night Market. It’s happening on Friday, May 15, in the parking lot of the Earl Armstrong Arena on Ogilvie Road.

And on Sunday, May 17, École secondaire catholique Embrun will host its first-ever Youth Makers’ Market.

Tiptoe through the tulips at Dows Lake, and in Munster, Russell and Vankleek Hill

The Canadian Tulip Festival continues at Commissioners Park on the edge of Dows Lake until Monday, May 19. Along with viewing gorgeous displays of tulips (weather cooperating), you can check out an artisans’ market, enjoy an artisans’ market and movies in the park, take a walking tour, see a combined fireworks and drones show celebrating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands, and more.

This year, a new tulip attraction has opened at Saunders Farm in Munster. Tulipfest is open daily from May 9 to May 24 (except May 11). Wander past beds blooming with half a million flowers. Pose for photos among the blooms and near a Dutch-style windmill. Food, beverages and bouquets are available for purchase.

In Russell, Green Corners Farm is blooming with 300,000 tulips. You can buy tickets to pick or just to look. And about an hour east of Ottawa, the Vankleek Hill Tulip Fields at Ouimet Farms Adventure are open to the public. Stroll through fields blooming with 250,000 tulips and pick your own. Buy tickets in advance.

Shop for wedding goodies in Cornwall

Planning to tie the knot soon? Then you may be interested in the Cornwall Wedding Show at the DEV Hotel and Conference Centre on May 16 and 17. Note that ticket sales at the door are cash only.

Take your kids to a circus in Kingston

Cirque Mondial will be under the big top at the Cataraqui Centre in Kingston from May 14 to 24. The circus fun will include aerial acrobatics and engaging storytelling.

See works by young artists in Orléans

Young at Art (May 14 to June 8) is an exhibition of professionally assessed works by visual artists aged 12 to 19. You can check it out at the Trinity Art Gallery at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orléans.

Dance to electronic music in Montreal

Electronic music fans, it’s your big weekend: Piknic Électronik kicks off another season of cutting-edge shows in Montreal’s Parc Jean-Drapeau. Shows take place on Sundays, beginning May 17 and running until October 18.

Enjoy a film festival in Ottawa

The Latin American Film Festival wraps up this week (May 15 and 16) at Saint Paul University on Main Street in Old Ottawa East. Movies this week come from Uruguay, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Admission is free, but you should go online to reserve a ticket.

See the Brockville Railway Tunnel

The Brockville Railway Tunnel is opening for the season on Friday, May 15. If you haven’t heard of this free attraction, you may be wondering, “So what’s the big deal with a tunnel?” This one is a lot of fun, especially if you’re travelling with kids. The old tunnel in downtown Brockville (Canada’s oldest railway tunnel) long ago ceased to serve trains. It’s now been repurposed as a cool sound-and-light attraction that changes continuously as people walk the tunnel’s 530-metre length.

Catch an arts festival in Vankleek Hill

Vankleek Hill is hopping this weekend! The May Show arts festival is returning to Main Street in VKH on Sunday, May 17, to celebrate its 42nd anniversary. As well as checking out artists’ and artisans’ booths, you can enjoy live music, food and more.

Celebrate Poland in the ByWard Market

On Saturday, May 16, the Polish Heritage Foundation of Canada will celebrate Polish Fest along the west end of York Street in the ByWard Market. Come enjoy traditional foods and dancing, and browse for Polish items. It runs from 8am to 8pm, and admission is free.

See theatre all over

Plays on stages this week include The Birds and the Bees at Ottawa Little Theatre, The Heart of Robin Hood at the Ron Maslin Playhouse in Kanata, Fun Home at the Gladstone Theatre and a family show called Th’owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish at the National Arts Centre. For the full list and details, see my theatre post.

Hit a garage sale in Stittsville or Lyndhurst

The Stittsville Lions Club is holding an indoor garage sale on May 16 and 17 at its club at 1339 Stittsville Main Street. Proceeds will support the Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre.

It’s a bit of a drive from Ottawa, but a pretty one! The only community-wide garage sale on my radar this week is happening in Lyndhurst, a pretty village about 130 kilometres southwest of Ottawa. For details on that and many other upcoming sales, see my garage sales post.

Make a doormat in Renfrew

Mat About You is the title of an afternoon workshop at Dragonfly Golf Links in Renfrew on Sunday, May 17. Enjoy a cocktail while making a unique doormat to welcome visitors to your home.

Thrill to the roar of monster trucks in Navan

If you like to hear big machines roaring, then Navan is the place to be this weekend for Monster Trucks All Out (May 16 and 17). Along with drivers putting the namesake monster trucks through their tricky paces, the family-friendly event features quad races, kids’ powerwheel races and the chance to ride in a monster truck. The video above is from a previous Monster Trucks All Out event in Lindsay, but it gives you a good idea of what to expect.

Learn about OIympic coins in Ottawa

The Bank of Canada Museum in Ottawa opened a news temporary exhibition last week. Montréal 1976 The Legacy of the Olympic Coins delves into the history of the commemorative coins from the first Olympic Games to take place in Canada. The show runs until March 2027, and admission to the museum and the exhibition are free.

Enjoy a concert in many places

This week, you can take in musical performances of all sorts, ranging from a Celtic concert in Orléans and Seventeen Voyces in the Glebe to Aurora’s Reef at the Hog’s Back Grill and Bistro, Christian Marc Gendron at La Maison de la culture de Gatineau, and Micah Barnes (a former member of The Nylons) at Bar Robo. Further afield, you can catch Ian Maskin in Cornwall, Curtis Chaffey in Westport or an Alan Jackson tribute in Pembroke. Check my concerts post for links to these shows and many more.

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.