Home Featured77+ great events in and around Ottawa, September 14 to 20
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77+ great events in and around Ottawa, September 14 to 20

by Laura Byrne Paquet
by Laura Byrne Paquet 295 views

It’s another huge calendar of events this week! Your choices include CityFolk in Ottawa, a farm tour in Clarendon, a culinary event at a Kemptville corn maze, a literary festival in Smiths Falls, a plant sale in Pakenham, a poutine and ribs festival in Rockland, a quilting event in Stittsville, an outdoor market in Bourget, a musical in Almonte, a celebration of garlic in Cornwall, an apple festival in Iroquois, four community fairs and six artist studio tours. And that’s just a sample of what’s in store. Happy road tripping!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Thrill to planes in Gatineau

eight red and white planes in formation against a blue sky
Photo of the Canadian Armed Forces Snowbirds by Peter Handley.

If you hear the roar of fighter jets overhead this weekend, you’ll know that the Aéro Gatineau-Ottawa airshow is back in town. From September 18 to 20, the Snowbirds, the Northern Star aeroteam, the SkyHawks parachute team and more will be doing their thing high above the Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport (1717 Arthur-Fecteau, Gatineau). You can also see Second World War aircraft and an illuminated drones show.

Head to a folk festival in Ottawa or Ripon

Construction at Lansdowne Park has prompted the CityFolk festival (September 16 to 20) to move to larger digs on the grounds of the RA Centre (2451 Riverside Drive). Like other Ottawa music festivals that started off celebrating one kind of music and then expanded their focus (I’m looking at you, Bluesfest), CityFolk has evolved to feature more than folk music. Headliners this year include Alabama Shakes, Cameron Whitcomb, Third Eye Blind, Of Monsters and Men, and that mellow old folkie Alice Cooper.

Over in the Outaouais, the Ripon Trad music festival (September 17 to 20) hews a bit more closely to the folk music theme, with a variety of acts performing traditional Québécois music in dozens of shows across the community.

Channel your inner Scot in Carleton Place

Pipes, drums and Highland dancers will all be on hand to celebrate the Carleton Place Community Tattoo on Sunday, September 20, starting at noon at the Captain Roy A. Brown Legion Branch 192.

Go to an apple festival in Iroquois

At the Iroquois Apple Festival on Saturday, September 19, the fun will include a pancake breakfast, a car show, bingo, a petting zoo, apple peeling and dessert contests, an OPP motorcycle show, and a chicken wing eating contest.

P.S: If you love apples, don’t miss my big post about local you-pick orchards and other apple destinations and my review of an apple cidery north of Montreal.

Hear authors in Smiths Falls

At the Smiths Falls Literary Festival (September 19 and 20), you can attend panels focused on all sorts of book types, including general fiction and non-fiction, fantasy, romance, young adult, mystery/crime and eco-literacy. The speaker at that last one is Diana Beresford-Kroeger, whose books about forests have changed the way many of us look at trees.

Admire quilts in Stittsville

The Outdoor Quilt Walk (September 18 to 20) is a Stittsville event featuring more than 200 modern quilts displayed along a one-kilometre accessible forest path. The walk is free, but donations are welcomed for Quilts for Survivors, Quilts of Valour and Victoria’s Quilts.

Celebrate Indigenous arts in Ottawa

people, some in indigenous clothing, dancing in a circle at night
Photo by Ming Wu courtesy of the Asinabka Film and Media Arts Festival.

The 15th annual Asinabka Film and Media Arts Festival is taking place in Ottawa from September 15 to 20. During the multimedia event, you can see films made by Indigenous people from around the world, attend a gallery exhibition opening, check out a vendors’ market, enjoy lots of live music and more. Most of the events take place at Arts Court (2 Daly Avenue) or Club SAW (67 Nicholas Street); the art exhibition is at Gallery 101 (280 Catherine Street).

Taste hot sauce in Mountain

If you like it hot, you’ll love Heating Up the Capital, a hot sauce expo coming to Smokie Ridge Vineyard (10090 Cameron Road, Mountain) on Saturday, September 19. From 10am to 5pm, you can sample fiery flavours from more than 30 vendors and buy your favourites to take home.

Enjoy chamber music in Prince Edward County

This is the first full weekend of the Prince Edward County Chamber Music Festival (September 18 to 20, and October 2 to 4), which will present concerts by string quartets, violinists, pianists and others.

Shop for handmade goods in Merrickville and Kemptville

quilts draped over a chair outdoors

Merrickville’s Makers Market returns to the village on Saturday, September 19, with an outdoor market at the Merrickville Fairgrounds at 106 Read Street from 10am to 4pm. The event showcases the high-quality work of dozens of area artisans and their friends who create functional or decorative objects partly or entirely by hand.

The following day, Lavender Mills Farm in Kemptville is hosting its first She Creates Market. From 10am to 2pm on Sunday, September 20, you can browse for goods created by local women.

Buy a tree near Brockville or plants in Pakenham

The Friends of the Mac Johnson Wildlife Area are launching their annual fundraising tree sale on Saturday, September 19. Taking place at the Stefan Foerster Tree Nursery (4673 Debruge Road, Tincap), the sale will support conservation work. The sale will continue on Wednesdays and Saturdays until September 30. Note that the nursery and the wildlife area are both technically in the tiny community of Tincap, which is so close to Brockville that many people don’t even realize it’s a separate place!

Looking for something smaller? The Pakenham Horticultural Society is holding its annual plant sale on Saturday, September 19, from 9am to noon, at Five Span Feed and Seed.

Attend an art exhibition in Alexandria or Carleton Place

triptych of paintings featuring soldiers at war
Trilyth by Jennifer Robitaille is among the works in the On Guard for Thee… exhibition in Alexandria.

The current show at the Priest’s Mill Arts Centre in Alexandria is On Guard for Thee…, featuring 62 works by artists from across Eastern Ontario and West Quebec. The pieces explore “what it means to stand on guard—for one another, for our shared values and for those whose voices are too often unheard.” The show runs until Sunday, November 8.

A new solo show by Ottawa plein-air artist Charles Spratt is opening at the Carleton Place Gallery on Saturday, September 19. You can meet the artist at a vernissage on Sunday, September 20, and the show runs until Thursday, October 8.

Visit a farm in Clarendon

Herboristerie La Fée des Bois—an herb farm in Clarendon that takes organic farming and permaculture one step further to practise what’s known as “regenerative agriculture”—is holding an open house on September 19 and 20. As well as checking out workshops on herbalism and other wellness practices, you can tour the medicinal plant garden and taste herbal teas. Kids may enjoy the crafting activities and the chance to visit the farm’s chickens and sheep.

See classic cars in Verona

dashboard of a classic car with interior leather upholstery
Photo by Dawid Zawiła on Unsplash.

The Verona Car Show (Saturday, September 19) will showcase all sorts of classic vehicles, from old-timey pickup trucks to souped-up VW Beetles and roaring 1970s muscle cars. The event has raised over $125,000 for local charities in the last decade or so. It’s happening at the Verona Lions Club (4504 Verona Sands Road).

Have some family fun in Old Ottawa East

The Main Event is a weekend-long neighbourhood celebration in Old Ottawa East. It kicks off with a pizza party at the Old Ottawa East Town Hall (61 Main Street), followed by a family movie in Springhurst Park on the night of Friday, September 18. From 10am to 3pm on Saturday, September 19, you can enjoy a festival along La Grande Allée (185 Main Street), including games, live music and a barbecue.

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Eat, drink and explore a corn maze in Kemptville

Dulmage Family Farm in Kemptville is hosting Taste of the Maze on Saturday, September 19. From 5pm to 9pm, visitors can try their luck navigating the five-acre corn maze, nosh on treats from food trucks, enjoy live music, and sample local wine, beer and cider. You might want to try the maze before the potent potables. 🤣

Get cultured across Ontario

Ontario Culture Days (September 18 to October 4) will see communities across the province offering all sorts of arts events, including plays, concerts, art workshops and much more. There are far too many events happening to list even a fraction of them here! Check the link to see what’s happening near you.

Shop, shop, shop all over

people shopping from stalls under white awnings
Photo courtesy of the Bourget Community Market.

The Bourget Community Market on Saturday, September 19, will see vendors setting up their tables beside the Prescott-Russell Recreational Trail from 10am to 2pm.

Saturday is also the day of the Carleton Place Farmers’ Market Harvest Festival. From 8:30am to 12:30pm, you can enjoy special fall treats, games, crafts and more.

On Saturday in downtown Brockville, Shop the Street will see King Street between Perth and Bethune streets lined with vendors selling food, cool products and more outdoors. Entertainers will keep things lively, too. The event lasts from 10am to 3pm.

And also on Saturday, the popular Taste of the Valley food festival comes to the Petawawa Civic Centre. It’s a great opportunity to buy local food products from Renfrew County vendors.

At the Barrhaven Harvest Fest at the Nepean Woods Park and Ride on Sunday, September 20, you can shop for produce, hot food, crafts and more from more than 100 vendors. Entertainment will include bouncy castles, kids’ activities and live music. The event runs from 10am to 2pm.

And if night markets are your thing, you can check out the Gloucester Night Market on Friday, September 18, and the Nepean Night Market on Sunday, September 20.

Dig into poutine and ribs in Rockland

a cardboard box of poutine with bacon, with bowl of gravy on the side
Pixabay photo.

The Bergeron Garden Centre on Highway 174 in Rockland is hosting the Rockland Ribfest and Poutine from September 18 to 20.

See a play all over

It’s a busy week for theatre fans. As well as being your last week to see Beautiful Scars, Come From Away and Rough Crossing in Ottawa, it’s also the first week for Son of a Preacherman in Ottawa and Having Hope at Home in Perth. And it’s your only chance to see The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical in Almonte. For details on these and many other plays in our region, see my theatre post.

The one-day Alchemy Fest on Saturday, September 19, will showcase a wide range of fusion and contemporary performances by dancers from across Ontario and Quebec. The genre-bending shows will include breakin’ belly dance fusion and metal belly dance.

Celebrate garlic, other foods and street art in Cornwall

As you can see from the video above, the Eastern Ontario Garlic Festival has always been about more than garlic. As well as picking up aromatic bulbs and other garlicky goodness, you can enjoy live music and more. And this year, the garlic festival is happening at the same time as the first-ever Cornwall Street Art and Food Festival! Together, they’re happening in Lamoureux Park in Cornwall on Saturday, September 19.

Head to a fibre festival in Beachburg

If you’re a needleworker, Beachburg Fibrefest on Sunday, September 20, promises lots of inspiration. Artisans and farmers will be giving demonstrations—past festivals have featured people spinning wool into yarn, shearing sheep, threshing flax and making baskets (this year’s festival schedule will be released soon). You can shop for textiles, yarn and crafting tools, and browse for unique handmade items.

Dance to the music in Ottawa or Westport

The Cranium Festival (September 9 to 13) is bringing live hip-hop, R&B and DJ performances to multiple venues across the city, including Red Bird, the Bronson and Club SAW. On Saturday afternoon from 2pm to 7pm, there will be free performances in Ogilvy Square, just off Rideau Street beside the Rideau Centre.

Westporch (Saturday, September 19) is an all-day festival of free musical performances on porches across the pretty Rideau Lakes village of Westport, from 11am to 6pm. Local businesses will also be hosting live music shows throughout the weekend (September 18 to 20).

Browse for gemstones in Nepean

multicoloured polished small stones, photographed from above
Phot by Sung Jin Cho on Unsplash.

This one’s for the rockhounds out there: The Ottawa Lapsmith and Mineral Club is running its annual Gem and Mineral Show at the Nepean Sportsplex on September 19 and 20. Shop for gemstones, minerals, fossils, jewellery, crystals, beads, equipment, carvings and more. You can also learn how to identify gems and minerals via displays, demonstrations and hands-on activities.

Discover world cultures in Kingston

In Kingston, the Intercultural Arts Festival on Sunday, September 20, will feature music and dance performances, a craft and artisan market, cultural pavilions, international cuisine, a citizenship ceremony (starting at 10am), and more. The free event is taking place downtown in Confederation Park and various other downtown locations, from 11am to 5pm. Several downtown streets will be closed, so the organizers advise taking public transit or getting to the area by foot or bike.

Hunt for bargains in Ottawa

Two big neighbourhood-wide garage sales are happening in Ottawa on Saturday, in New Edinburgh and Old Ottawa East. See details in my big garage sales post (scroll to the end).

Laugh at standup comedy in Brockville

Standup comic Jeff Leeson brings his latest tour to the Brockville Arts Centre on Saturday, September 19.

Cheer for athletes in Ottawa and Gatineau

Feel like cheering on competitors in a game or a race? Here are some of the opportunities this week.

  • This is the final week of the IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships, taking place at the Arena at TD Place and Carleton University until Saturday, September 19.
  • On September 16 and 17, top female cyclists will be racing along Outaouais roads during the Tour of Gatineau.
  • It’s a big day for pro soccer at the Arena at TD Place on Sunday, September 20. In the afternoon, the men of Atlético Ottawa are playing Laval-based FC Supra. In women’s pro soccer, Ottawa Rapid FC are taking on Calgary Wild FC that evening.
  • It’s not too late to register to walk, run or roll along one of the many routes that make up the Canada Army Run on Sunday, September 20 (or you could cheer for racers from the sidelines).
cafe tables and umbrellas on a wooden deck under trees

The Tavern at the Gallery, tucked into a courtyard on the north side of the National Gallery of Canada, is hosting an Oktoberfest celebration on Saturday, September 19. From 2pm to 5pm, you can enjoy German-inspired food, beer and live Bavarian-style music.

Tour artists’ studios all over

It’s a busy weekend for studio tours!

Between September 18 and 20, you can check out these two:

And on September 19 and 20, you can check out four more:

Dine well for a good cause in Ottawa

Harvest: A Feast of Fall is a gala event featuring fine fare whipped up by chefs from a range of popular local restaurants, including Parlour, Le Poisson Bleu, Gather, Ek Bar and Bar Lupulus. The fundraiser for YouTurn, a non-profit organization that serves at-risk youth, is taking place at the Ottawa Art Gallery (10 Daly Avenue) on Wednesday, September 16.

Head to a fair in Richmond, Morrisburg, Middleville or Lyndhurst

Every year, about 8,000 people descend on the village of Lyndhurst—population 500—for the Lyndhurst Turkey Fair. Taking place this year on Saturday, September 19, from 10am to 4:30pm, the free family event features music, a classic car show, a river mermaid (!) and more. The video above, from a past edition, will give you a sense of what to expect. Lyndhurst is about 90 minutes southwest of Ottawa.

Another one-day event on September 19, the Middleville Fair, includes a horse show, livestock competitions, live music, kids’ games, blacksmithing demonstrations, an artisans’ and farmers’ market, a turkey supper, and more.

This weekend, you can also check out the 182nd Richmond Fair (September 17 to 20), which will offer a parade, a demolition derby, live music, a midway, craft competitions, livestock shows and much more.

And at Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, the 1860s Fall Fair Weekend (September 19 and 20) includes a Mohawk song and dance performance, a quilt show and quilting bee, old-fashioned family games, food and craft competitions, a brass band performance, horse and cattle shows, and more.

Shop for international goods in Manotick

international textiles on shelves and racks with metal trees of life hanging on wall behind

If you’ve been visiting this website for a while, you’ll know I’m a big fan of the One World Bazaar in Manotick. The sale—which opens for the season this year on September 17 and runs through November 22—features goods gathered from artisans in countries around the world. The family behind the event adheres to fair trade practices and deals directly with artisans. The resulting sale is enormous! The bazaar’s core days are Friday through Sunday, but it’s also open two Thursdays (September 17 and 24), as well as Thanksgiving Monday (October 12); see the website for details.

Eat well on Wellington Street West

Taste of Wellington (Saturday, September 19) is a one-day festival along Wellington Street West in Ottawa, between Island Park Drive and Bayswater Avenue. At staggered times between 10am and 8pm, you can browse sidewalk sales, sample foods, see demonstrations, enjoy live music, check out a roller disco and a vintage market, take your pooch to a dog photo booth, thrill to circus performances, learn about EVs, take a free yoga class, and more! There will be fun for kids, too.

Tour a cemetery or channel your inner Harry Potter in Smiths Falls

Photo courtesy of the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario.

Can’t wait for Halloween? Get an early taste of all things spooky with two events in Smiths Falls. On Saturday, September 19, head to the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario for a Harry Potter-themed event called The Hallow’s Express, featuring costumed folks, a magical market and mystical train rides. On Sunday, September 20, you can take a guided tour of Hillcrest Cemetery and learn about some of the graveyard’s oldest, um, residents.

Exercise for a good cause in Ottawa

The 24-Hour Yogapalooza event (September 18 to 20) is a fundraiser for CHEO’s work to help treat and prevent childhood cancers. It features yoga classes around the clock at Beyond Yoga in Kanata. Advance registration for classes is advised.

On Sunday, September 20, the 1-kilometre Walk for Dementia raises funds to support community programs for people living with dementia. The walk will take place at the Dementia Society Centre (2327 St. Laurent Boulevard), starting at 10am.

Catch a concert all over

In the mood for some music? Here are just a few of the many concerts happening in our region this week:

CONTINUING EVENTS

This is a new section where I’ll list ongoing events that often pop up in the calendar the week they open and then disappear.

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.)

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!

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.

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