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Free Fishing Weekend (Ontario)
2026-05-09 - 2026-05-10 | Various Ottawa-area waterbodies, Ontario, Ontario, Canada
Ontario Free Fishing Weekend runs May 9-10, 2026. Canadian residents can fish in Ontario without a licence province-wide. Open to all — great for families, beginners, or anyone introducing a friend to fishing. Check local Ottawa-area waterbodies and provincial parks for access points.
Introduce a friend to fishing, go out on your own or join an event.
OFFE is a province-wide opportunity for Canadian residents to fish in Ontario licence-free. There are four periods throughout the year: the 3-day Family Day weekend in February, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day weekends and a full 9 days in July, which coincides with National Fishing Week.
Participants fishing without a license must fish under the Conservation fishing license limits which are set out in the current Ontario Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary. With the exception of the licensing requirement, Ontario fishing regulations, fees and limits continue to apply during license-free days.
Who is it for?
All ages – Family
FREE
Event details can change, so verify with the organizer before attending.
Follow fishing rules
Free fishing periods remind us of the value of Ontario’s recreational fishery, and the importance of keeping it healthy for future generations. While fishing for free during a free fishing period you must:
follow conservation licence catch limits
obey size limits and sanctuaries
follow the fishing regulations
carry a permit or identification card issued by the provincial or federal government, showing your name and date of birth

Oniro - Magical Forrest Walk (Night)
2026-05-08 21:00 - 2026-05-09 22:00 UTC | Parc Omega, 399, route 323 North, Montebello, Quebec, Canada
Experience a magical forest walk at Parc Oméga as the story of wolf cub Oniro unfolds through light, sound, and immersive storytelling. Created by artist Michel Lemieux, ONIRO features 17 illuminated scenes along a 60-minute trail. First departures begin at sunset.
The ONIRO night walk: a magical immersion experience
As night falls, the trees of Parc Oméga come to life and tell the story of the wolf cub Oniro. Immerse yourself in a unique sensory adventure, where animals, light and poetry meet.
Discover an immersive journey combining spectacular projections, enchanting scenery, spellbinding music and human voices. A magical experience in the heart of nature!
The Oniro trail is a night-time forest walk lasting around 60 minutes and comprising 17 tableaux. The first visits take place at sunset.

Alone in the Dark - Cumberland Heritage Village Museum
2026-05-08 20:00 - 2026-05-09 22:00 | Cumberland Heritage Museum, 2940 Old Montréal Road, Cumberland, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
This immersive guided paranormal investigation invites participants to explore a series of historic buildings after dark, including a church, schoolhouse, train station and family home. Led by experienced hosts, the experience incorporates both traditional and modern investigative techniques, encouraging observation and personal interpretation. Designed for curious participants, this small-group experience offers a quiet, atmospheric alternative to conventional tours.
This is not a ghost tour. It is a guided paranormal investigation, and YOU are part of it. Over two hours, we’ll explore four heated heritage buildings: the old church, the schoolhouse, the train station, and the family home. With the village closed to the public and only a handful of guests exploring after dark, the experience feels immersive, quietly eerie, and far removed from an ordinary night out.
Along the way, our expert hosts will guide you through paranormal experiments using both ancient and modern techniques. You will listen closely. You will observe carefully. You will decide for yourself what, if anything, still lingers there.
Some guests come for the thrill. Some for the atmosphere. Some because they have always been curious about what they cannot explain. What they share is curiosity and the willingness to find out. Nothing is staged. Nothing is guaranteed. That is what makes Alone in the Dark so compelling.
4 nights remain.
Spaces are limited. Reserve your spot now. Nights are few. Participants must be 16+. Choose curiosity over fear.

Sooshi Mango: The Home Made World Tour
2026-05-08 20:00 | NAC · Southam Hall, 1 Elgin St, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Australian comedy trio performing live. Character-driven humour rooted in immigrant family experiences. Sold out arenas in Australia. Net capacity 2,035. All prices include HST (13%) and facility fee. VIP upgrade available separately. Final sale – no exchanges or refunds.

Dead Bob, MVLL CRIMES
2026-05-08 19:30 | ByWard Market · The 27 Club, 27 York St, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Dead Bob (John Wright of NoMeansNo and collaborators) headlines with London punks MVLL CRIMES in support. 19+ with photo ID. Presented by Ontario Creates and Beyond The Pale. All sales final, no refunds or exchanges. Tickets from $32.40.

Mage Tears, Ebril Show
2026-05-08 19:00 - 23:00 | ByWard Market · FONO, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Two-act show at FONO. Ticketed event.
Mage Tears and Ebril are performing a joint concert at FONO in Ottawa ON May 8, 2026, as part of their Ontario tour. The show, which includes a 19+ licensed event and features alternative sounds, is part of a tour scheduled through May 2026.

Deux Voix, Une Capitale - The Box
2026-05-08 19:00 | Centretown · The Bronson, 211 Bronson Ave, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Ottawa band The Box performing live under the “Deux Voix, Une Capitale” billing. 19+ show.
Catch Canadian band The Box live at the Bronson Centre as part of the Deux Voix, Une Capitale series. Led by founding member Jean-Marc Pisapia, the Montreal-based progressive rock group brings their signature sound to Ottawa for an unforgettable night of live music. This monthly series celebrates francophone headliners and local talent while highlighting the city’s rich cultural heritage. A special event marking Ottawa’s 200th anniversary through music and community. Doors at 7pm. Ages 19+.

Ottawa Titans Home Opener - Québec Capitales vs. Ottawa Titans
2026-05-08 19:00 | Vanier · Ottawa Stadium (RCGT Park), 300 Coventry Rd, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Season opener vs. four-time defending Frontier League champion Québec Capitales. First 5,000 fans receive a FREE jersey (XL). Post-game fireworks. Food trucks and activities for all ages. Free OC Transpo transit with ticket on game day (3 PM–3 hrs after game). Parking is limited – transit recommended.

Cranium Conference & Showcase 2026
2026-05-08 17:15 - 18:25 | NAC · Fourth Stage, 1 Elgin St, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Music industry event by Cranium Arts Project connecting professionals with musicians and artists. Friday schedule: 5:15–6:25 PM Artist Branding and Identity panel. Weekend includes networking sessions, panels with music professionals, masterclasses, and a showcase of emerging talent. Saturday events also at NAC. Free admission.

Best Fest Ottawa - Premium Food, Drink & Local Goods Festival
2026-05-08 12:00 - 2026-05-09 23:00 | The Glebe · Lansdowne Park, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Ottawa’s premium food and drink event hosted by The Best Eats 613. Vendors in BBQ, Indian, fried chicken, Italian, Japanese and more. Local breweries, wines, hand-crafted cocktails. Ticket includes event entry; food and beverages purchased separately from vendors on-site.

Opening Ceremony - Tulip Festival
2026-05-08 11:00 - 2026-05-18 12:00 | Dow’s Lake · Commissioners Park, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Remembrance Ceremony honouring veterans from World War II to today. Includes a Cannon Salute and CF-18 Fly Over. No tickets required.

Neo Financial Play Zone featuring Velocity Games
2026-05-08 10:00 - 2026-05-18 20:00 | Dow’s Lake · Commissioners Park, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
A drop-in family activity hub. Features oversized yard games, creative building stations, and hands-on activities for all ages. Every weekend the zone transforms into an adventure hub with obstacle courses and Nerf battles — designed by Velocity Games, a youth entrepreneur-founded business. No registration required.

Polestar Ottawa Tulip Taxi
2026-05-08 10:00 - 2026-05-18 20:00 | Dow’s Lake · Commissioners Park, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Hop-on, hop-off golf cart service covering the full 1.2 km length of the festival. Three stops: South End Hub (near Carleton University parking and south Info Centre) → Mid-Festival Stop (steps from OC Transpo buses, food trucks, artisan vendors, Dutch Pavilion, and Booth St. Info Centre) → Great Lawn Gateway (access to O-Train, Dow’s Lake Pavilion, Dow’s Lake Info Centre, Tulip Trek and Tulip Trail entrances). Passes are limited — book in advance. First-come, first-served on the day.

CIBC Tulip Trek: self-guided scavenger hunt through the gardens
2026-05-08 10:00 - 2026-05-18 20:00 | Dow’s Lake · Commissioners Park, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
A family scavenger hunt through Commissioners Park. Start at Dow’s Lake Pavilion to pick up your first clue and explorer tools. Crack 6 clues hidden throughout the park while learning the history of the tulip festival. Final mission: find the Groundskeeper’s hidden shed and turn on the water to save the tulips. Your receipt is your ticket — show it on your phone or printed at the starting line. Tickets sold directly on the festival website.

Canadian Tulip Festival
2026-05-08 10:00 - 2026-05-18 20:00 | Dow’s Lake · Commissioners Park, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
World’s largest tulip festival. 300,000+ tulips across 26 gardens. Free admission to grounds. Paid activities include the Tulip Trail ($5) and CIBC Tulip Trek ($5). Dutch Pavilion, Korean Pavilion, Tulip Market, Tulip Taxi cart rides, self-guided legacy tour, blacklight boardwalk after dark, Tulip Town activity area for kids. Flower Fun Run on May 9. Site open 10 AM–8 PM.
No fireworks or drone show at the 2026 festival.
The festival website states: “”We hope to return to the skies for our Diamond Jubilee in 2027.”” Event details can change — verify at tulipfestival.ca before attending.

CF Rideau Centre Self-Guided Walking Tour
2026-05-08 10:00 - 2026-05-18 18:00 | Dow’s Lake · Commissioners Park, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
A free 7-stop self-guided walking tour through Commissioners Park using QR codes at each stop. Highlights include the Queen Juliana Gift Bed, The Man with Two Hats historic statue, and Heritage Canada’s Dutch-Canadian War Brides Display. Requires a QR code reader on your phone. You can start the tour directly at: https://tulipfestival.ca/walking-tour-stop-1/

Tulip Market - Handcrafted Treasures
2026-05-08 10:00 - 2026-05-18 18:00 | Dow’s Lake · Commissioners Park, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
A curated artisan market featuring local makers who have created tulip-inspired pieces for the festival. Items include home décor, artwork, handmade gifts, and one-of-a-kind keepsakes. Confirmed 2026 vendors: Arteast, Chayana’k, Doozy Candles, La Vie A I’en Verre, Little Creek, Ricovjewlery, Shiloh, Soldar.

Dutch Pavilion - Ottawa Tulip Festival
2026-05-08 10:00 - 2026-05-18 18:00 | Dow’s Lake · Commissioners Park, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Hosted in partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. A cultural experience celebrating the historic gift of tulips from the Dutch royal family to Canada following World War II. No separate page beyond the main festival site.

Korean Pavilion - Ottawa Tulip Festival
2026-05-08 10:00 - 2026-05-18 18:00 | Dow’s Lake · Commissioners Park, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Honours the shared history of Canada and the Netherlands during the Korean War and the lasting friendship forged between the nations. Features a Korean cultural experience zone with interactive activities. No separate page beyond the main festival site.

Arteast Pavilion - Ottawa Tulip Festival
2026-05-08 10:00 - 2026-05-18 18:00 | Dow’s Lake · Commissioners Park, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Local Ottawa art showcase at the festival. A downloadable Activity Calendar PDF with full programming details is available directly from the Arteast Pavilion page. The PDF link on the page is: https://tulipfestival.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026-Tulip-festival-boutique-and-activity-description-V1-1-1.pdf-1.pdf

270 West Consulting Presents the Tulip Trail
2026-05-08 10:00 - 2026-05-18 18:00 | Dow’s Lake · Commissioners Park, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
A NEW immersive 40-minute experience tracing 4,000 years of tulip history across 12,000 km. The journey covers: wild tulips in the Central Asian Mountains (2000 BCE) → Silk Road and Ottoman Empire tulip gardens → Dutch Tulipmania financial bubble → Canada’s WWII legacy and the Royal Gift of Tulips → a photo op in the studio of legendary Canadian photographer and festival founder Malak Karsh. Entrance at the Great Lawn at Preston Rd. and Queen Elizabeth Driveway. Your receipt is your ticket. Spots fill fast — book in advance.

An intimate tale of waiting (NAC French Theatre)
2026-05-07 20:00 - 2026-05-09 21:15 | Azrieli Studio, NAC, 1 Elgin St, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Bilingual French Theatre production presented by NAC French Theatre. Three theatrical stars sparkle in a rare alignment: a brilliant director, a radiant actress and the Sun herself, Annie Ernaux, the masterful chronicler of anonymous others. Using her pen as a scalpel, she dissects a heart consumed by passion: her own.
Many of us have read and reread the work of literature Nobel prize winner Ernaux, but how many of us have ever heard it performed on stage? Unyielding theatrical mastermind Brigitte Haentjens has invited the stellar Julie Le Breton to channel the voice of this unique French author. On stage, a woman waits hours, day, weeks by the phone. She is expecting a call from her Lover, a married foreign diplomat. Between the ecstasy of ephemeral lovemaking and the despair of absence, she observes her own fall from grace with stunning lucidity. The language is sharp and cutting, with occasional delicate sprinkles of humour.
To experience this intimate, autobiographical tale with sensitivity, the audience must suspend all moral judgment and accept that they will see the author of Se perdre launch herself, body and soul, into the maw of two impetuous monsters: loving and writing.

Sicard Artist Series - Fourth Stage NAC
2026-05-07 20:00 | NAC · Fourth Stage, 1 Elgin St, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Emerging Canadian Indigenous artist performing Indigenous/Singer-Songwriter/Folk. Part of the John and Pina Sicard Artist Series that spotlights rising Canadian talent at the intimate Fourth Stage.
John and Pina Sicard have generously supported this series to shine the spotlight on emerging Canadian artists in the Fourth Stage. This gift will ensure that Canadian music makers developing their career will be seen by a wide audience. Be sure to catch a concert by one of these amazing artists in one of Ottawa’s best music venues.

Mozart, Korngold & Bryan Cheng with the NAC Orchestra
2026-05-06 20:00 - 2026-05-07 22:00 | NAC · Southam Hall, 1 Elgin St, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Canadian cellist Bryan Cheng performs two works for solo cello and orchestra: Korngold’s Cello Concerto (composed for the 1946 film noir Deception) and Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony. Conducted by Teddy Abrams. Presented by Audi. Accessible parking available at NAC.

Brad Mehldau - presented by the Ottawa Jazz Festival
2026-05-06 19:30 - 20:45 | ByWard Market · Saint Brigid’s Centre for the Arts, 310 Saint Patrick St, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
World-renowned jazz pianist Brad Mehldau performs solo in the intimate Saint Brigid’s Church. Presented by the Ottawa Jazz Festival as a spring pre-festival event. General admission and reserved front-row seating available. All-ages show in a historic heritage venue.
Join us on Wednesday May 6th, 2026 at the Saint Brigid’s Centre For The Arts for a night of lyrical and introspective music as the Ottawa Jazz Festival presents Brad Mehldau.
Both reserved seating and General Admission tickets available, this evening offers a unique chance to enjoy an iconic live performance in an intimate and historic venue.
Choose your preferred ticket type
General Admission – Includes a general admission ticket that provide access to the venue with seating first come, first seated
Reserved Seat – Includes a reserved seat in the first two rows of the venue with a guaranteed seat with prime viewing

Bleeker, Texas King, Saturn Sunrise
2026-05-06 19:30 | ByWard Market · The 27 Club, 27 York St, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Canadian rock band Bleeker headlines with support from Texas King and Saturn Sunrise. Doors 7 PM. Small intimate venue.

Ottawa Rapid FC vs. Vancouver Rise FC
2026-05-06 19:00 | The Stadium at TD Place, The Glebe · 1015 Bank St, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Ottawa Rapid FC hosts the defending NSL Champions Vancouver Rise FC. High-profile early-season matchup — Vancouver eliminated Ottawa in a semifinal penalty shootout in 2025.

Beaded Vamp and Moccasin Workshop (Part 1: Beading the Vamp)
2026-05-05 17:30 - 20:30 | Atelier Shenkman Smith, NAC, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
The Vamp and Moccasin Workshop with Colleen Nolan offers a unique opportunity for individuals to learn the art of crafting moccasins with a beaded vamp. This workshop provides participants with hands-on experience in crafting and constructing their own pair of moccasins.
Participants leave with not only a beautiful pair of handmade moccasins but also pride. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced crafter, this workshop is open to all. It will be a fun and welcoming environment, where stories will be told, and laughter will be shared.
Join us for an interactive and engaging session, connecting with others and leaving with a sense of fulfilment and gratitude.
Workshop schedule (three evenings, 5:30pm-8:30pm):
Tuesday May 5 – Beading the Vamp: Participants will have the opportunity to bead moccasin vamps—the beautifully decorated top part of a moccasin—while learning about their cultural significance in Indigenous traditions
Tuesday May 12: Making the moccasin
Tuesday May 19: Final assembly
Participants should be committed to attending all three sessions.
This workshop takes place at 1 Elgin Street, in the National Arts Centre’s Atelier Shenkman Smith which is located across from the Box Office.
Event details can change, so verify with the organizer before attending.

Toddler Tuesdays - NAC
2026-05-05 10:00 - 10:50 | Peter A. Herrndorf Place, National Arts Centre, 1 Elgin St, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Free weekly drop-in program for children aged 18 months to 5 years and their parents/caregivers. Singing, dancing, games, and story time led by instructor Jesse Kahat. Fully interactive exploration of the performing arts through creative play. No ticket required.

Lowertown with Villagerrr & Green Eyes, Witch Hands
2026-05-04 20:00 | ByWard Market · The 27 Club, 27 York St, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
MODO-LIVE presents indie alt duo Lowertown with support from Villagerrr & Green Eyes, Witch Hands. 19+. Capacity 250. All sales final, no refunds/exchanges.
