Downtown Ottawa
Events
Calendar of Events
|
Monday
|
Tuesday
|
Wednesday
|
Thursday
|
Friday
|
Saturday
|
Sunday
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 events,
Step into a vibrant, photo-worthy world of science at the Canadian Museum of Nature - Wild Colour is Ottawa's most colourful museum experience of 2026. Created by the Field Museum in Chicago and enhanced with Canadian specimens, this exhibition explores how animals, plants and minerals use colour to communicate, attract mates, and survive. Museum admission […]
CA$17
Ottawa's award-winning lantern-lit ghost tour runs nightly through downtown streets with cloaked storytellers sharing the city's haunted history at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, the Bytown Museum, and Ottawa's most infamous haunted high school. The 75-minute tour departs from the ticket office at 46 1/2 Sparks Street, steps from Parliament Hill, and runs in all weather […]
CA$24.99
-
Bead your own Orange Shirt pin with Stephanie Peltier while learning about Indigenous art forms. The workshop explores the significance of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and supplies […]
CA$65
|
3 events,
Featured
-
Featured
The NAC Orchestra plays an accessible hour of classics and pop favourites in a relaxed neighbourhood concert. Conductor Léa Moisan-Perrier leads works by Mozart and Haydn alongside Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah […]
CA$10
|
4 events,
-
Rose LeMay and Tanya Talaga join a panel asking what meaningful reconciliation looks like and what role women play. The conversation covers systemic barriers facing First Nations, Métis and Inuit […]
CA$39.55
Featured
-
Featured
Gogol Bordello headlines a live show at History Ottawa on Wednesday, September 30. Supporting acts are That Handsome Devil and Pons. The show starts at 7:00 PM at 47 Rideau Street and tickets are sold through Ticketmaster Canada. Event details can change, so verify with the organizer before attendin… |
3 events,
-
Canadian rock veterans Rheostatics bring their Great Lakes Suite show, with film visuals, to the NAC's Babs Asper Theatre. The band has been active since 1979, blends rock, folk, prog, and pop, and performs with improvised arrangements and spoken-word segments. Tickets start at $45 through the NAC, …
From $45
|
4 events,
-
Hear chilling tales of ghostly encounters on a 75 minute haunted tour of Ottawa's Bytown Museum. The tour covers ghost stories shared by staff and visitors, plus regional tales about the Rideau Canal, Barracks Hill, and D'Arcy McGee's murder. October 2 is listed as a tour date, and the page does not…
CA$14 – CA$32.99
-
A star-studded NAC tribute night honours Canadian music icon k.d. lang with Jann Arden, Michael Bublé, and more. Other performers include Allison Russell, Jill Barber, Mariel Buckley, Wyatt C. Louis, Ron Sexsmith, and Jane Siberry, and the night features a red carpet arrival, an exhibition of archiv…
From $56
|
||
4 events,
Craft your own pair of beaded moccasins in a three evening workshop led by Colleen Nolan at the NAC. Participants bead the vamp on October 6, make the moccasin on October 13, and finish assembly on October 20, while learning about Indigenous cultural traditions. Sessions run 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM at At…
CA$200
Nightlife leaders and policymakers gather at the NAC for Canada After Dark, a summit on the nighttime economy. The program features keynote speaker Ariel Palitz, who founded New York City's first Mayor's Office of Nightlife, plus international scholars and municipal leaders. A welcome cocktail runs … |
5 events,
Ottawa native Kerson Leong joins the NAC Orchestra for Bruch's romantic Violin Concerto No. 1. Conductor Stephanie Childress also leads Britten's Simple Symphony and Beethoven's Symphony No. 1. The concert runs about 2 hours with intermission, and tickets start at $33 through the NAC with Under30 an…
From $33
|
8 events,
A young theatre student travels from Montreal to Côte d'Ivoire to find his father in the autofiction play Neige sur Abidjan. Guided by a griot character, he discovers his family heritage, with family photographs and letter excerpts projected on stage. Performances are October 8 at 8 PM, October 9 at 8 PM with a talkback, […]
From $39
-
Meet hiring managers and training providers face to face at the Ottawa Career Fair and Training Expo. Employer exhibitors are on site to network with and take applications from job seekers, and training providers offer diplomas and certifications. Attendees can explore career options and learn about the credentials needed for the positions they want. The […]
-
Winnipeg musician Begonia brings her Fantasy Life Tour to the NAC's Babs Asper Theatre with Cartel Madras opening. The show features her album Fantasy Life, written in Los Angeles and recorded in Winnipeg, and opener Cartel Madras performs experimental electronic hip-hop. The concert runs 7:30 PM to 10 PM, and tickets start at $34 through […]
From $34
|
6 events,
John Cleese celebrates 50 years of Monty Python and the Holy Grail with a screening and live Q&A at the NAC. The evening features a screening of the film followed by an uproarious conversation and audience Q&A with Cleese, who shares behind-the-scenes stories. Performances are October 9 and 10 at 7:30 PM, run about 2 […]
From $76.25
-
The Capital Music Awards honour Ottawa's music makers with a night at the NAC's Southam Hall. The 2026 ceremony features more than 60 nominees across 13 categories and is produced by the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition. Tickets are $46, the ceremony runs 8 PM to 10 PM, and public voting for five categories is open […]
CA$46
|
9 events,
-
Join a free pre-show conversation at the NAC about migration, identity, and belonging, inspired by Neige sur Abidjan. Mani Soleymanlou, Artistic Director of French Theatre, facilitates as community members share […]
Free
-
Dance to 80s and 90s hits from Jenny Berggren of Ace of Base, Haddaway, Real McCoy, SNAP!, and No Mercy at Dance Now Ottawa. It is a 19+ event at […]
From $103
-
Kalle Mattson and Andrew Sowka bring the folk duo summersets to the NAC Fourth Stage for an intimate night. Their sound draws on the storytelling of John Prine and the […]
CA$20
-
Dance the night away at Footloose, an 80s dance party marking the Ottawa launch of Dirty Dancing Ottawa. Club SAW is a roughly 300-capacity venue inside Arts Court that programs […]
CA$24.99
|
||
4 events,
-
A two-hour life-drawing session where you can capture the dynamic beauty of powwow dances and their regalia on your own paper. Participants will bring their own material and work with […]
Free
|
4 events,
Louise Lecavalier wanders the back alleys of her creative repertoire in the solo work danses vagabondes at the NAC. The work explores a dialogue between instinct and precision, freedom and discipline, and unleashes raw joy out of the pure freedom of dance. Performances are October 14 and 15 at 7:30 PM, run about 66 minutes […]
CA$33 – CA$79
|
4 events,
-
Canadian songwriting great Bruce Cockburn takes the Southam Hall stage at the National Arts Centre. Cockburn has won 13 JUNO Awards and is a member of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame and an Officer of the Order of Canada. Tickets start at $56 and the show runs about 2 hours. Under30 and All My […]
From $56
|
5 events,
-
Hear acclaimed author Zadie Smith discuss her celebrated literary career in Southam Hall. Smith's debut novel White Teeth became an international bestseller, and her later works include On Beauty, NW, […]
From $34
-
Toronto's finest stand-up comedians take over the Fourth Stage for a night of laughs at the NAC. The lineup has appeared on Crave, CBC, SiriusXM, and AppleTV+, and the show has sold out for 11 seasons in a row. Tickets are $35 through Ticketmaster, all sales are final, and the show runs about 1 hour […]
CA$35
|
5 events,
-
Dress up for a Halloween concert as the NAC Orchestra plays spooky favourites from The Sorcerer's Apprentice to Ghostbusters. Principal Youth Conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser leads the show, and the NACOtron […]
CA$15
-
Violinist Ray Chen performs a program from Bach and Mozart to Grieg and Sarasate in Southam Hall. The program includes Mozart's Violin Sonata in B-flat major, Grieg's Violin Sonata No. 3, selections from Bach's Partita No. 3, and Sarasate's Playera and Carmen Fantasy. Tickets start at $33, and the recital runs about 2 hours with […]
From $33
|
||
5 events,
-
Loreena McKennitt celebrates 30 years of The Mask and Mirror with a two set show in Southam Hall. Set one features fan favourites and set two is the full album […]
-
Maya Kaqchikel singer and activist Sara Curruchich performs in the Azrieli Studio at the NAC. She sings in Kaqchikel and Spanish. Tickets are $22, and the show runs about 2 […]
CA$22
|
3 events,
-
Portuguese accordion quartet Danças Ocultas performs in the Babs Asper Theatre at the NAC. Tickets start at $41, and the show runs about 2.5 hours. Under30 and All My Relations […]
From $41
|
|||||