20 Ottawa Events This Month: October 2-31, 2026

Ottawa’s October calendar manages to put John Cleese celebrating 50 years of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a blood-splattered comedy magic show in Orléans, and a Halloween orchestra concert with the Capital Ghostbusters into the same month. The calendar stretches from Southam Hall and TD Place to Canadian Tire Centre, Shenkman Arts Centre and even an illuminated forest trail across the river at Parc Omega. Among the Ottawa events this month are The Black Keys, Loreena McKennitt, Bruce Cockburn, Zadie Smith, Pat Metheny and a final regular-season REDBLACKS home game. Here are 20 Ottawa events this month, October 2-31.

Top Ottawa events this month

1. John Cleese and the Holy Grail at 50

John Cleese marks the 50th anniversary of Monty Python and the Holy Grail with two unusual evenings at the NAC. Each event combines a screening of the cult comedy with a live conversation and audience Q&A, where Cleese shares stories from behind the scenes of the film.

📅 Friday, October 9 and Saturday, October 10 at 7:30 PM 📍 NAC Babs Asper Theatre, 1 Elgin Street 🎟️ From $76.25

2. The Black Keys

The Black Keys bring their Peaches n’ Kream World Tour to Canadian Tire Centre for a Saturday night stop in Kanata. The arena date gives Ottawa fans a chance to hear the American rock duo’s catalogue on one of the largest concert stages in the region.

📅 Saturday, October 17 at 7:30 PM 📍 Canadian Tire Centre, 1000 Palladium Drive, Kanata 🎟️ Check Ticketmaster for current ticket prices

3. Loreena McKennitt: The Mask and Mirror 30th Anniversary Tour

Loreena McKennitt celebrates three decades of The Mask and Mirror with a two-set performance in Southam Hall. The first half draws from fan favourites, while the second presents the landmark album in full.

📅 Tuesday, October 20 at 8 PM 📍 NAC Southam Hall, 1 Elgin Street 🎟️ Check Ticketmaster for current ticket prices

4. REDBLACKS vs Toronto Argonauts

Lumberjack Night takes over TD Place as the Ottawa REDBLACKS host the Toronto Argonauts in the team’s final regular-season home game. Doors open an hour before kickoff, with the night built around flannel, football and one last regular-season crowd at Lansdowne.

📅 Friday, October 16 at 7 PM 📍 The Stadium at TD Place, 1015 Bank Street 🎟️ Check Ticketmaster or the REDBLACKS website for current ticket prices

5. Spooky Symphony: NAC Orchestra Family Adventures

Costumes are encouraged when the NAC Orchestra turns Southam Hall into a Halloween concert hall with music ranging from The Sorcerer’s Apprentice to Ghostbusters. Families can arrive an hour early for violin performances, Halloween crafts, sensory-friendly activities and photos with the Capital Ghostbusters.

📅 Sunday, October 18 at 3:30 PM 📍 NAC Southam Hall, 1 Elgin Street 🎟️ $15

More Ottawa events this month

1. Oniro – Magical Forrest Walk (Night)

Parc Omega’s forest becomes an illuminated nighttime story during Oniro. The approximately 60-minute walking trail follows a wolf cub through 17 separate tableaux. Artist Michel Lemieux created the experience around projections, scenery, music and recorded voices.

The forest itself becomes part of the production rather than simply serving as a backdrop. Visitors move from scene to scene on foot as the story develops around them. The first departures begin around sunset, which helps the lighting effects take over as darkness settles across the park.

Oniro is one of the Ottawa events this month that requires a drive outside the city, since Parc Omega is in Montebello. Multiple Friday and Saturday dates are available throughout October. Tickets start at $29, making it possible to build an entire autumn evening around the trip.

📅 Select Friday and Saturday nights through October 31, 9 PM-10 PM 📍 Parc Omega, 399 Route 323 North, Montebello, Quebec 🎟️ From $29

2. Pat Metheny – SIDE-EYE III+

Pat Metheny brings his SIDE-EYE III+ world tour to Algonquin Commons Theatre. The guitarist arrives with his newest ensemble and material connected to the self-titled SIDE-EYE III+ album. It is the first release on Metheny’s new Uniquity Music label.

Metheny’s career includes 20 Grammy Awards across ten categories. His work has moved between jazz, fusion and more experimental approaches over several decades. That history makes the Ottawa stop as much an opportunity to see an influential guitarist as a showcase for the current project.

The Algonquin College lobby and bar open before the performance. Doors to the theatre follow ahead of the 7 PM start. Tickets range from $99.50 to $159.50 plus fees.

📅 Wednesday, October 7 at 7 PM 📍 Algonquin Commons Theatre, 1385 Woodroffe Avenue 🎟️ 99.50-159.50 plus fees

3. Beethoven, Britten, Bruch & Kerson Leong

Ottawa-born violinist Kerson Leong returns to the NAC for two performances with the NAC Orchestra. Leong is the featured soloist in Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1. The work is one of the best-known Romantic violin concertos.

Conductor Stephanie Childress leads the rest of the program. Britten’s Simple Symphony and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 complete the evening. Together, the three works move between youthful energy, Romantic virtuosity and early Beethoven.

The concert runs approximately two hours with an intermission. Regular tickets start at $33. Discounted Under30 and All My Relations tickets are also offered by the NAC.

📅 Wednesday, October 7 and Thursday, October 8 at 8 PM 📍 NAC Southam Hall, 1 Elgin Street 🎟️ From $33

4. Capital Music Awards

Ottawa’s music community gets its own Southam Hall spotlight at the 2026 Capital Music Awards. More than 60 nominees are represented across 13 categories. The ceremony is produced by the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition.

The awards are designed to recognize artists and other people working across the local music sector. Public voting is open for five of the categories. That gives local listeners a role in part of the evening before the winners are announced.

For anyone looking specifically for locally rooted Ottawa events this month, this ceremony puts the city’s own music makers at the centre of the program. The event runs for approximately two hours. Regular tickets are $46, with $15 Under30 and All My Relations tickets available.

📅 Friday, October 9 at 8 PM 📍 NAC Southam Hall, 1 Elgin Street 🎟️ $46

5. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – The Hard Road Tour

Grammy-winning guitarist Christone “Kingfish” Ingram brings The Hard Road Tour to Algonquin Commons Theatre. His music starts with blues but moves into rock, soul, funk and R&B. Rolling Stone has described Ingram as the future of the blues.

The lobby opens at 7 PM before theatre doors open at 7:30 PM. The concert starts at 8 PM. Fans can choose among balcony, main-level and floor tickets.

A VIP add-on is also available. It includes a meet and greet, photo opportunity, signed item and early merchandise access. Regular tickets run from $45 to $65 plus fees, and the show is open to all ages.

📅 Friday, October 9 at 8 PM 📍 Algonquin Commons Theatre, 1385 Woodroffe Avenue 🎟️ 45-65 plus fees

6. Powwow Life-Drawing

The NAC Salon hosts a free life-drawing session built around powwow dance and regalia. Participants spend two hours drawing the movement and visual detail of dancers. Art facilitators are present during the session.

The event is aimed primarily at intermediate and advanced artists. Participants are encouraged to bring their preferred drawing materials. Some supplies will also be available for people who do not have their own.

All attendees are expected to participate in the drawing rather than attend only as spectators. Registration does not carry an admission fee. Anyone searching for free events in Ottawa can add this unusually specific creative workshop to the October calendar.

📅 Tuesday, October 13, 6 PM-8 PM 📍 NAC Salon, 1 Elgin Street 🎟️ Free

7. danses vagabondes

Louise Lecavalier takes the Babs Asper Theatre stage with the solo work danses vagabondes. The piece looks back through the choreographer and performer’s creative repertoire. Its central tension sits between instinct and precision.

Freedom and discipline are also placed in conversation throughout the work. Lecavalier uses that contrast to explore movement without turning the performance into a conventional retrospective. The result is a solo built around both physical control and creative release.

Performances take place on consecutive evenings. The production runs approximately 66 minutes without an intermission. Audience members attending October 14 can stay for a post-show conversation with Lecavalier.

📅 Wednesday, October 14 and Thursday, October 15 at 7:30 PM 📍 NAC Babs Asper Theatre, 1 Elgin Street 🎟️ 33-79

8. Hellarious: The World’s Funniest & Bloodiest Magic Show

Hellarious mixes grand illusion, comedy and horror imagery at Shenkman Arts Centre. Performer Aaron Matthews leads a production built around eccentric characters and deliberately bloody magic. The show has previously appeared at major Halloween attractions.

This is not a conventional family magic show. Organizers recommend it for audiences 16 and older because of mature material comparable to a PG-13 horror film. All ages are technically permitted to attend.

Regular tickets range from $37 to $57. RIP tickets in the first three rows add a post-show cast photo and exclusive merchandise. For audiences who prefer Halloween entertainment with gore and comedy rather than haunted houses, this is one of October’s more unusual options.

📅 Thursday, October 15 at 8 PM 📍 Shenkman Arts Centre, 245 Centrum Boulevard, Orléans 🎟️ 37-57

9. Bruce Cockburn

Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn returns to Southam Hall for an October concert at the National Arts Centre. His career has produced an extensive catalogue crossing folk, rock and jazz influences. He has also received 13 JUNO Awards.

Cockburn is a member of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. He has also been appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. The Ottawa performance offers a chance to hear that catalogue in one of the city’s largest concert halls.

The performance runs approximately two hours. Regular tickets start at $56. Under30 and All My Relations tickets are available for $15.

📅 Friday, October 16 at 8 PM 📍 NAC Southam Hall, 1 Elgin Street 🎟️ From $56

10. The National Women’s Show Ottawa

The National Women’s Show fills the Cohere Centre for two days of shopping, demonstrations and stage programming. Visitors can browse retail vendors while sampling food and wine. Hair and beauty services are also part of the show.

Cooking demonstrations, fashion shows and craft workshops add scheduled activities between shopping stops. Main-stage entertainment runs during the weekend as well. Goodie bags are another advertised part of the experience.

Saturday runs from 10 AM to 6 PM, with a shorter Sunday schedule ending at 5 PM. Children 11 and younger are admitted free. Adult ticket options range from $11.80 to $42.80.

📅 Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18 📍 Cohere Centre, 4899 Uplands Drive 🎟️ 11.80-42.80, free for children 11 and under

11. An Evening with Zadie Smith

Author Zadie Smith comes to Southam Hall for an evening devoted to her literary career. Smith’s debut novel White Teeth became an international bestseller. Her later books include On Beauty, NW and Swing Time.

The conversation also arrives after the publication of The Fraud. That gives the evening a catalogue stretching from the novel that established Smith’s international reputation to her more recent historical fiction. Readers can expect a discussion rather than a staged theatrical production.

The event runs approximately two hours. Tickets start at $34. Under30 and All My Relations tickets are available for $15, while NAC subscribers receive a discount.

📅 Saturday, October 17 at 8 PM 📍 NAC Southam Hall, 1 Elgin Street 🎟️ From $34

12. Toronto Comedy All Stars

A lineup of Toronto stand-up comedians takes over the NAC Fourth Stage for an adults-only comedy night. Performers associated with the show have appeared on Crave, CBC, SiriusXM and AppleTV+. The series arrives with a long track record of sold-out performances.

The show has reportedly sold out for 11 consecutive seasons. Its Fourth Stage setting is considerably more intimate than Southam Hall upstairs. That proximity suits a stand-up lineup where crowd energy matters.

The performance lasts approximately 90 minutes without an intermission. Admission is restricted to audiences 18 and older, and content advisories are listed by the venue. Tickets cost $35.

📅 Saturday, October 17 at 8 PM 📍 NAC Fourth Stage, 1 Elgin Street 🎟️ $35

13. Sing Pitch Perfect with Deke Sharon & Splüsh

Deke Sharon, widely associated with the modern a cappella movement and the Pitch Perfect films, leads an interactive afternoon at Shenkman Arts Centre. Instead of simply watching a performance, the audience learns to sing a Pitch Perfect song together. Sheet music is provided.

Sharon also shares behind-the-scenes stories connected to the movie. Splüsh, winners of the SING! Canadian A Cappella 2025 championship, performs as part of the event. Both experienced singers and complete beginners are welcome.

Non-singers can attend too, so participation is not dependent on vocal training. The event is recommended for all ages. Tickets range from $20 to $54, making it a distinctive Ottawa date idea as well as a family outing.

📅 Sunday, October 18 at 3 PM 📍 Shenkman Arts Centre, 245 Centrum Boulevard, Orléans 🎟️ 20-54

14. Ray Chen in Recital

Violinist Ray Chen performs a recital spanning Bach, Mozart, Grieg and Sarasate at the National Arts Centre. The program includes Mozart’s Violin Sonata in B-flat major. Grieg’s Violin Sonata No. 3 is also on the bill.

Selections from Bach’s Partita No. 3 bring Baroque repertoire into the program. Sarasate’s Playera and Carmen Fantasy add a virtuosic finish. The combination gives listeners several very different sides of the violin repertoire in a single evening.

The recital runs approximately two hours with an intermission. Tickets start at $33. Under30 and All My Relations tickets are available for $15, with an additional discount for NAC subscribers.

📅 Sunday, October 18 at 8 PM 📍 NAC Southam Hall, 1 Elgin Street 🎟️ From $33

15. Rogers v. Rogers

Rogers v. Rogers turns a major Canadian corporate battle into a one-person drama at the Great Canadian Theatre Company. The story follows telecom magnate Ted Rogers and the later struggle involving his son and control of the family business. Michael Healey adapted the production.

The play also brings former Competition Bureau commissioner Matthew Boswell into its examination of the Rogers-Shaw acquisition. That gives the production an unusual mixture of family drama, corporate history and regulatory conflict. The Globe and Mail has described the piece as a one-man showcase.

Performances begin October 20 and continue beyond the end of the month into November. Weeknight performances start at 7:30 PM, with matinees and evening shows available on weekends. The Wellington Street West location also makes the production easy to combine with dinner or drinks in Hintonburg.

📅 Tuesday, October 20 through Saturday, October 31 within this month’s window 📍 Great Canadian Theatre Company, 1233 Wellington Street West 🎟️ Check GCTC for current single-ticket prices

Frequently asked questions

New listings get added constantly, check the complete calendar of Ottawa events.