Ottawa Events with kids
Hi folks, This page is out of date. I’ll work on it soon. The events will probably happen again this summer, though, if you’re starting to plan.
It’s a bit frustrating to hear on the radio of an event that happened that would have been interesting but that I didn’t know about or had forgotten about. I’m being proactive and doing some research to identify what’s happening and when. Maybe it will work to persuade some of my family to come for a visit, too. Who knows?
June
- Ottawa Rapidz baseball - There’s a new baseball team in town. If we don’t attend, they won’t stay.
- June 18-22 - Chicken and Rib Cook-off - Sparks Street
- June 19-29 - Ottawa Fringe Festival
- June 20 - Lunchtime Jazz (Ottawa Jazz Festival) - World Exchange Plaza and Confederation Park: Elgin Stage, free
- June 20-22 - Ottawa Dragon Boat Race Festival
- June 20-30 - Lunchtime Jazz (Ottawa Jazz Festival) - Rideau Centre, free
- June 21 - Solstice Paddle - Pinhey’s Point
- June 21 - Grand Opening of the Masonic Lodge - Upper Canada Village
- June 22 - Garden Tour - Cumberland Heritage Village
- June 22 - Strawberry Social - Watson’s Mill
- June 23-June 27 - Lunchtime Jazz (Ottawa Jazz Festival) - World Exchange Plaza and Confederation Park: Elgin Stage, free
- June 25 - Concert by Candlelight - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- June 27 - Just Add Milk exhibit opens - Currency Museum
- June 28 - Campfire Storytelling - Pinhey’s Point
- June 28-29 - Air Show Ottawa
- June 28-29 - Canadian Horse Weekend - Agriculture Museum
- June 29 - New Era of Communication - Cumberland Heritage Village
- June 29 - 1860s Wedding - Upper Canada Village
- June 30 - Lunchtime Jazz (Ottawa Jazz Festival) - World Exchange Plaza and Confederation Park: Elgin Stage, free
- June 30 - July 1 - Pre-confederation Days - Upper Canada Village
July
- July 1 - Canada Day - Parliament Hill
- July 1 - Family Day at the Ottawa Jazz Festival
- July 1 - Dominion Day - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- July 1 - Diamond Jubilee - Cumberland Heritage Village
- July 1 - Dominion Day - Pinhey’s Point
- July 1 - Canada Day - Bytown Museum
- July 1 - Canada Day - Currency Museum
- July 3 - Lifelong Learning: Environmental footprints - Pinhey’s Point
- July 3 - Bug Hunt!: new bug each week - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- July 3-7 - Wonders of Sand (sandcastle festival) - Lac Beauchemin Parc (Gatineau)
- July 5 - Junior Naturalist Club: Wildlife in your garden - Pinhey’s Point
- July 5 - 1860s Wedding - Upper Canada Village
- July 6 - Travellers’ Stories - Cumberland Heritage Village
- July 6 - Hands-On Heritage - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- July 6 - Discovery Day - Pinhey’s Point
- July 10 - Lifelong Learning: Environmental footprints - Pinhey’s Point
- July 10 - Bug Hunt!: new bug each week - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- July 12 - Junior Naturalist Club: Attracting butterflies and birds - Pinhey’s Point
- July 12 - HOPE Beach Volleyball Summerfest
- July 12-13 - 175th Anniversary of the Battle of Chrysler’s Farm Reenactment Weekend - Upper Canada Village
- July 13 - Firefighter and Emergency Protective Services Day - Cumberland Heritage Village
- July 13 - Hands-On Heritage - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- July 13 - Discovery Day - Pinhey’s Point
- July 13 - Milling Demonstrations - Watson’s Mill
- July 14-15 - Spy Camp - Diefenbunker
- July 17 - Lifelong Learning: Environmental footprints - Pinhey’s Point
- July 17 - Bug Hunt!: New bug each week - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- July 17-20 - Orchestras in the Park - National Capital Commission
- July 19 - Junior Naturalist Club: Meteorology - Pinhey’s Point
- July 19-20 - 1860s Election - Upper Canada Village
- July 19-20 - Estate in Bloom - National Capital Commission
- July 20 - Ford Vehicle Exhibit - Celebrating Over a Century of Ford - Cumberland Heritage Village
- July 20 - Discovery Day - Pinhey’s Point
- July 20 - Hands-On Heritage - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- July 23 - Operation Labyrinth Kids’ Camp - Diefenbunker
- July 24 - Lifelong Learning: Environmental footprints - Pinhey’s Point
- July 24 - Bug Hunt!: New bug each week - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- July 25 - August 9 - International Chamber Music Festival
- July 26 - Summer Garden - Upper Canada Village
- July 26 - Junior Naturalist Club: Geoheritage - Pinhey’s Point
- July 26 - Campfire Storytelling - Pinhey’s Point
- July 26 - Pioneer Days - Osgoode Township Museum
- July 26-27 - Ottawa Turkish Festival
- July 27 - All Aboard: Ottawa Valley Live Steamers and Model Engineers - Cumberland Heritage Village
- July 27 - Hands-On Heritage - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- July 27 - Discovery Days - Pinhey’s Point
- July 27 - 1860s Wedding - Upper Canada Village
- July 31 - Bug Hunt!: New bug each week - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- July 31-August 4 - International Busker Festival - Sparks Street Mall
August
- August 1-4 - International Busker Festival - Sparks Street Mall
- August 2-3 - Ecosphere: Environment Innovation and Health - Cumberland Heritage Village
- August 2-3 - US Civil War Re-enactor Encampment - Upper Canada Village
- August 2 - Junior Archaelogist Club: Introduction to archaeology - Pinhey’s Point
- August 3 - Music at the Museum - Pinhey’s Point
- August 3 - Tea and Tour - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- August 4 - Colonel By Day - Bytown Museum
- August 5-8 - Puppet Making Workshop - Mississippi Valley Textile Museum
- August 6 - Off-the-Grid Series - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- August 7 - Can You Dig It? - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- August 7 - Heritage Trade - Pinhey’s Point
- August 8-10 - Caribe-Expo
- August 9 - Junior Archaelogist Club: Dating artefacts - Pinhey’s Point
- August 9 - Ottawa Lumiere Festival
- August 10 - Tea and Tour - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- August 10 - 1860s Wedding - Upper Canada Village
- August 10 - The Cutting Edge: Lumberjack Competition - Cumberland Heritage Village
- August 10 - A Taste of the Past - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- August 10 - Music at the Museum - Pinhey’s Point
- August 10 - Milling Demonstrations - Watson’s Mill
- August 11-12 - Spy Camp - Diefenbunker
- August 13 - Off-the-Grid Series - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- August 14 - Can You Dig It? - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- August 14 - Heritage Trade - Pinhey’s Point
- August 14 - Greek Fest
- August 14-17 - Ottawa Folk Festival
- August 14-24 - Super EX
- August 15-17 - Caribe-Expo
- August 15-24 - Capital Pride Festival
- August 16 - Junior Archaelogist Club: Piecing it all together - Pinhey’s Point
- August 17 - Classic and Antique Car Show - Cumberland Heritage Village
- August 17 - Music at the Museum - Pinhey’s Point
- August 17 - Tea and Tour - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- August 17 - Antique Car Show - Upper Canada Village
- August 20 - Off-the-Grid Series -Billings Estate National Historic Site
- August 20 - Operation Labyrinth Kids Camp - Diefenbunker
- August 21 - Heritage Trade - Pinhey’s Point
- August 21 - Can You Dig It? - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- August 23 - Junior Archaelogist Club: Dating artefacts - Pinhey’s Point
- August 23/24 - Heritage Trades Festival - Cumberland Heritage Village
- August 23 - Campfire Storytelling - Pinhey’s Point
- August 23 - Village in Mourning - Upper Canada Village
- August 24 - Music at the Museum - Pinhey’s Point
- August 24 - Tea and Tour - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- August 27 - Off-the-Grid Series - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- August 28 - Heritage Trade - Pinhey’s Point
- August 28 - Can You Dig It? - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- August 29-September 1 - Gatineau Balloon Festival
- August 30-31 - Riverfest - Pinhey’s Point
- August 31 - Horses and Friendly Farm Animals - Cumberland Heritage Village
- August 31 - Tea and Tour - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- August 30-September 1 - Family Music and Arts Festival - Upper Canada Village
September
- September 1 - Family Music and Arts Festival - Upper Canada Village, last day
- September 6 - Junior Naturalist Club: Geoheritage - Pinhey’s Point
- September 6-7 - Fibrefest - Mississippi Valley Textile Museum
- September 7 - Tea and Tour - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- September 7 - Fall into Fall: Communal Threshing and Corn Boil - Cumberland Heritage Village
- September 13 - Junior Naturalist Club: Geoheritage - Pinhey’s Point
- September 13 - Fall Gardens - Upper Canada Village
- September 14 - Apple Festival - Cumberland Heritage Village
- September 14 - Tea and Tour - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- September 17-21 - Ottawa Animation Festival
- September 18-21 - Richmond Fair
- September 20 - Junior Naturalist Club: Geoheritage - Pinhey’s Point
- September 20-21 - Fall Fair - Upper Canada Village
- September 21 - Tea and Tour - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- September 21 - Geocaching - Pinhey’s Point
- September 25-27 - Carp Fair
- September 27 - Junior Naturalist Club: Geoheritage - Pinhey’s Point
- September 27-28 - Quilt Show - Upper Canada Village
- September 28 - Tea and Tour - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- September 28 - Pomme Party - Billings Estate National Historic Site
- September 28 - Canvas in Colours - - Vanier Museopark
- September 29 - October 5 - Fall at the Farm - Upper Canada Village
October
- October 1-5 - Fall at the Farm - Upper Canada Village
- October 3-19 - Fall Rhapsody - National Capital Commission
- October 10-13 - Thanksgiving Weekend - Upper Canada Village
- October 17-18 - Flavours of Autumn - Upper Canada Village
- October 18-26 - Writers Festival: Fall edition
- October 24-25 - Flavours of Autumn - Upper Canada Village
- October 25-31 - Halloween Ghost Tour - Cumberland Heritage Village
- October 29 - November 1 - One World Film Festival
November
- November 5-9 - Ottawa Storytelling Festival
- November 7-9 - Lebanorama
- November 27-30 - Alight at Night - Upper Canada Village
December
- December 1-January 4 - Alight at Night - Upper Canada Village
- December 3-23 - Carriage rides - Sparks Street Mall
Places to go, things to do anytime:
- Alcatel Bike Sundays
- Music Under the Plaza Bridge - National Capital Commission - June 24 - August 7, noon to 1pm
- Papanack Park Zoo
- Parc Omega
- Parliament Hill
- Sound and Light Show - July 5 to September 7
- Saunders Farm
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- Maze season - June 24 - September 3
- Haunting - October 1 - 31
- Christmas - December 2 - 17