Events in Ottawa: May 26 to 28, 2017

1. Kanata-Carleton Cultural Festival

Arts and Cultural Groups in Kanata-Carleton welcome the community to join in the first cultural festival in the area and to celebrate Canada’s 150th Birthday! This unique full-day, free festival will be packed with a lineup of performances, displays and activities provided by the area’s local talent, all with Canadian-themed music and art! Details

2. Odawa Pow Wow

41st Annual Odawa Pow Wow run by by the Odawa Native Friendship Centre. Details

3. Crafting in the Past

Drop by with your family and discover the history of crafting in Nepean. Guided and self-guided activities will be available around the museum. Explore a touch table of historic artefacts, contribute to a Nepean Museum quilt, and try your hand at spinning and weaving! Activities created for children ages 3 to 10 and accompanying adults, but all are welcome.Details

4. Heritage Power

Ever wonder what people used to do for work? Hosted by Vintage Iron and Traditions of Eastern Ontario, Heritage Power is a demonstration of how antique steam engines power various machines. Watch demonstrations by trades people from spinner and printers to millers and book binders. Details

5. Treasure Island

Robert Louis Stevenson’s swashbuckling tales of pirates and buried treasure is an enduring classic about 14 year old Jim Hawkins who yearns for adventure. Along the way he meets the infamous Long John Silver, who is an intriguing mix of good and evil, and a whole host of legendary buccaneers. Ludwig’s award-winning adaptation embraces both the mythic and the darker aspects of piracy to produce a coming-of-age story with a real heart to it. With thrilling sword fights and cutthroat mutiny on the high seas, Treasure Island is a gripping adventure for the whole family! Details

1. Parker Performs Brahms

Esteemed Canadian pianist Jon Kimura Parker plays perhaps the grandest of all piano concertos, operatic in scale, composed at the peak of Brahms’s popularity and powers. And join us post-concert for a Post-Concert Talk with the artists, hosted by Paul Wells.Details

2. The 1975

Headlining tour in support of their No. 1 US and UK sophomore album, I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it. Details

3. A Tribute to Johnny Cash

Close your eyes and imagine the unique sound of Johnny Cash, as if it were live and for the first time in the early 1960’s. Now open your eyes and experience this great singer songwriter recreated on stage in the hit musical tribute, The Man In Black, A Tribute to Johnny Cash. Widely acclaimed by the general public and critics alike the star of The Man in Black Show, Shawn Barker, is considered as the pre-eminent Johnny Cash tribute artist as well as an accomplished musician and singer songwriter. Details

4. Alain Morisod & Sweet People

After forty years, Alain Morisod & Sweet People are preparing to bow out. Since 1978, their love affair with our country has been punctuated by 41 gold or platinum records, 1750 shows, a Félix and three million and a half albums! The 2017 Tune, maliciously called “Good Bye Riverblue”, will be an ultimate opportunity to meet the popular Swiss band and rehearse all the songs that are almost part of our musical heritage. Alain, Mady, Jean-Jacques, Fred and Julien Laurence give you a last rendezvous … An evening to savor until the last note! Details

5. Latreille Organ Recital

Organist Mattieu Latreille presents music by French composers, including pieces by Widor, Nadia Boulanger and Maurice Duruflé, played on the Casavant organ in the Bruyère Convent Chapel. Co-sponsored by the Godfrey Hewitt Memorial fund, this is the final concert in Pro Organo’s 2016-17 season. Details

6. Justin Rutledge

Justin Rutledge’s albums have garnered impressive critical acclaim, from his debut No Never Alone (2005) to his sophomore release The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park (2006) and third album Man Descending (2008). His 2014 release Valleyheart earned him a JUNO Award, a spot on the 2008 Polaris Prize long list, and a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination. Justin has shared the stage with such acclaimed artists as Blue Rodeo, Dolly Parton, Martha Wainwright and Great Lake Swimmers. Details

7. Strings!

Stuart Matthews is an accomplished chamber musician and solo performer. His playing displays an intriguing combination of power and subtlety that has earned him numerous awards, as well as accolades from Ottawa’s classical music community. He has been described as having a mature style and an innate musicality that is rare in a young musician. Accompanied by eminent pianist Fredéric Lacroix, he will be performing a variety of violin and viola pieces by such composers as Bach, Bloch, Franck, Prokofiev, and Ysayé. Details

8. The Stairwell Carollers

The Stairwell Carollers are an a cappella Ottawa choir, formed in 1977 by their director Pierre Massie, a music graduate of the University of Ottawa. The choral group has earned the distinction of being ranked amongst the best of Ottawa choirs by local choral critics. Their repertoire encompasses sacred and secular songs from all eras. They are ranked amongst the best of Ottawa choirs. Details

9. Music for a Sunday Afternoon

Enjoy intimate chamber music concerts at the National Gallery of Canada, performed by members of the NAC Orchestra and amazing guest artists on this unique series. Details

10. The Weeknd

Starboy: Legend of the Fall 2017 World Tour. Details

1. Sister Act, The Musical

Sister Act, the Musical is making an Ottawa premiere showing. It is a story about a wannabe disco diva who witnesses a murder at the hands of her ex-lover. In a twist of fate, Deloris Van Cartier is hidden inside a convent by the police in the hopes it will keep their witness safe. Not one to have her star dimmed, she brings new life to Queen of Angel’s church and its choir of nuns. Doing so results in an explosion of attendance bringing the spotlight back to Deloris when for once, she doesn’t want it. Details

2. La fureur de ce que je pense

Thursday, September 24, 2009: Montreal writer Nelly Arcan, age 36, hanged herself in her apartment in Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal district. Thus ended her troubled life marked by a fierce passion for social sciences and books, a sordid stint as a professional escort, and the sensational publication of her fictionalized autobiography Putain (Whore) and her novel Folle (Hysteric). Details

3. “The Christians” Play Reading

Precis of “The Christians” by Lucas Hnath:
Twenty years ago Pastor Paul’s church was nothing more than a modest storefront. Now he presides over a congregation of thousands, with classrooms for Sunday School, a coffee shop in the lobby, and a baptismal font as big as a swimming pool. Today should be a day of celebration. But Paul is about to preach a sermon that will shake the foundations of his church’s belief. This play is about the culture of faith and the trouble with changing your mind. Details

4. Blood on the Moon

In the year 1868 in the frontier town of Ottawa, James Patrick Whelan stood accused of the murder of Thomas D’Arcy McGee, a fellow Irish immigrant and former leader of the Young Ireland rebellion who had since risen to become one of Canada’s most influential politicians. The evidence against Whelan was purely circumstantial, yet led him to his death before thousands of jeering spectators in what would become Canada’s last public hanging. Some 135 years later, Whelan’s ghost still haunts the streets of Ottawa, determined to prove his innocence and rewrite the history books. The murder, widely believed to be the result of a Fenian plot, remains a pivotal moment in the rich and varied history of the thousands of Irish immigrants to Canada. Pierre Brault’s gripping drama explores this most fascinating episode, laying bare the Irish passion for the homeland, and the sacrifices made in its name. Details

5. Maestro

A Comedy about the off stage antics at the NAC Orchestra! By Claude Montminy.

The NAC Orchestra’s principal second violin is gunning to be concertmaster, and invites her eccentric new conductor to her home to convince him to promote her, but the Maestro has something else in mind. To make matters worse, her ex-boyfriend composer shows up and insists on making himself a third wheel for the tête-à-tête. How low will they stoop to conquer the Maestro?Details

1. Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend

The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend is Canada’s largest running weekend. Details

May 25 to 28, 2017
Thursday May 25, 2017: Scotiabank Charity Challenge Sparks Street Party | 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
May 27:
Ottawa 2K | 3:00 PM
HTG Sports Ottawa 5K | 4:00 PM
Ottawa 10K | 6:30 PM
May 28:
Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon | 7:00 AM
Scotiabank Ottawa Kids Marathon | 8:00 AM
Scotiabank Ottawa Half Marathon | 9:00 AM

Various Venues

Free – Spectators

2. Ottawa Senators

vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Tuesday, May 23, 2017 | 08:00 PM

Canadian Tire Centre, Kanata

Tickets

3. Ottawa Fury FC

vs. Richmond Kickers

May 27, 2017 | 02:00 PM

TD Place, Ottawa

Tickets

1. Festival of Architecture

Celebrate the cultural legacy of the past; the outstanding achievements of Canada’s design professionals today; and the opportunities of tomorrow to exercise leadership in creating livable and sustainable communities shaped by design excellence! Details

2. Ottawa Welcomes the World

Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia: The Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to Canada joins in the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Canada by taking part in the “Ottawa Welcomes the World in 2017”. The Embassy will showcase Ethiopia’s rich cultural heritage, cultural dances, culinary experience, exotic tourist destinations, export products and overall country presentation to Ottawa residents. The event is organized around themes of trade, tourism, education, cultural food and beverage tasting, presentation of cultural dance and fashion show. Ethiopia’s export products including crafts are displayed. Moreover, Ethiopian stores are invited to join the event by bringing and selling different handicrafts and food tasting. Traditional coffee ceremony from the land of coffee origin, prepared and served during the event will be the highlight of the event. Details

3. Health and Fitness Expo

The Health and Fitness Expo is a 2.5 day affair that attracts exhibitors from all over North America. The Expo is Canada’s largest, featuring over 100 retailers, and attracting over 60,000 people each year. Details

4. Richmond Dog Show

The Ottawa Kennel Club All Breed Richmond Dog Show.Obedience, Rally and Conformation. We are also having Therapy Dog International, Canine Good Neighbour testing, Canine Good Citizen Testing. Talk to the breeders and handlers, watch the show to learn about specific breeds. Come and be amazed! Details

5. Great Glebe Garage Sale

Ottawa’a best known garage sale, and one of the largest in North America, has been an annual event in the Glebe since 1986. The event has grown over the years and taken on a life of its own, turning the neighbourhood into a bustling market. Glebe businesses take part in festivities by showing clearance items from their shops and lining the streets, while home owners set up on lawn fronts. Partners at Ecology Ottawa will also be hosting the Great Glebe Green Garage Sale on Bank Street. So come out and join the thousands of people looking for their newest treasure, for one day only! Details

6. Inspiration Village

A core site for Ottawa 2017 programming, this edgy-looking entertainment locale on York Street will be the site of a succession of special exhibits and performing arts events, each one showcasing Canada’s provinces and territories. Details