Things to Do in Ottawa this Weekend

I. Family & Kids Activities 

The Great Rhythmobile Adventure

Percussionists use unconventional instruments in this high energy theatrical rally race with Captain Kit Crash and his clumsy driver, Whiplash. What begins as a promising trip quickly turns to chaos when their super powered all terrain hybrid vehicle runs out of gas, leaving them stranded on the side of the road in a panic.

Join us for 30 minutes prior to each concert for free activities presented by Ottawa Suzuki Strings and Music for Young Children!

 Details

Sunday, January 20, 2019 | 11:00 AM & 1:30 pm & 3:00 PM

National Arts Centre, 1 Elgin Street, Ottawa

$11.25 – $15.5 + charges

Lunar Eclipse

Total lunar eclipse take place on Sunday. If the sky is clear, plan to stay up to see the blood moon.

 Details

 January 20, 2019 | 11:41 PM to  12:43 AM

Snowshoe under the stars

Take an evening snowshoe hike with a Friends of Gatineau Park nature interpreter, and learn how plants and animals survive the many challenges of winter. This interpretation hike will cover approximately 3 km, starting with a short presentation and ending with hot chocolate by the wood stove, in the Sugarbush Shelter.

 Details

Friday, January 18, 25, 2019 | 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM

Visitor Centre, 33 Chemin Scott, Chelsea

$7 to $20

General Activities

At the library
Ottawa Public library offers plenty of free activities to choose from for all ages including toddler story times. Plan ahead to attend some of the free activities in the following weekends:
Details and link for registration.
2.By Ottawa Recreation – Drop in Programs
3. Cineplex/Landmark

• Upcoming Family Friendly Movies in Theatres
• Family Favourites Cineplex: Visit participating Cineplex theatres near you and watch a family favourite film each week for only $2.99. | Saturdays at 11:00 AM

4. Outdoor Skating

• Rideau Canal Skateway is open for the season.
• Sens Rink of Dreams is open daily, from 6 am to 11 pm.
• Rideau Hall Historic Skating Rink and Winter Pavilion 

5. Take a Guided Tour of the Central Block

Go on a guided tour of the central block or climb up the Peace Tower before the Parliament building closes for renovation for 10+ years.

6. Survival of the Slowest

Come face-to-face with live iguanas, bats, rattlesnakes, hedgehogs and, of course, our sloth! See more than 20 live-animal habitats. Meet the keepers. Enjoy daily live-animal [email protected] Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa  Details

7. Creative Sundays

Join in at the Studio for weekly drop-in creative activities suitable for all ages. Sundays | 10:00am to 2:00pm @Ottawa Art Gallery,  50 Mackenzie King Bridge, Ottawa — Admission is free

More To Do

II. Live Music

EDM/ Concert Tours/Weekday Concerts this Week

• The Musical Box – A Genesis Extravaganza on Wednesday, January 16, 2019 | 8:00 PM @ Theatre du Casino, Gatineau

• Whiskey & Fruit on January 18 & 19 | 9PM – 1AM @ Rideau Carleton Raceway Casino
• Pinnock’s Matthew Passion on January 16 & 17, 2019 | 8:00 PM @ NAC
• Rant Maggie Rant on Friday, January 18, 2019 | 8:00 PM @ NAC
• Dierks Bentley: Burning Man 2019 on Friday, January 18, 2019 | 7:00 PM @ Canadian Tire Centre
• Serve The Song: Featuring Chas Guay & Drifting Bird on Friday, January 18, 2019 | 9:00 PM @ Live on Elgin
• The Who Tribute + Police n’ Thieves (The Clash Tribute) + DJ GAZ on Saturday, January 19, 2019 | 10:00 PM @ House of Tarq
• Rainbow Bistro on Saturday, January 19, 2019 | 9:00 PM @ Rainbow Bistro
• Renée Landry on Saturday, January 19, 2019 | 8:30 PM @ Live on Elgin

Angela Hewitt: Bach Odyssey VIII

Continuing her Bach Odyssey, Angela Hewitt brings forth the improvisational toccatas. The program’s conclusion cannot be missed: the Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D minor was admired in Bach’s time as one of his great masterpieces, adored by Felix Mendelssohn more than 150 years later, and continues to be a must in the repertoire of pianists and listeners alike.

Details

Friday, January 18, 2019 | 7:30 PM

Dominion-Chalmers United Church, 355 Cooper Street Ottawa

$40 to $60

Patrick Watson

Having accomplished such feats as playing to over 100,000 people at the 2009 Montreal Jazz Festival, composing 15 scores for film and television, receiving Canada’s elite Polaris Music Prize in 2007, and most recently performing two songs in Wim Wenders’s current 3D epic “Every Thing Will Be Fine”, his career has had many peaks.

Details

Saturday, January 19, 2019 | 8:00 PM

 National Arts Centre, 1 Elgin Street, Ottawa

$44.75 & up

Strings in Focus

Combining a dynamic string orchestra with a swinging rhythm and two of Ottawa’s finest jazz soloists, the Ottawa Jazz Orchestra puts strings in focus for an exciting and unforgettable programme.

Details

 Saturday, January 19, 2019 | 8:30 PM

 National Arts Centre, 1 Elgin Street, Ottawa

$37.50 +charges

China Melody New Year Concert

The China Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra and celebrated soloists perform for one night only in celebration of Chinese New Year. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to experience world-class soloists perform alongside this incredible and celebrated orchestra!

Details

Sunday, January 20, 2019 | 7:00 PM

 National Arts Centre, 1 Elgin Street, Ottawa

$35 – $42 + charges

Ottawa Klezmer Band

In its first concert of 2019, the celebrated Ottawa Klezmer Band returns to the NAC Fourth Stage, for a hand-clapping, sing-along, joy-filled concert of world melodies.

Klezmer music originated in the ‘shtetls’ (villages) and ghettos of Eastern Europe, in the middle ages, where itinerant Jewish troubadours, known as ‘klezmorim’, performed at weddings and other celebratory events.

Details

Sunday, January 20, 2019 | 7:30 PM

 National Arts Centre, 1 Elgin Street, Ottawa

$35 – $42 + charges

III. Live Theatre & Related Events

You may like:

• Véronic DiCaire en spectacle  on January 18 & 19, 2019 | 8:00 PM @ Theatre du Casino, Gatineau
• Cirque 2019  — A night of drinks, music and various cirque performances! on Friday, January 18, 2019 | 10:30 PM  @ The Bourbon Room, 400 Dalhousie Street, Ottawa

Minding Frankie

Maeve Binchy was probably Ireland’s greatest romantic fiction writer.  Here, her 2010 hit novel Minding Frankie has been adapted for the stage by Shay Linehan. Watch Noel, a middle-aged Dublin alcoholic as he sets about raising baby Frankie.

Details

January 17-26, 2019

The Gladstone Theatre – 910 Gladstone Avenue, Ottawa

$23 to $39

Malpaso Dance Company

The Havana-based Malpaso – Cuba’s first independent dance company – has grown to become one of the most internationally sought-after in its short five-year history. For its NAC debut, it’s bringing a mix of the soulful, the sexy and the sensational.

Details

Friday, January 18, 2019 | 7:30 PM
Saturday, January 19, 2019 | 7:30 PM

National Arts Centre,
1 Elgin Street, Ottawa

$34 & up

Ripcord

A seemingly harmless bet between two elderly ladies in a retirement home quickly escalates. It’s a dangerous game of one-upwomanship that reveals not just their tenacity, but also deeper truths that each would rather remain hidden.

Details

January 9 – 26, 2019

Ottawa Little Theatre – 400 King Edward Ave, Ottawa

$14 to $29

Lungs

LUNGS by Duncan Macmillan: a Cart Before the Horse production. Two people banter incessantly (or have conversations) about their place in the world and whether they should create another human being to join them.

Details

January 10–20, 2019

Arts Court Theatre- 2 Daly Avenue, Ottawa

$12–$20

III. Sports & Related Events

• Ottawa Senators vs. Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday, January 16, 2019 | 7:00 PM @ Canadian Tire Centre — 1000 Palladium Drive, Ottawa

Ottawa 67’s

vs. Peterborough Petes on January 18, 2019 | 7:00 PM
vs. Hamilton Bulldogs on January 19, 2019 | 2:00 PM

TD Place Arena, Ottawa

Tickets

More To Do
25 Date Ideas in Ottawa

You may like:

• Art Battle Ottawa: Capital Collaboration on Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at 7 PM – 11 PM @ Arts Court
• Yoga Under the Stars on Thursday, January 17, 2019 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM @ Aquatopia Conservatory

Ottawa Home & Remodelling Show

Find fresh inspiration, helpful tips, innovative products and fantastic deals in remodeling, home improvement, decor and outdoor spaces with hundreds of experts all under one roof.

 Details

January 17 to 20, 2019

EY Centre – 4899 Uplands Drive, Ottawa

$9 – $13

Taste in the Glebe

Taste in the Glebe is a highlight on the local food and drink circuit, recognized throughout Ottawa as one of the year’s best cocktail parties.

 Details

Thursday, January 17, 2019 |  6:00 PM –8:30 PM

Glebe Community Centre – 175 Third Avenue, Ottawa

$70 – $115

Resolution 2019

SAW Video Media Art Centre presents its annual RESOLUTION screening, featuring a selection of videos produced by our members in 2018. This year’s line-up of works showcases the broad scope of artistic practices in which our members are engaged. Artists will be in attendance to participate in a brief Q&A with the audience following the screening. RESOLUTION 2019 features works by Pixie Cram, Lesley Marshall, Gillian Kirkland and Andrew Letourneau, Carmelo Zucco, Stephen Fuller, Mercedes Ventura, and Edgar Hernandez.  Details

Friday, January 18, 2019 | 7 PM – 10 PM

The Ottawa Art Gallery, 50 Mackenzie King Bridge, Ottawa

PWYC

Women’s March Canada – Ottawa

. The theme for the 2019 Women’s Marches around the world is ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 1 in 3 women worldwide has experienced either physical or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. Details

January 19, 2019 | 11 AM – 3 PM

 Parliament Hill – Wellington Street
111 Wellington St

FREE

January (un)told: Scottish Blether

This edition of (un)told is presented in association with The Scottish Society of Ottawa‘s 2019 OttScot Festival! (un)told is a monthly event featuring personal stories told live in a relaxed setting without notes, sets, or props. It’s the kind of night where everyone has something interesting to say.  Details

Sunday, January 20, 2019 | 7:30 PM

Heart & Crown ByWard Market (Black Rose Room)

FREE

LEGendary edition ft Naomi Smalls

Come on out to see Naomi tearing up the stage with her music, her legs for days, and flawless fashion. She will also be judging ClubCouture’s The Best LEGS Outfit Competition. Come ready to work that runway in your best couture, dress to impress, be EXTRA! WERQ! POSE!! It’s all about the fashion and we are living for it.  Details

Saturday, January 19, 2019 | 9:00 PM

Bronson Centre Theatre – 211 Bronson Avenue, Ottawa

 $30.00 – $55.00
+charges

You may like:

• Lobster Fridays: Join us every Friday night in the Clubhouse restaurant and receive one free lobster with the purchase of a regular priced buffet.  Every Friday from 5 PM – 10 PM @ Rideau Carleton Raceway Casino | $29.99
• Sports N’ Wings: Kick back and watch your favourite team on the big screen in Rendez-Vous Lounge, while enjoying a pound of wings for only $9.99, and $5 Coronas/Coors Light!  Sundays  | 1PM – 9PM @ Rideau Carleton Raceway Casino

A Noteworthy Woman

This exhibition exploring the theme and imagery on Canada’s new $10 bank note highlights the life and work of Viola Desmond, the first Canadian woman on a regular bank note. Details

November 30 to May 12, 2019

Bank of Canada Museum, 30 Bank Street, Ottawa

Free

We do try to make the listings as accurate as possible, but there might be oversight errors/Events might be cancelled or postponed without any notice. Verify all details from concerned Event Websites/officials.

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