Ottawa 
Ottawa’s 200th Birthday Celebration Takes Over Downtown With Free Block Party and Military Bicentennial Events
Ottawa is marking 200 years since the founding of Bytown with a full day of music, art, food, family activities and military commemorations downtown.
The Ottawa 200 Block Party takes place Saturday, September 26, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Marion Dewar Plaza at Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West. Admission is free.
The 12-hour celebration brings together two stages, interactive art, games, local food and a beer garden. Families can explore a construction vehicle and vintage OC Transpo bus, while performances continue into the evening.
Opening ceremonies begin at 10:45 a.m., with pow wow drumming and singing, jingle dancing, hoop dancing and a performance of the Ottawa 200 anthem, Heart of This Place | Adàwe c’est ma ville.
Ottawa-born singer Jamie Fine headlines at 8:15 p.m. Fine has nearly 1.5 million followers worldwide, more than 100 million streams and four Juno nominations.
As the city put it, the celebration is designed to have “something for everyone.”
What’s happening at the Ottawa 200 Block Party
- Family Fun and Interactive Art Zones, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.: Expect interactive games, art installations, clay, landscape and woodworking activities, plus opportunities to learn more about Ottawa.
- Afternoon performances: The lineup includes Izzy Rose at 12:15 p.m., The Blind & The Beautiful at 1 p.m., Jessy Lindsay at 2:30 p.m., Brad Lafortune at 3:15 p.m., Mehdi Cayenne at 3:30 p.m. and Propeller Dance at 4:25 p.m.
- Trivia and local history: Comedian Jonathan Dion will host conversations about Ottawa history and sports trivia, with prizes during the afternoon.
- Evening concerts: Performances include Sunshine Glitterchild & Saltina Shaker at 5:30 p.m., Duava at 6:45 p.m., Cody Coyote at 7:45 p.m., Jamie Fine at 8:15 p.m. and NO DEF Collective Block Party & guests at 9 p.m.
- Food and drinks: Vendors include The Whalesbone, Domino’s, Suzy Q, No Go Coffee Co., City Seltzer, The Merry Dairy and Kîssam Patisserie. Adults can visit a beer garden featuring Dominion City, Beyond the Pale, 1818 Farm & Cidery and Darkhorse Mobile Bars.
Expect military activity and loud cannon fire downtown
The Canadian Military Engineers and City of Ottawa will also mark Bytown’s bicentennial with a free public event from 1 to 5 p.m. The program begins at the Lieutenant-Colonel John By statue in Major’s Hill Park with remarks from Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Chief Military Engineer Major-General Nicolas Pilon and other dignitaries.
At 2 p.m., a five-kilometre fun run and walk will follow the Rideau Canal pathway, while Canadian Military Engineer teams race assault boats between the Rideau Street and Mackenzie King bridges.
From about 2 to 4 p.m., the Bytown Gunners will fire blank 105 mm howitzer rounds from Parliament Hill to signal race heats. No live ammunition will be used, but expect sudden loud booms, a larger Canadian Armed Forces presence, and military vehicle traffic around Major’s Hill Park, the Rideau Canal, Confederation Park, Parliament Hill, and Cartier Square Drill Hall.
More happening downtown
Visitors can also check out programming at the Bytown Museum, SoundScape Festival, Pique and Nuit Blanche, along with the Ottawa International Animation Festival and other events.
The anniversary reaches back to 1826, when Lieutenant-Colonel John By and the Royal Engineers began the work that led to the Rideau Canal and the community of Bytown.
How to get there:
For anyone planning to spend the day downtown, OC Transpo will be free on September 26 and 27, making it easier to move between Ottawa 200 events across the city.
