Jacques Cartier Park is on the other side of the Ottawa River in Gatineau. There was parking there…read morebut it filled up quickly and we ended up parking on the street quite far down. Either get there early or be prepared to walk back. It was such a pleasure wandering through the various plant displays. There was a lot of people when we went but it was expected since it was a lovely summer day. There's everything from trains, animals (puffins, moose, dragons), Mother Earth, a self playing piano and of course quintessential Canadian displays such as mounties and hockey players and even a vegetable patch.

We've had an amazing time, last year, and so I've had no grand expectations visiting it again (it…read moreis now called Mosaiculture), but boy, was I wrong. The new tree statue is absolutely spectacular, absolutely eclipsing the lady with the waterfall, from last year. Will definitely repeat, in a year or more from now.

Probably one of the best concerts I have attended was at the Jazz Festival…read more We were lucky enough to see Box Scaggs live on Friday night, and wow! Even at 74 his voice is so unique, and his band is the best. Thanks for bringing him to Ottawa!

From the owner: The Ottawa Jazz Festival, established in 1980, is one of Canada’s premier jazz events, renowned for…read moreshowcasing world-class talent in the heart of the nation’s capital. As it marks its 45th anniversary in 2025, the Festival remains a cherished summer tradition, featuring a diverse array of international and Canadian artists across jazz, blues, soul, and experimental genres. What began as a small local event many years ago, has now evolved into a dynamic celebration of live music, fostering meaningful connections between artists and audiences. Committed to honouring jazz’s rich history while embracing its ever-evolving future, the Festival continues to push musical boundaries. Join us in Ottawa from June 20 to 29, 2025, for an extraordinary experience of thrilling performances and vibrant programming. Set against the stunning backdrop of downtown Ottawa in Confederation Park, the Festival offers both ticketed and free shows across multiple satellite location venues, all of which in walking distance to aid in creating a truly unforgettable musical journey for your friends and family.  Mark your calendars! The 2025 Ottawa Jazz Festival will run from Friday, June 20th to Sunday, June, 29th. Festival hours are from 11:30am to 12am. There will be no programming on Monday, June 23rd, 2025.

BEWARE of this company FMG (Festival de montgolfieres de Gatineau)- we bought VERY expensive…read moretickets ($40 each) to see the balloons launch last weekend, and then had a family emergency where we could not attend- we were told in person that the tickets would be refunded and when I followed up the company refused. Also, I found out afterwards that you can see the balloons launch FOR FREE on the opposite side of the fence and apparently (because of the weather) the balloons didn't even leave the ground that night! Total RIP-OFF and poor customer service!

I accidentally wound up in Gatineau around the time of the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival. I…read moreremembered reading a quick blurb about it being one of the largest hot air balloon festivals in the world (if not THE largest) so my boyfriend and I trekked over from our hotel to check it out. It was fabulous! There were dozens of balloons taking flight, and not just your typical balloons. There were cats, Noah's Ark, a giant panda, and many more. The photo opportunities were infinite and I wish we could have stayed longer. The festival continues into the afternoon with food, music, and fun for everyone in attendance, but unfortunately we had to go once the last few balloons had gone up into the sky. I highly recommend trying to come out and see this, especially if you're a flight/festival fanatic! The good news for anyone who may want to visit from the US? It's always over Labor Day (or Labour Day if you prefer!) so you could easily make a long weekend of the adventure. And what an adventure it is!

So Winterlude is a winter festival, where the Rideau canal is open and you can skate on it, there…read moreare ice sculptures throughout the city and other winter-related things like an inflatable igloo, a snow playground and hockey nets to shoot goals. Winterlude is advertised as this cool event that people should flock to, but my personal opinion is that it is boring. Sure, the sculptures are pretty, but only if the weather cooperates and pretty much only immediately after the ice is carved. All the times that I've gone to see the sculptures, they are almost always half-melted or partially broken. As for skating on the Rideau canal, I've done it a few times and am thankful I made it off in the same condition as when I got on. It is a fact that the staff at the The Ottawa Hospital call Winterlude, "Fracturelude", I'm just sayin'. Winterlude is usually the first few weeks of February, every year. It's not my cup of tea, but hey, it might be yours. It's a celebration of winter. If you like winter, then celebrate on! I only like Spring and Autumn, which in Ottawa is like 2 weeks out of the year, haha (joking, not joking).

I can't believe there are so many negative reviews. I will admit they made me a little nervous…read morewhen we planned a winter trip to Ottawa, but boy was I glad I did, and if you enjoy winter in the least, you will be too! If you're not a fan of the cold, snow or winter season, than I can understand how this would not be for you. The festival at least as it was this year is split among different sections of Ottawa and even a little bit into Gatineau, Quebec. We stayed in Gatineau very near Jaques Cartier park which hosts the Snowflake Kindgom. If you're visiting and want to go snow tubing, come early, the lines do get long, but is that surprising when it is free? We came right at opening on Family day and were the 6th and 7th person in line. After that we hopped into line for the zip line (the zip line is an additional fee, but at 12 Canadian for a single ride I thought it was very reasonable), we were also paid, put into gear and down the zip line within 20 minutes or so. Then we waited about 20 minutes for another snow tube ride. They also had life size foosball table for people to partake in, a small hill and equipment for small kids to ski, an obstacle course and a variety of lifesize outdoor games. Tim Hortons also sponsored and had a van giving out a free small coffee or hot chocolate! They also have food to buy. Sparks street was another favorite spot for us. It featured a variety of free shows. We enjoyed the speed carving competitions where the competitors had 45 minutes to create their display. As we went during the last weekend the street also featured plenty of ice sculptures displayed from competitions earlier in the festival. They also had a hockey player doing a variety of stunts including juggling flaming hockey sticks, and loggers juggling chain saws. Tim Hortons had another free van here, and there were a variety of fires and cozy chairs around to keep people warm in addition to a variety of art installations. Byward Market is an area of stores and restaurants. We were there during a lego pop up which was cool, and they had wood carvers, horse and carriage rides, but they were more spread out and harder to find than the events on Sparks Street and Jacques Cartier Park. The "Glebe" seems to be the name of a certain section of Ottawa, and they were the disappointing part of the festival. There was reference to snow sculptures and some other events, however, the area was huge, countless blocks to traverse, and not much directino as to wear to find any sculptures or things going on. We wandered around a bit, but locals didn't prove much help and this was definitely the most disappointing part of the festival. But with the other sections being so enjoyable it was hard to dock much for that. We also attended a "Night Lights" event that was a little hidden and didn't seem to be well publicized. It was small, but something to do in the evening. The fire performers were cool and they had some good music and glow art. There is a free "Snow Bus" on weekends and Family Day. We only utilized it once after skating the entire length of the canal. At that point it was a nice break, but otherwise we enjoy walking ourselves, but it is nice and convenient for those who want to use it. Overall I thought this was a really enjoyable festival, a lot of unique parts, especially when you throw in the canal which as it is separate I will review separately. There was also many, many interactive exhibits and things to do for people of all ages! Great way to get out and enjoy the winter season, and not a far trip for New Yorkers! Plan a little trip for next year and help yourself beat the cabin fever! I would definitely be interested in coming back in the future!

I found out about a street food fair at the High Commission of Malaysia that happened yesterday May…read more12th. Sorry people I forgot to post it in the shout outs! We dropped and they had a 6-8 stands setup serving some delicious Malaysian food. Tickets had to be purchased for each food stand and the tickets were refundable if you did not use them all. They had a lot of home made goodness happening. My highlights were the chicken satay's peanut sauce and chili's from one stand that sold noodles. I even ventured off to try some Malaysian deserts...I'm not the biggest fan of Asian deserts but they weren't bad at all. There were a lot of delicious flavours happening and even Chahaya Malaysia was there serving up some food. I hope they do this again next year and have more tables setup for people who want to sit down.

Happy Canada Day to my northern neighbors! I haven't made it to Canada this year for the…read morefestivities but I have happy memories of a long weekend in Montreal when I got to celebrate Canada Day with fireworks, poutine, smoked meat and vague French accents. Canada is one of three countries that make up North America, the others being the United States and México. Canada was granted independence from the United Kingdom on July 1 1867 as part of the formation of the Dominion of Canada though the term has faded as part of post-colonial nationalism. And that's about all I know about Canadian history. Sorry, friends. We just don't teach it much (or much of anything outside America) in American schools. I've been all about (aboot?) your wonderful nation though I have way more to explore. Only around 240 reviews across six of your ten provinces. I'll do better, I promise! https://www.yelp.com/collection/Gxf6xvx-hAJmXl4V_7f3gw/ [Review 19963 overall - 96 in Ontario - 937 of 2023.]

My track record visiting Ottawa is fascinating. I have visited the city in September once. The…read moremultiple other times have been in November. I tend to take in Remembrance Day ceremonies. I decided to visit Ottawa in July this year. It was a nice change to put away the winter gear and break out summery clothing. Fortunately, I got to take part in the Canada Day celebrations at Parliament Hill. I loved it! I drove to Rideau Centre and parked. I spent several hours taking in the Canadian national anthem, speeches by the Prime Minister and Governor General, and various performances, both dance and song. I stood behind the gates at Parliament Hill. It was fine until a dog liked my left leg and decided it was a good place to pee. The dog didn't pee on my leg or shoe, thankfully. The dog's aim was horrible, but it worked out perfectly for me! I enjoyed performances by K'naan, Alan Doyle from Great Big Sea, William Prince, and more at around noon and stayed there until nearly 3 pm. They were all great. Sadly, I forgot to apply sunscreen, so my arms nearly matched the red on my Canada t-shirt. Lesson learned! I am peeling these days. How attractive! Ottawa does Canada Day well. It was wonderful seeing everyone in red and white, showing off their Canadian pride. It was simply a great day. After the performances, I went to Rideau Centre and ByWard Market to walk around. You can take in some shopping and buskers, respectively. It's also fun to walk on streets that are typically buzzing with traffic. There are fireworks and even more performances at night. I decided to skip them and watch at the hotel. I needed a break from the heat and enjoyed the air conditioning. I do recommend giving Canada Day a try in Ottawa. You'll feel great that you did. (241)

The Canadian Tulip Festival happens every year in Ottawa in May. The exact date changes year to…read moreyear. The history of the Tulip Festival is very unique. It dates back to World War II. Canadian Troops played a significant role in the liberation of the Netherlands from German occupation during WWII. Furthermore, when Germany invaded the Netherlands, Princess Juliana (heir to the Dutch throne) and her 2 children fled to Canada and sought refuge in Ottawa. Princess Juliana gave birth to her third child, Princess Margriet, at the Ottawa Civic Hospital. Princess Margriet's birth in Canada would have been problematic as then she wouldn't hold sole Dutch citizenship and thus wouldn't be in the line of succession to the Dutch throne. Recognizing their predicament, the Canadian Government (temporarily) declared where she was born, Dutch soil. This act of goodwill was remembered by the Dutch. In 1945, the Dutch Government sent Canada 100,000 tulip bulbs to express their gratitude for Canada's role in their liberation and for the kindness Canada bestowed on their royalty. And they have continued to send tulip bulbs every year. So the tulip has become a symbol of international friendship. The tulips became a big tourist attraction, and it was photographer Malak Karsh, who in 1952, suggested the idea of a Tulip Festival to the Ottawa Board of Trade, and the inaugural Canadian Tulip Festival occurred in 1953 and has been going on every year since. So every May, Ottawa is filled with tulips. There are over 1,000,000 tulips in bloom (and over 100 varieties) in Ottawa during the festival. The largest concentration of them can be found in Commissioner's Park by Dow's Lake. However, they are literally everywhere in the city. And not just real tulips, but sculptures of tulips too get erected through the city. Local businesses even get in on it, offering tulip shaped cookies. It's truly a sight to see for tulip lovers. Or admirers of flowers in general. After a long, cold and dreary Canadian winter (it pretty much snows October to April, lol), welcoming Spring with colourful tulips all over the city is so wonderful. I absolutely love walking around and seeing (and occasional photographing) all the tulips. When I was new to Ottawa, I went to Commissioner's Park during the Tulip Festival. While it was beautiful, I found crowdedness and busyness incredibly annoying, lol. Now as a long-time Ottawa resident, I admire the tulips scattered throughout the city instead ;)

So I'm not sure what it was about this year but the Tulip festival was way more epic last year with…read morethe amount of flowers they had going on at Major Hills onwards. I'm comparing this years to last years tulip festival I guess... They had other events that were scattered around and those were ok but something seemed missing. The kick off ceremony was in a small cramped place in between Sidedoor and Planet Coffee. Most other times this would be an awesome place to kick off anything else but a festival? It was very difficult to fit people in there. I've seen more things happen in the past. It was cool that they had it across multiple sites this year. I'm not sure if that happened in the past. I hope they go all out again next year and do it better than this year!

Hmmm, I normally stray away from foodie festivals, because I have low patience for long lines and…read morecrowds, so I must have been really out of it when I decided it was a good idea to finally attend one. There were people...lots of people! I had a stroller and it was very hard to maneuver around the crowds. I do like the concept of the Poutine Fest. You are able to try a lot of versions of poutine, but the lines were very long, so chances of actually truck hopping is slim. The poutine that I tried was good, but it wasn't worth a trip down to city hall. I feel like this event was catered more towards tourists (who have never tried poutine before) and dare I say it...hipsters... I went. I experienced it. It's not for me.

A fun event to go to yearly, although this year I went on a rainy Sunday (but still worth eating…read morepoutine under an umbrella!) I tried 3 different poutines, but my favorite was the one with fried onions and bacon. The lobster poutine was pretty tasty (but not worth the price)!

I had no idea that the Ottawa International Animation Festival was so huge. This year was its 40th…read moreanniversary. I won a pass to the festival this year and really enjoyed it. The screenings were at The Arts Court, Bytowne Cinema, National Gallery and St. Brigid's. I went to see a few shorts and a few longer feature films. I loved seeing the different animation styles. All screenings are about 70-90 minutes long. Many shows have more than 1 screening during the festival, so if you missed it the first time, you can catch it on the second screening. The shows really run the gamut from having traditional story lines to really out there stuff that was too artsy for this science major! LOL. They have screenings particularly for kids and workshops for kids too (to encourage them to get into animation), which I thought was cool. They also offered a special pass for free for teens. I also attended the picnic that was at 50 Sussex Drive. It was mostly people in the industry; they were very friendly and I had a good time. They served pulled pork sandwiches (including a vegetarian version - not sure what it was made of), macaroni and cheese, and a green salad. There was also a pumpkin carving contest, but I left before that took place. Overall, it's a really cool festival!

I was fortunate enough to be awarded a festival pass this year for the Ottawa International…read moreAnimation Festival. What can I say, except that it was amazing. Although I wasn't able to attend all of the various functions during the week, I managed to still spend a huge amount of time watching the screenings plating at the ByTowne cinema. Whether dark and moody, abstract and impressionistic, or bright and optimistic, the variety of short films I saw showed the broad and expressive range of talent currently out there in the animation market. The finale of the festival culminated in a best of viewing for those of us who managed to miss a few events and showings. The OIAF has a variety of other things going on during the five day bonanza. Virtual Reality displays and shorts were available throughout the week, special times were set out for younger audiences, an industry networking conference was underway, and there were daily late nighter celebrations into the wee hours of the evening. I'd recommend this festival both for animation and film aficionados as well as the regular newbie consumer such as myself. I know I've managed to make a few new acquaintances during my time here in addition to having the privilege of the exposure to new art in the hours spent here.