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Ottawa Entertainment

 

Arts

Enjoy many different performances at many different theatres around Ottawa: English performances at the Centrepointe Theatre, the Ottawa Little Theatre, and the Great Canadian Theatre, and French performances in Le Theatre de la nouvelle scene, Le Theatre de l'Ile, Theatre du Casino, and La Maison de la culture de Gatineau.

Musical and dance talents also abound with Le Groupe Dance Lab, Turtle Island Tourism Company, and Opera Lyra.

Festivals

One of Ottawa's most important celebrations is the Canadian Tulip Festival, the world's largest tulip festival that commemorates the Dutch royal family's gesture of gratitude for having Princess Juliana's stay in Ottawa during the Nazi occupation. The city received 100,000 tulips in 1945.

Winterlude, which is celebrated every winter by Ottawa, Ontario, Gatineau, and Quebec, features events in skating, snow and ice sculpture, concerts at the Winterlude Snowbowl, races, and more. It often lasts for three weekends.

Here are more festivals you may want to look out for:

  • Capital Pride
  • Ottawa Dragon Boat Race Festival
  • Ottawa Fringe Festival
  • Ottawa International Animation Festival
  • Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival
  • Ottawa International Children's Festival
  • Ottawa International Jazz Festival
  • Ottawa SuperEX

Sports and Recreation

Get to know Ottawa's sports teams: the Ottawa Senators (NHL) and Ottawa Renegades (CFL) play in the Scotiabank Place (formerly Corel Centre and The Palladium) and the Frank Clair Stadium, respectively. Soccer team Ottawa Fury plays in the W-League and the USL Premier Development League, while its NWHL team is the Ottawa Raiders.

If hockey isn't your thing, try heading to the greens of the Canadian Golf and Country Club, the Eagle Creek Golf and Country Club, or the Stonebridge Golf and Country Club. Cricket is also popular, not to mention curling.

Ottawa's citizens are also fond of biking, jogging, walking, and rollerblading especially at Gatineau Park, just across the river. Speaking of bodies of water, there's plenty more to do on or along the Ottawa River as well as the Rideau Canal, whether it's sailing and canoeing in the summer or ice skating and ice fishing in the winter (part of Rideau Canal turns into the world's longest skating rink)!