January cabin fever getting you down? Crawl out from under the duvet, switch off Netflix and hit the road! If you’re feeling energetic, you can skate in a kilt in Ottawa, try your hand at ice fishing in the Outaouais or check out a winter festival. If indoor fun is more your speed, I’ve found two film festivals, a charity casino, a fashion party and an unusual wellness event. Have fun, bundle up and watch out for black ice!
Try your luck or pamper yourself in Perth
Photo by Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash.
The Perth and District Community Foundation is holding a fundraising Casino Night on Friday, January 25. The evening at Code’s Mill on the Park in Perth will feature live casino games, appetizers, drinks and prizes, and money raised will go towards physical fitness programs for kids.
The next day (Saturday, January 26), the Downtown Heritage Perth BIA has organized a really innovative-looking event called Come Wander Perth. I haven’t seen anything quite like this before. A range of health, wellness and spirituality practitioners will be giving samples of their skills—everything from reiki treatments to tarot card readings—at businesses throughout downtown. The fee is $1 a minute, for a maximum of $20. You might find yourself getting your fortune told in a chocolate shop or getting a head massage in a jewellery store. Colour me intrigued!
Enjoy free winter fun at Lac-Simon
Sépaq is Quebec’s province-wide parks authority. As part of its winter open house day on Saturday, January 26, admission to the Centre touristique du Lac-Simon in the Outaouais will be free, and you can try everything from ice fishing to a guided hike.
Dance the night away at the Canadian Museum of Nature
Photo of Nature Nocturne courtesy of the Canadian Museum of Nature.
Have you heard about the cool Nature Nocturne nights at the Canadian Museum of Nature? After dark, on the last Friday of the month, the museum turns into a dance club, with DJs and a cash bar. There’s even a lounge with bottle service. This month’s event is on Friday, January 25, and the theme is “Blend In, Stand Out.” These nights often sell out, so act quickly if you’re keen.
Play in the snow from Petawawa to Laval
There’s lots of winter festival fun in the region this week: the Alice in Winterland Carnival in Laurentian Valley (until Friday, January 25); Cabin Fever in Petawawa (until January 27); the Embrun Carnival (until January 27); Laval en blanc (January 25 to 27); Shiverfest in Manotick (January 25 and 26); Les Féeries du chevreuil in Duhamel (January 25 to 27); and the Lanark Highlands Frosty Fling (January 25 to 27). Looking for festival ideas later in the winter? Check out my list of more than 30 winter carnivals.
Catch a movie in Cornwall or Watertown
The Aultsville Filmfest in Cornwall (January 25 to 27) will screen eight independent movies over three days, including films from the U.S., France, Belgium, the U.K., Israel, Japan and Russia. Pass holders will get treated to refreshments and a cocktail reception, too. It’s a fundraiser for the Aultsville Theatre.
The Snowtown Film Festival in Watertown (January 24 to 26) includes a Friday night “flannel casual reception” and showings of a wide range of movies, many with a connection to New York state or Canada.
Celebrate all things Scottish in Ottawa
Robert Burns [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
As part of its month-long OttScot festival, the Scottish Society of Ottawa is holding the Great Canadian Kilt Skate at the rink at Lansdowne Park on Saturday, January 26, from 11am to 1pm. If this frosty weather holds, you might want to bring along some warm leggings to wear under your Scottish garb.
Enjoy live music and lumberjack lore in Fort Coulonge
The Spruceholme Inn in Fort Coulonge is holding a lumberjack dinner on Friday, January 25. Hear tales of Ottawa Valley lumberjacks and enjoy live music.
Be fashionable in Ottawa
Canada Fashion Magazine is launching its second edition with a Byward Market party on Friday, January 25. Guests can check out a fashion show featuring items by local designers, a pop-up shop and live musical performances at the Alpha Art Gallery at 531 Sussex Drive.
Party with potatoes in Prince Edward County
Photo by Hai Nguyen on Unsplash.
Do you love potatoes—enough to drive to Prince Edward County to celebrate them? Then the South Marysburgh Potato Festival (January 25 and 26) may be just up your alley, although I suspect it will appeal—or should that be “a-peel”?—mainly if you’re going to be in the neighbourhood anyway. Potato games, potato crafts and more!
Skate, run, drink and raise money for a good cause in Ottawa
The rowdy Carleton Cup Marathon (motto: Skate – Run – Drink) takes place on Saturday, January 26. This fundraiser for cystic fibrosis research includes a few kilometres of skating on the Rideau Canal (weather permitting), a 1K run through the Byward Market, and post-race beers at the Aulde Dubliner and Pour House.
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