From a cheese-maker’s open house in Mississippi Station and a winery concert in Morrisburg to holiday lights in Cornwall, dog-friendly outings in the Outaouais and a new multimedia show on Parliament Hill, there’s a ton of stuff to see and do in our region this week.
And if you’re heading to the EY Centre on Saturday, please look for me and say hi—I’ll be signing copies of my book at the Signatures craft show that day (see details later in this post). It would be wonderful to meet you!
Enjoy small-town fun in Winchester, Kemptville or Carleton Place
Small communities throughout Eastern Ontario will be rolling out the festive red carpet this weekend. Winchester kicks things off with Moonlight Madness on Thursday, December 9, when many local shops will be open late and offering special promotions. The Carleton Place Winter Wonderland Festival (December 10 to 12) includes family fun, live music, and food and artisan vendor stalls. On Saturday, December 11, the Old Town Christmas Promenade in Kemptville features carollers, live music, children’s activities and more.
See a multimedia show on Parliament Hill
This year’s holiday sound-and-light show on Parliament Hill is all new. As well as enjoying the thousands of lights strung along trees and buildings on the Hill as part of Christmas Lights Across Canada, you can take in this free 15-minute show nightly, weather permitting. It will run on a continuous loop from 5:30pm and 11pm, from Wednesday, December 8, until Friday, January 7. (P.S.: I’m going to check it out at the media preview on Tuesday, so I’ll add a photo then.)
Hit the great outdoors in Perth, Chute-à-Blondeau or the Outaouais
Good news for outdoor sports enthusiasts: Murphys Point Provincial Park near Perth and Voyageur Provincial Park near Chute-à-Blondeau are reopening for the winter season this weekend (Murphys Point on December 10 and Voyageur on December 11). At both sites, you can go snowshoeing or cross-country skiing.
Tourisme Outaouais, meanwhile, recently posted these five suggestions for outdoor winter fun with your dog in West Quebec.
Shop for cheese and goodies in Mississippi Station
Back Forty Artisan Cheese in Mississippi Station is holding a holiday open house on Saturday, December 11. You can pick up some of the farm’s cheese along with gift items from local makers, and hike the farm’s trails while you’re there.
Catch a concert in Westmeath, Morrisburg, Chelsea and elsewhere
I know I’ve urged this before, but I’ll say it again: If you want to see one of the intimately scaled shows put on by the Ontario Festival of Small Halls, buy your tickets quickly; three of this weekend’s six shows are already sold out! If you act fast, you might still be able to snag entry to the Royal Wood/Sam Drysdale shows at the Joshua Bates Centre in Athens (Friday, December 10) or at the Westmeath Recreation Centre in Westmeath (Saturday, December 11), or the Silent Winters show at the Marble Arts Centre in Tweed (Saturday, December 11). There are also still seats available for the festival’s Matt Andersen and Friends show at a not-so-small hall, the National Arts Centre, on Saturday, December 18.
Aside from the festival, there’s lots of other live music happening in and around Ottawa this week. Just check out this list!
- The Jivewires will be at Irene’s Pub on Friday, December 10. That same night, you can see LGS – Ça Swing at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans.
- On Saturday, December 11, Lynn Miles hits the stage at StoneCropAcres Winery in Morrisburg, and the Barrel Boys will be at the Studio Theatre in Perth.
- Both nights, the Cove Inn in Westport will be hosting shows by the Young Petty Stones, who’ll be playing the music of—naturally enough—Neil Young, Tom Petty and the Rolling Stones.
- On the afternoon of Sunday, December 12, the John Dapaah Trio will give a jazzy Christmas show at La Fab Arts Centre in Chelsea. That evening, the Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra will be at the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre in Ottawa.
See a new art exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Nature
Lorraine Simms: Shadowland from Lorraine Simms on Vimeo.
For the first time in several years, the Canadian Museum of Nature will be hosting an art exhibition. Shadowland (December 10, 2021, to April 18, 2022) features 15 ghost-like pencil drawings created by Montreal artist Lorraine Simms. She uses the shadows cast by museum animal specimens to create the detailed works, which can take up to a month each to complete. Some of the animals captured this way are vulnerable or endangered, making the pieces particularly bittersweet. The video above gives you a glimpse into her artistic process.
Take the kids to a Santa Claus parade
This is your last weekend to catch a Santa Claus parade in the region—at least, any parades I’ve managed to find! Here’s the list of what’s happening where on Saturday and Sunday:
- December 11: Pembroke, Montague Township, Navan (stationary parade)
- December 12: Metcalfe
See holiday lights in Cornwall
For the next two weekends, Lamoureux Park in Cornwall will be aglow during the Holiday Sparkle event (December 9 to 18, Friday through Sunday). Highlights include a holiday light display, a holiday village and a winter market. The video above gives you a taste of last year’s event (which was similar but in a different location). Admission tickets are free and you can book them online, but you’re encouraged to make donations to various local charities, if you can. There’s also the option to pay a fee and reserve a dome, where you and your companions can warm up while visiting.
Looking for other places to enjoy holiday lights in and around Ottawa? Check out my newly updated list of Christmas light shows.
Skate outdoors in Ottawa
You don’t have to wait for the Rideau Canal to open to skate outside! Grab your skates and head to one of the City of Ottawa’s outdoor rinks. Rinks that are open now include the Rink of Dreams at Ottawa City Hall, the Skating Court at Lansdowne Park and the Jim Tubman Chevrolet Rink at the Canterbury Community Centre. Check the link above for the latest details on which rinks are open and when. Don’t forget to bring your own skates.
Have some grown-up laughs in Almonte
Sketchy Santa is an adult-oriented evening of music, sketch comedy and puppets—some of it heartwarming, some of it risqué—to raise money for Pop Up Puppets Up. It’s on stage at the Almonte Old Town Hall on select evenings from December 10 to 18 (the December 12 matinée is already sold out).
Shop for crafts (and meet me)
Attention, procrastinators: It’s not too late at all to shop for handmade presents! This weekend, you can still check out tons of Christmas craft sales and holiday markets, including events in Cornwall, Wakefield, Kingston, Bristol, Perth and Ottawa.
The Signatures Originals Christmas Craft Sale runs at the EY Centre in Ottawa from December 8 to 12; if you’re going to be there on Saturday, December 11, please drop by the Ottawa Press and Publishing booth and say hi! I’ll be at the booth from 10am until noon, and again from 2pm to 4pm, signing copies of my guidebook, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide. It would be wonderful to meet readers in person! (Of course, you can pick up copies of the book in the booth throughout the five-day event.)
Peek into life in a Gatineau co-op
La coop de ma mère Bande-annonce officielle from Rapide Blanc on Vimeo.
This is actually happening next week, but because it’s early in the week, I wanted to give you a little extra heads up. On Monday, December 13, the Sandy Hill Housing Co-op and the ByTowne Cinema are jointly presenting a documentary by Quebec filmmaker Ève Lamont, called La coop de ma mère (My Mom’s Co-op). Billed as charming and heartwarming, the film looks at life in the St-Louis Co-op in Gatineau, where 42 people of various generations and cultural backgrounds have come together to form a small community. The movie will be screened at 6:45pm, in French with English subtitles.
Continuing this week
I’ve been thinking for a while that it’s a shame to just mention events the week they open, as many readers might miss that particular post and thus miss a great event. (What, you’re not reading every post on this site every week, without fail? ????) So, with this week’s roundup post, I’m going to start adding this “continuing this week” section to make sure you’re aware of ongoing plays, museum exhibitions and so on. Here are a few reminders, in case you missed them:
- Cratchit, a new take on A Christmas Carol, wraps up on December 11 at the Full Circle Theatre in Perth.
- The family show The 12 Days of Christmas runs until December 12 at the Seaway Valley Theatre in Cornwall.
- The political play Daisy continues at the GCTC in Ottawa until December 17.
- Domino Theatre’s Kingston production of My Three Angels runs until December 18.
- Santa’s Workshop is open and offering fun for kids at 136 Bridge Street in Carleton Place on Thursdays and Saturdays until December 18 (times vary).
- The Vintage Village of Lights will keep illuminating the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum on select nights until December 19.
- Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, a blend of Christmas songs, comedy, storytelling and visits from Christmas characters, is on stage at the Upper Canada Playhouse in Morrisburg until December 19.
- On Saturdays and Sundays until December 19, you can pick up a Christmas Takeaway Tea Box at Ottawa’s Billings Estate National Historic Site.
- Alight at Night is on at Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg until January 1.
- River of Lights continues on the Brockville waterfront until January 2.
- Voting for the Trees of Hope for CHEO event at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier hotel in Ottawa is open until January 3 (but the event’s online auction wraps on December 13).
- In Centennial Park in Smiths Falls, the lights will stay on for the Celebration of Lights until January 7.
- Holiday programming at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, including gingerbread-themed family activities and a giant Christmas tree, continues until January 9.
- The 2021 Sobey Art Award Exhibition, featuring works by five shortlisted artists from across Canada, is on view at the National Gallery of Canada until February 20.
- Forever Changed: Stories from the Second World War will be at the Canadian War Museum until September 5, 2022.
If you’d like more ideas for things to see and do in and around Ottawa, subscribe to my weekly newsletter or pick up a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide.
As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.