There’s a lot of variety in this week’s road trip roundup, with everything from the Ottawa Fringe Festival to the Ottawa Redblacks’ home opener vying for your attention. You can hear bluegrass in a vineyard in Morrisburg, compete in a painting challenge in Carleton Place, do sun salutations at a Kemptville yoga festival, enjoy Acadian music in Cantley, shop for garden art in Perth, see a Hoop Dance in Almonte or check out three art fairs in Ottawa. And that’s just the beginning! Wherever your travels take you, enjoy.
Join an Indigenous celebration in the ByWard Market
A new First Nations, Inuit and Métis-owned shop is opening in the ByWard Market this week, and they’re celebrating with a free, two-day Summer Solstice Block Party at 55 ByWard Market Square! The festivities include pow wow dancing, games, workshops, food and artisan vendors, and live music. It starts on Sunday, June 19, with performances by Sunsdrum, Cody Coyote, and Silla + Rise. After a day off to recharge, it all unrolls again on Tuesday, June 21. That day, featured performers are Joel Wood, Sunsdrum, Dallas Arcand, and Leela and Jay Gilday. Both days, the party runs from 10am to 6pm.
Enjoy a free festival in Carleton Place or Pembroke
Jammin’ at the Junction is a free daytime festival at the Carleton Junction (42 Moore Street, Carleton Place) on Saturday, June 18. The fun funs from 10am to 3pm and includes magicians, acrobats, bouncy castles, face painting, balloon artists, and live music by Kevin & Rick.
Artist Janet Beath of Paint With Janet is running an Art Challenge at the Jammin’ at the Junction festival, starting at 10am. Register in advance for $20 and you could compete with other amateur artists to complete a painting in 20 minutes. At the end of the challenge, the paintings will be auctioned off, and winners will get to keep half the money! (The other half goes to support Carleton Junction.)
Also on Saturday, a new festival is coming to Pembroke. The Heartbeat Vendor and Music Festival, presented by the Friends of Bogie’s Bar, will include lots of live music all day. The free, family-friendly event will also feature a kids’ zone, local vendors and more. It’s happening at Pembroke Waterfront Park (Fred Blackstein Boulevard, Pembroke) from noon to 9pm.
Cheer on the Redblacks at TD Place
In their 2022 home opener, the CFL’s Ottawa Redblacks are playing the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at TD Place at Lansdowne Park on Friday, June 17. Kickoff is 7:30pm. Dig out your red, white and black gear, and join your fellow football fans.
Go to an eco-fair in Gatineau
The Ecosphere Fair on June 18 and 19 will give you the chance to meet and learn about all sorts of eco-friendly companies and organizations. It’s happening at the Place des Festivals on the Zibi site (60 Jos-Montferrand Street, Gatineau) from 10am to 5pm both days. Admission is free.
Check out a yoga festival in Kemptville
Looking for some self-care? Pop your yoga mat in the car and head to Kemptville for the Surya Yoga Festival on Saturday, June 18. Starting at 6am (OK, you don’t have to get there that early, but you can) and running until 9pm, it’s a packed day of yoga classes, meditation sessions and wellness workshops. You can fuel up with healthy food and drink, too. Tickets are $40 plus tax, and the event is taking place on the grounds of the W.B. George Centre on the Kemptville Campus (48 Shearer Street, Kemptville).
Take the kids to see Theodore Too in Kingston
If you have young kids, you’re more than likely very familiar with Theodore Tugboat and his namesake Canadian TV series. The show is no longer in production, but the little smiling tugboat goes on tour every summer, providing endless selfie opportunities. This weekend, Theodore Too arrives at the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes (55 Ontario Street, Kingston) for a six-day stay, from June 18 to 23. If you can’t see him there, don’t despair; over the next few weeks, he’ll be at the Brockville Tall Ships Festival (June 25 and 26), at the Thousand Islands Regional Dock in Clayton, New York (June 28 to July 1), at the Public Dock in Morrisburg (July 3) and at the Thousand Islands Boat Museum in Gananoque (July 5). To keep up on his movements, check out his Facebook page.
Shop for art and handmade items in Ottawa, Almonte, Perth or Syracuse
If art fairs are your thing, you’re spoiled for choice in Ottawa this weekend. On the Great Lawn at Lansdowne Park (1015 Bank Street), the free, outdoor Signatures Handmade Market is on from June 17 to 19, with lots of craft and artisan vendors.
On Saturday, June 18, the Hintonburg Community Association is hosting ArtsPark 2022 in Parkdale Park (366 Parkdale Avenue, behind the Parkdale Market) from 10am to 10pm. Admission is free and artisans’ stalls are just the beginning of the fun, which also includes live music, kids’ activities, and food and drink vendors.
Over in Vanier, you can check out the free Arts in the Park in Emond Park (217 Emond Street), which runs on Saturday from 10am to 3pm. Along with browsing the wares of art and artisan vendors, you can enjoy music, a bake sale and family activities; at noon, there’s a barbecue.
In Almonte on Saturday, you can check out a free Indigenous Music, Food and Craft Fair at Almonte United Church (106 Elgin Street, Almonte) from 1pm to 6pm. Shop at crafters’ booths, see a Hoop Dance at 3pm, and sample moose meat, wild rice, corn soup and bannock made by two Indigenous chefs. Like the concert in the same venue later that evening (mentioned later in this post), this is a fundraiser for the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
In Perth, the popular Art in the Garden sale is on at Kiwi Gardens (687 Harper Road, Perth) from June 17 to 19. Admission will be by timed ticket only, available online. There are four timeslots each day: 9am, noon, 1:30pm and 3pm. Once you’re through the gate, there’s no time limit on how long you can stay. Tickets are $5 each, and parking is an additional $5; refunds will be provided in case of rain. Visitors can see and buy outdoor-ready works by 23 artists, displayed across 10 acres of gardens.
P.S.: If you love gardens, check out my other suggestions for garden-related road trips in Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais and beyond. After all, this week is known across Canada as Garden Days 2022 (June 11 to 19)!
Finally, south of the border in Syracuse, the Westcott Art Trail (Saturday, June 18, 10am to 6pm) showcases some 30 artisans in several locations in the city’s Westcott neighbourhood.
Fish for free on Father’s Day weekend
On the Father’s Day weekend (June 18 and 19), the Ontario government is allowing anyone to fish for free, without a licence. So grab those fishin’ poles and start casting.
Enjoy live music all over
It’s another busy week for live music! Here are just some of the concerts and music festivals you can enjoy in and around Ottawa this week.
In Brockville, Trenton-based country trio The Wilkinsons are on stage at the Brockville Arts Centre (235 King Street West) on Wednesday, June 15, starting at 7:30pm; tickets are $38 plus tax. Later in the week, a tribute show called Motown Mania features hits made famous by Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Four Tops and many more. It starts at 8pm on Saturday, June 18, and single tickets are $35.50 plus tax (you can also get tickets as part of a season-long series of concerts).
At the Shenkman Arts Centre (245 Centrum Boulevard, Orleans), Vox Sambou will be on stage on Thursday, June 16, with his blend of Haitian, Afro-Latin, hip-hop, reggae and Afrobeat influences, singing in five languages. Tickets are $40, and the show starts at 8pm.
On Friday, June 17, Pays d’abondance—a concert by Isabelle Cyr and Yves Marchand celebrating Québecois and Acadian cultures—takes to the stage at La Grange de la Gatineau (80, chemin Summer, Cantley). Tickets are $30 plus taxes, and the show starts at 8pm.
At the Studio Theatre in Perth (63 Gore Street East), Canadian folk icon Garnet Rogers is giving a concert on Saturday, June 18, starting at 7:30pm. As I write this, reserved tickets are sold out, but general admission tickets are available for $30 to $35.
Rockabilly, bluegrass and country will all be on the playlist when Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys play StoneCropAcres Winery and Vineyard (5242 Smiths Road, Morrisburg) on Saturday, June 18. The show starts at 7pm and tickets are $25 for youth and $35 for adults. (Other upcoming concerts at the winery include Susan Aglukark on June 25, Leahy on July 1 and Sue Foley on July 14. Here’s the complete Concerts at the Winery schedule.)
Speaking of bluegrass: You can catch down-home country and bluegrass acts at this weekend’s Galop Canal Bluegrass Festival in Iroquois (June 16 to 18). Acts include Highway Train from New Brunswick, Tyler Comeau & Friends from Quebec, and a plethora of Ontario bands. (Hey, when was the last time you saw someone use the word “plethora” in a sentence?) In all, 10 acts will take to the stage. The fun unrolls on the banks of the Iroquois Locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway (6020 Carman Road, Iroquois). Prices range from $25 for a Thursday day pass to $110 for a three-day ticket at the gate. Check the website for info on rough camping onsite.
Buskers for Survivors Revisited is a packed evening in Almonte featuring over half a dozen Indigenous and non-Indigenous musical acts, including Shane Belcourt, Amanda Rheaume and Fiddleground, all coordinated by Métis leader, activist and Elder Tony Belcourt. It’s a fundraiser for the Indian Residential School Survivors Society. Tickets are $30 each and the show starts at 7pm on Saturday, June 18, at the Almonte United Church Sanctuary (106 Elgin Street, Almonte).
Les Francos de Montréal (June 10 to 18) is one of the largest festivals of francophone music in the world. With more than 200 acts performing at indoor and outdoor venues scattered across downtown Montreal, it’s like a huge buffet of French music—you’re almost certain to find something to your taste. Genres run the gamut from rap and country to folk and world music. Many shows are free, but there is a cost for some indoor concerts.
Also in Montreal, the Festival sur le Canal (June 17 to 19) features 18 acts, including The Planet Smashers, The Box and Kanen. The free, family-friendly festival takes place, rain or shine, on the Centennial Esplanade beside the Lachine Canal (3653-3667 Saint-Patrick Street, Montreal). Donations appreciated, and parking is limited.
Learn about blacksmithing in Dunvegan
The Glengarry Pioneer Museum is hosting its annual Blacksmith Festival (June 18 and 19), to introduce families to the old-timey art of making horseshoes and other metal items. Blacksmiths from across the region will be demonstrating how to make tools, musket barrels and more. You can also check out food and craft vendor stalls, and there will be activities for kids. The event runs from 10am to 4pm both days, and you’ll find the museum at 1645 County Road in Dunvegan, Ontario, about an hour east of Ottawa. (Don’t worry about not being able to find the museum. It’s pretty much the biggest thing in Dunvegan.) Admission is $5 for youths, $10 for adults and $25 per family.
Browse for quilts in Richmond
The Country Quilter shop in Richmond is hosting Quilts in the Garden on Saturday, June 18, from 9:30am to 1pm. All sorts of handmade items will be on display in the garden during the free event, and you can shop for quilts and used books.
Enjoy a night market in Kemptville
The Kemptville Night Market on Thursday, June 16, will feature live music, lots of local vendors and food stands. It’s happening on the Kemptville Campus (75 Campus Drive, Kemptville) from 4:30pm to 7:30pm. Admission is free.
Enjoy a Pride show in Almonte
The Mississippi Mills Rainbow Revue on Saturday, June 18, is an adults-only show at the Almonte Old Town Hall (14 Bridge Street, Almonte) featuring everything from clowning and spoken-word poetry to experimental music and burlesque. Doors open at 7pm and the show starts at 8pm, and tickets are $25 plus fees. Proceeds will be split 50/50 between Pride in Mississippi Mills and the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum.
See a play in Ottawa, Morrisburg or Gananoque
You never know what you’re going to see at the Ottawa Fringe Festival (June 16 to 26), but it’s almost always guaranteed to be unusual. This year’s lineup of plays and other live performance pieces includes everything from a musical about Noel Coward to the memorably titled Dead People Are Liking Things on Facebook. The festival is spread across nine downtown venues, with Arts Court (2 Daly Avenue) being a primary hub. Tickets to all shows are $12 each, plus a $2 service fee; you can buy them in advance online with a credit card, but if you want a ticket at the door, you’ll need cash.
Plays by Norm Foster are a staple of the summer theatre circuit, but here’s your chance to see a brand-new one: The Upper Canada Playhouse (12320 County Road 2, Morrisburg) is presenting the world premiere of Doris and Ivy in the Home, a comedy about newly retired prison guard Doris, who moves to an Alberta retirement home and finds that shenanigans ensue. The show runs until Sunday, June 26, with multiple matinées (2pm) and evening shows (8pm). Tickets are $36 for adults and $25 for students.
Meanwhile, the Thousand Islands Playhouse (185 South Street, Gananoque) is presenting the farce Perfect Wedding (June 17 to July 10). It all starts when a groom-to-be wakes up on his wedding day with a hellish hangover and a strange woman in his bed. The show runs at 7:30pm from Tuesday through Saturday, with 2pm matinées on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Ticket prices range from $19 to $37.
Looking for more tips on things to see and do in Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais, northern New York state and beyond? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your Weekend 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.