This week, you can save money on fine food in Picton or Montreal, learn about nature in Ottawa, catch a concert in Morrisburg or Aylmer, see NHL alumni on ice in Kingston, or enjoy some Halloween fun or celebrate the Day of the Dead. And don’t miss the Rockcliffe Park Book Sale!
Learn about urban nature in Ottawa
This is happening early next week, but I figured you’d like to plan ahead. The Nature Conservancy of Canada is hosting an evening of presentations by scientists, artists, activists and others on the topic of discovering nature in the city. Learn why it’s important and how to do it! It’s happening at the Ottawa Art Gallery on Tuesday, November 5.
Cheer for—or against—Leafs alumni in Kingston
The Highway of Heroes Hockey Game in Kingston (Saturday, November 2) pits Toronto Maple Leafs alumni like Wendel Clark and Rick Vaive against the Highway of Heroes team of local veterans, military personnel and first responders. It’s a fundraiser for Kingston 4 Paws Service Dogs.
Eat well for less in Prince Edward County and Montreal
Eleven restaurants in Prince Edward County are participating in the fall edition of Countylicious (November 1 to 24). Each restaurant is offering a special prix-fixe dinner menu for $40 per person and or a lunch menu for $20 per person (both excluding alcohol). Accommodations packages are available, too. New this year are culinary “experiences,” such as a winemaker dinner at Huff Estates on Friday, November 8.
In a similar promotion in Montreal, MTLàTABLE (November 1 to 13), 150 participating restaurants will be offering table d’hôte dinner menus for $23, $33 or $43 per person (some will also be serving $17 brunch menus).
Catch a concert in Aylmer, Burnstown or Morrisburg
On Friday, November 1, Canadian singer-songwriter Ariel Posen brings his blend of blues, R&B and rock to the Neat Coffee Shop in Burnstown. Limited dinner reservations are available.
As part of the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage series, Maneli Jamal will be performing at the Upper Canada Playhouse in Morrisburg on Saturday, November 2. He’s known for his comedic storytelling, often drawing on his life in five different countries (see video above). Opening for him will be Anishinaabe-Métis musician Greyson Gritt, one of the members of Juno-winning group Quantum Tangle.
Also on Saturday, Saskatchewan’s Étienne Fletcher is on stage at Cabaret la Basoche in Aylmer, singing songs of Western Canada in French and English.
Browse for art in Brockville
The Brockville Artists’ Studio is having its annual show and sale from November 1 through 3 at the Brockville Memorial Civic Centre, featuring works by a dozen local artists.
See photography in Ottawa
The School of Photographic Arts Ottawa (SPAO) is holding its annual open house on Friday, November 1. You can tour the facility, meet faculty and students, and see the current exhibition in the SPAO gallery, O Human Child, featuring works by SPAO alumna Vera Saltzman.
Celebrate Halloween
If pumpkins are your Halloween thing, don’t miss Pumpkin Alley in Percy Taverner Park in Old Ottawa South. The huge display of community-created jack o’ lanterns lights up the night on Thursday, October 31, starting at 5:30pm. The next night, Kingston is holding a Pumpkin Parade in Confederation Park, starting at 4pm, to give people’s home pumpkins a second life before they meet their destiny in the compost bin.
There’s also still time to enjoy some of the activities in my list of 20+ Halloween road trips, including ghost tours in Stittsville, a haunted house attraction at the Billings Estate National Historic Site in Alta Vista and Fort Fright in Kingston. All three are running through Saturday, November 2.
Pick up some new-to-you books in Ottawa
The Rockcliffe Park Book Fair (November 1 to 3) is a beloved annual pilgrimage for literature lovers. It’s not hard to understand why: You can browse among thousands of used books offered at bargain prices, and congratulate yourself for supporting projects at Rockcliffe Park Public School and elsewhere. Everyone wins!
Enjoy some retail therapy in Ottawa, Manotick or Yarker
It’s Women’s Day in Manotick on Saturday, November 2, and businesses throughout the village are offering refreshments, entertainment, gifts, specials and more.
That same day, the Christmas Shopping Tour in the Country is a self-driving tour of shops and studios around Yarker and Moscow, just northwest of Kingston.
On Sunday, the Ottawa Vintage Clothing Show returns to the Fieldhouse at Carleton University. Channel your inner Katharine Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe or Cher as you peruse clothing, handbags, jewellery and more, from the 1920s through the 1980s. (Retro menswear is available, too!)
Eat, drink and be merry in Montreal
At Place Bonaventure, La Grande Dégustation de Montréal (October 31 to November 2) gives you the chance to sample beverages from more than 200 winemakers, distillers and brewers. The themes this year are Portugal, organic products and whiskies of the world, but there will be something for just about every taste.
Take the kids to a show in Orleans
Do your little ones get the blues after Halloween is done? Why not cheer them up with an afternoon show at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans? The 26-Letter Dance is a one-hour multidisciplinary performance by Bouge de là that invites the young audience to participate in a dance celebrating the alphabet.
Check out 26 craft fairs in Ottawa, Renfrew, Kemptville and elsewhere
For all of you shop-ahead types, I’ve updated my massive list of more than 130 Christmas craft fairs and holiday markets, which I’ll keep updating right through December. This weekend alone, you have 26 events to choose from, including sales in Ottawa, Renfrew, Carleton Place, Almonte, Gananoque, Kemptville and Kingston.
Celebrate the Day of the Dead in Ottawa and Kingston
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a celebration that’s particularly popular in Mexico and other Latin American countries. It’s a chance for people to honour the spirits of friends and relatives who have passed away, but it is far from a sombre occasion: people celebrate life with parades, concerts, face painting, feasting and more. Festival Latino Ottawa is holding a free Day of the Dead event at Lansdowne Park on Saturday, November 2, from 4:30pm to 10pm. Also on Saturday, on Kingston, Día de los Muertos is taking place on Saturday, from 2pm to 8pm.
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2 comments
There are some date errors under the Kingston item it should say Saturday November 2nd and under the concerts in Aylmer it should say Friday November 1st I think, assuming the day is correct and the number is the error.
Thanks so much for your sharp eye, Wendy! I’ve made those corrections.