Whether you want to cocoon at home with a movie or cooking class, hit a hiking trail, or learn about heritage architecture, I have an idea for you this week. The big news is the brand-new promotion just announced this morning by Ottawa Tourism. It will give you exclusive access to live-streamed events featuring everyone from Natalie McMaster to Saturday Night Live‘s Pete Davidson, when you book a staycation at one of the participating Ottawa hotels. It’s happening in April, but you can plan ahead now. There are lots of other fun ideas, too—including an upcoming virtual auction featuring Dolly Parton tunes! Read on for details.
Reserve your spot for a virtual show
This week, you can make reservations for not one but two cool new online entertainment options!
This morning, in a promotion they believe is the first of its kind, Ottawa Tourism and RBC Bluesfest launched the Room Service Concert Series: An Ottawa Hotel Exclusive. Over eight nights between April 9 and April 30, you can enjoy a top-notch concert or comedy show—but only if you’re staying in one of 20 Ottawa hotels. You don’t need to buy a ticket; all you do is switch on the hotel TV, sit back and enjoy the roughly three-hour show, which won’t be broadcast anywhere else besides the participating hotels.
The lineup includes Alan Doyle, Natalie MacMaster, Lennon Stella, Gerry Dee, Walk Off the Earth, Third Eye Blind and Colin James; on one evening, there’s a virtual conversation with Pete Davidson and Alex Moffat from SNL. Ottawa Tourism has a big list of suggestions for safe fun you can enjoy during your hotel staycation, from heated restaurant patios to outdoor public art.
Also this week, the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival announced a virtual benefit concert and live auction that you can enjoy at home on Friday, April 23. The collective of top Ottawa musicians known as 33z will be playing top hits from the Dolly Parton songbook. During the auction, you can bid on all sorts of goodies to support the festival. As a bonus, you can also sign up to receive a “Smoky Mountain Care Package” to enjoy during the live-streamed event, which includes treats from The SmoQue Shack and gin cocktails from Collective Arts Brewing. Tickets are $50 without the care package and $75 with it, and include a partial tax receipt.
Check out the first Ottawa Black Film Festival
The inaugural Ottawa Black Film Festival opens today and runs until Sunday, March 28, and all-access passes to the online event are $29. The festival features 30 movies from six countries, including The Special, about a young man with Down Syndrome (Venezuela); Mengedegna, a documentary about an Eritrean-Ethiopian who migrated alone to Winnipeg at age 12, and the mental health consequences of that journey (Canada); “A” for Alpha, a drama about a couple struggling with gender roles and secrets in what looks to outsiders like a perfect relationship (United States); and Dope Is Death, which delves into an acupuncture detoxification program that the Black Panthers and the Young Lords launched in 1973 that was deemed too radical to continue (Canada).
Dig into a sugar shack meal on a patio in Casselman
For the next few Saturdays, Domaine Cléroux in Casselman is offering sugar shack meals on its patio. Limited to just 50 guests, the meals will include all sorts of traditional treats—baked beans, back bacon, pea soup, sugar pie and much more. Here’s information on the event this Saturday, March 27, and here are details on the meal on Saturday, April 3. Both meals start at 11am.
Looking for more ways to celebrate maple syrup season? Check out my big post about fun at local sugar bushes in 2021.
Take a gentle hike
Over at the great Girl Gone Good website, there’s a brand-new post about gentle hikes in Eastern Ontario and West Quebec. What do they mean by a “gentle hike”? It’s an outdoor outing on a wide, largely flat path that still includes some cool stuff to see. Trails covered include Mer Bleue in Ottawa; Oschmann Forest in Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry; Mont Morisette in the Outaouais; and the Alfred Bog in Prescott-Russell. Lots of inspiration here!
Win prizes by identifying buildings in Smiths Falls
Heritage Smiths Falls is running a fun contest until the end of the month. In Heritage Hunt 2021, participants try to identify historic buildings around town from small photos and clues. You’re encouraged to visit the buildings, too (while maintaining all the usual social-distancing precautions). Everyone who submits an entry form will be eligible for local prizes. The contest ends on Wednesday, March 31.
Attend Toronto’s big agricultural fair without leaving home
When I was a kid growing up in the Toronto ‘burbs, a field trip to the Royal Winter Fair (as it was called back then) was one of the highlights of the school year. Apple cider, maple candy, sheep, cows—what wouldn’t any kid love about that?
If you’ve never had the chance to attend this amazing event in person—or even if you have—here’s good news for you: you can now sign up for the Royal Agricultural Virtual Experience and enjoy a lot of the fun of the fair from home. Check out online cooking classes featuring Ontario chefs and ingredients, video profiles of urban farmers and more. Many of the live events wrap up today (sorry for the short notice) but much of the content will be available on demand for months to come. All you need to do to access it is fill out a free registration.
Enjoy two great Ottawa acts in concert—for free
The Shenkman Arts Centre’s Encore Ottawa series continues this week with two performances streaming live on RogersTV Channel 22 and online on Friday, March 26: vocalist Crystalena, whose influences include Nancy Wilson, Etta James and Sade (see clip above) and the Harea Band , a group of young creatives whose innovative-yet-catchy work blends pop, funk and R&B. The free shows start at 8pm and will be repeated several times next week.
See photos of female farmers at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
Get a glimpse into the world of female farmers at The Soul of the Rurality in Latin America and the Caribbean, a new exhibition at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum in Ottawa (running until May 31, 2021). This exhibition of 25 portraits by photographer Cecilia Duarte showcases the lives of rural women in Latin America and the Caribbean. It was created by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture and Vogue Brazil to promote the development of public policies that benefit female farmers.
Looking for more ideas for things to see and do in Ottawa-Gatineau, Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter!