If you’d like to stick close to home this weekend, there’s lots happening in the capital region, from a beer festival in Gatineau to a little event you may have heard of called Winterlude. Further afield, I’ve got the scoop on everything from a bluegrass festival to a quirky light installation. Happy travels!
Cheer on the Globetrotters
Just the words “Harlem Globetrotters” have that incredibly catchy theme song in my head. If you like clever basketball fun, head to Kingston this weekend to catch the famous sports team in action at the K-Rock Centre on Saturday, January 30.
Get out in the snow!
Photo of ice sculpture in Confederation Park during Winterlude copyright Ottawa Tourism.
Didn’t get your fill of winter festivals after my big roundup last week? Well, here are a few more for you. The Lanark Highlands Frosty Fling (January 29 to 31) features a talent night on Friday, a skating carnival on Saturday and a pancake breakfast on Sunday, among other events. In Malone, New York (about two hours’ southeast of Ottawa), activities during the Malone Winter Carnival (January 28 to 30) include a wings contest and a parade. Further afield, Quebec City’s famous Carnaval (January 29 to February 14) starts on Friday and draws visitors with a canoe race across the frozen St. Lawrence River, a toboggan run, a parade, a giant ice palace and more. And, of course, tomorrow also marks the kickoff of Winterlude (January 29 to February 15), when Ottawa will be lively with everything from ice sculpture competitions and concerts to snowboarding demonstrations and art exhibitions (no matter what the weather, there’s lots going on).
Get sporty
Perhaps you’re an outdoor endurance sport type, who thinks nothing of dressing in multiple layers and conquering the cold with all kinds of high-tech equipment. Or perhaps, like me, you’re one of those people who enjoy cheering on those endurance sports types. Either way, I have two events for you in Ottawa this Saturday (January 30). The Polar Hero Race at Lansdowne Park is one of several such events across Canada for the super keen: it’s a 5km footrace featuring 25 obstacles. Not arduous enough for you? There’s always the Winterlude Triathlon, where participants run 5km, skate 8km and cross-country ski 8km.
Raise a glass
Flickr/Creative Commons photo by Lindsey Gira.
Ah, I think this is more my type of winter exercise: raising a glass at the Festibière d’Hiver at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau (January 29 and 30). As well as sampling some of the 100 brews from 35 breweries, you can take in a concert, warm up around an outdoor bonfire, or learn the fine points of pairing beer with cheese. Just make sure you are taking transit or have a designated driver.
Enjoy a musical interlude
Warm up your winter with the Winter Village Bluegrass Festival, a four-day event in Ithaca, New York (January 28 to 31). This year, the festival is focusing on progressive young bluegrass bands. The Finger Lakes city is about a four-hour drive south of Ottawa.
Closer to home, musicians Terry Tufts and Rob Riendeau are presenting a tribute to Gordon Lightfoot at the Barley Mow pub in Almonte on Saturday night (January 30).
Take care of your health
Get the scoop on the latest fitness and healthy eating products and strategies at the Ottawa Health and Wellness Expo at the Shenkman Centre in Orleans (Saturday, January 30).
Light up the night
This is the last weekend to catch Luminothérapie in Montreal, a free outdoor playground of illuminated seesaws, video projections and other light-themed fun (closes Sunday, January 31).
Night at the museum
Have you heard about the very cool Nature Nocturne nights at the Canadian Museum of Nature? After dark, once a month, the museum turns into a one-of-a-kind dance club, with DJs and a cash bar. This week’s event on Friday, January 29 has a lunar new year theme.
Laugh in both languages
“So You Think You’re Bilingual?” is one of the first events in the week-long Cracking Up the Capital Comedy Festival (January 31 to February 6). The night of standup comedy in English and French, hosted by bilingual Just for Laughs vet Derek Seguin, takes place on January 31 at the Mayfair Theatre at 1074 Bank Street.
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