Special Events & Festivals

There's one thing you can say for sure about Canada: Canadians love winter. And not only NHL hockey; everything winter. On the first two weekends each February, Winterlude (tel. 613/239-5000; www.capcan.ca/winterlude) takes over the city of Ottawa with parades, an ice-sculpture competition, fireworks, speed skating, snowshoe races, ice boating, curling, and more. One offbeat contest is a bed race on the frozen canal, while the most exciting event may be harness racing on ice.

But Ottawa's biggest annual event, surprisingly, is the Canadian Tulip Festival (tel. 613/567-5757 or 800/66-TULIP; www.tulipfestival.ca), which takes places over 2 weeks in mid-May. Suddenly the city comes ablaze with 200 varieties of tulips enlivening public buildings, monuments, embassies, homes, and driveways. (One of the best viewing points is at Dow's Lake.) The festival began in 1945, when the Netherlands sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canada in appreciation for the role Canadian troops played in liberating Holland. Today, festival events include fireworks, concerts, parades, and a flotilla on the canal.

Mid-June brings the Festival Franco-Ontarien (tel. 613/321-0102; www.ffo.ca), a 3-day celebration of Francophone Canada, featuring classical and other musical concerts, fashion shows, street performers, games and competitions, crafts, and French cuisine. Also in mid-June, the city is filled with the sounds of the Ottawa Jazz Festival (tel. 613/241-2633 or 888/226-4495; www.ottawajazzfestival.com). Local, national, and international artists give more than 125 performances at more than 20 venues.

Later, at the very end of June, the R.C.M.P. Musical Ride Sunset Rides take place, a day of performances of music and horsemanship, including jumping and dressage, as well as the ride itself; it's free, though donations are requested. In early June, the Canadian Museum of Nature holds a Children's Festival, an extravaganza of dance, mime, puppetry, and music.

On July 1, lots of Canadians flock to the city to celebrate Canada Day (tel. 800/465-1867; www.capcan.ca/canadaday) -- basically, it's Canada's Fourth of July, with plenty of entertainment, including fireworks. The 2-week Ottawa Chamber Music Festival (tel. 613/234-8008; www.chamberfest.com), North America's largest, brings dozens of concerts to the city's churches in late July and early August.

On Labour Day weekend (late Aug and early Sept, same as in the U.S.), scores of brilliantly colored balloons fill the skies over Ottawa, while on the ground, people flock to musical events and midway rides during the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival (tel. 819/243-2330; www.balloongatineau.com).

Some other major events in the region include the colorful National Capital Dragon Boat Race Festival, over 3 days in late June (tel. 613/238-7711; www.dragonboat.net), and the 10-day Central Canada Exhibition (tel. 613/237-7222; www.ottawasuperex.com) during mid-August, also known as the "Super Ex."