History
In the summer of 1994, four new festivals evolved with the objective of showcasing different cultures, arts, and entertainment to the local community. Distinct, yet sharing a common objective, these organizations, namely, Ottawa Bluesfest, CKCU Ottawa Folk Festival, Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, and Fete Caribe, saw a unique opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences and to lend support in each other’s development and growth.
In the fall of 1994, a meeting was called by the president of Ottawa Tourism Commission Authority (OTCA) in response to many public inquiries relating to these new festivals. The goal was to create a communication flow between the festivals and OTCA. During this meeting, there was a consensus that most of the festivals had many common interests and that there was a need to form some ongoing group that could not only coordinate tourism information, but also share ideas to improve their individual events.
After many meetings and brainstorming sessions, the Ottawa Festival Network was formed with an initial board which included prominent personalities like Mark Monahan (Ottawa Bluesfest), Michel Gauthier (Canadian Tulip Festival), Gene Swimmer (Ottawa Folk Festival) and Christine Broughton (OTCA). It was from this initial group that the network flourished and eventually, was successful in liaising with several organizations, such as, Canadian Tourism Commission, City of Ottawa, and Human Resource Development Canada, to name a few.
In April, 1996 the Ottawa Festival Network became an incorporated entity with a group of diverse not-for-profit member festivals representing different cultures, arts, and entertainment.
April 2006 brought a landmark when the Ottawa Festival Network celebrated its 10th Anniversary with the “Launch of the Festival Season”. This event brought a unique opportunity to celebrate Ottawa’s multi-million dollar festival industry and the decade-long involvement of the Ottawa Festival Network in showcasing and promoting art, culture and entertainment in Canada’s National Capital Region. The highlight of this celebration was the unveiling of the new official name (Ottawa Festivals d’Ottawa), the logo, the 10th anniversary brochure, and the new and revised official Web site. The launch highlighted the explosive growth of the festival industry over the past decade and how it has contributed to the local tourism and economy.
The spirit of Ottawa Festivals d’Ottawa has been to exchange ideas and bring the festival community together to continue to promote individual events’ development that lead to success of the industry as a whole. This essence has undoubtedly been a major factor in the exponential growth of the festivals in Ottawa. Ottawa Festivals d’Ottawa continues to strive to make local events world-class and to promote Ottawa as an exciting tourist destination while making a significant impact on the local economy and greatly enhancing the region’s image. Its exceptional success has motivated many other communities across Canada to replicate its model.
Together: Building Festivals & Events!
- About Ottawa Festivals /
À propos de Festivals d’Ottawa - Ottawa Festivals History /
L’historique de Festivals d’Ottawa - Ottawa Festivals Members /
Membres de Festivals d’Ottawa - Thanks To Our Sponsors /
Merci à nos commanditaires - Our Partners /
Nos partenaires - Board Of Directors /
Conseil d’administration - Ottawa Festivals Staff /
Personnel de Festivals d’Ottawa - The Environment /
L’environnement
