The BreakFest Blog
News about Ottawa Festivals and our Member festivals, special events and fairs.
Economic plan vital to our future
From Randall Denley’ s commentary in the Ottawa Citizen
We need a sector-by-sector economic development plan with creative and achievable goals for every element of our local economy. Tourism would be an obvious place to start. Arts and culture is another blind spot. We tend to see culture as an expensive frill, not a city-enhancing activity. Arts and culture is part of a huge international entertainment industry, of which we have only a tiny slice.
Economic development is the key to ensuring our future prosperity and to improving the quality of our city. We need to plan it in a thoughtful and intelligent way, but the focus has to be on results, not talk. O’Brien is positioning himself as an economic-development champion and he hopes to have a new plan ready by early summer. His first big challenge is to engage the public and the second is to see beyond passing the ball to some other agency. But give credit to the mayor. At least he understands why all of this matters.
Read the full column: Economic plan vital to our future
Ottawa Festivals volunteer and crime victim Mike Armstrong passes away
Excerpted from an article by Kelly Egan
The Ottawa Citizen
On the evening of March 23, 2009, Mike Armstrong, a stubby, middle-aged man with a plucky underdog spirit, was pumping gas at an independent outlet in Bells Corners.
His life was about to be irretrievably changed.
Just before 9 p.m., a vehicle he had just served sped away without paying, sending him reeling to the ground, where he banged his head.
Last Friday, nearly 11 months later, he was found lying on the floor of his living room — dead — never again the same man.
What the thieves could not have known was Armstrong’s history, nor his resilience.
Armstrong worked at the Bank of Canada for 15 years before his department was outsourced, then downsized. He began working at Sunys on Robertson Road about five years ago, often working the 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. shift.
He was a dedicated volunteer, with stints at Meals on Wheels, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Tulip Festival and Canada Day celebrations. He worked with Big Brothers and the Ottawa Folk Festival.
“I’m very angry about this,” said his sister Pat, 57, a nurse.
“I want them to recognize all the good things Mike did with his life. He was a good man. He never complained,” said Pat.
To read the full article, click here.
OCFF’s Peter MacDonald to hold “The Festival Circuit” workshop
SUDBURY – Music and Film in Motion (MFM) is pleased to announce its next workshop from the InSight and Sound Seminar Series titled The Festival Circuit on Wednesday, February 17, from 7 to 9 p.m.
Canada offers an extraordinarily diverse music festival circuit and becoming a player within that market can boost your career to another level.
Whether you are an established or up and coming musician, Canada’s music festivals offer an audience for everyone.
Looking to hit the road in the summer?
Come to this session and learn how to book some great festival gigs!
The session will be instructed by Peter MacDonald.
Peter is the executive director of The Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (OCFF), Canada’s largest member-based folk and roots music organization.
The OCFF is a network of 30 member festivals, some 60 organizations (record companies, bands, venues, presenters, managers, booking agents, publicists and other industry folk) and over 400 individuals, most of them performers.
To read the full article, click here.
La ministre du Tourisme octroie 15 000 $ au Bal de Neige de Gatineau
Fil de presse par Portail Québec
GATINEAU, QC, le 19 janv. /CNW Telbec/ – La ministre du Tourisme, Nicole Ménard, est fière d’annoncer l’octroi d’une aide financière de 15 000 $ à la 32e édition du Bal de Neige, qui se déroulera du 5 au 21 février.
«Je suis heureuse d’appuyer cet événement rassembleur et féérique qui démontre bien que le Québec est une destination touristique hivernale et chaleureuse. Je salue également le travail du comité organisateur qui propose
un événement de qualité à chaque année et qui permet à nombre de gens de profiter des plaisirs de l’hiver», a déclaré la ministre Ménard.
Les députés de l’Outaouais, Norman MacMillan, ministre délégué aux Transports, ministre responsable de l’Outaouais et député de Papineau, Stéphanie Vallée, députée de Gatineau, Charlotte L’Ecuyer, députée de Pontiac, Maryse Gaudreault, députée de Hull, et Marc Carrière, député de Chapleau, se réjouissent de l’annonce effectuée par madame Ménard.
«Les députés de la région se joignent à moi pour remercier notre collègue de l’aide accordée à ce festival qui contribue au rayonnement touristique de notre région», a indiqué le ministre MacMillan.
De plus, ils ont souligné l’excellent travail effectué par toute l’équipe de Bal de neige.
«Depuis maintenant 32 ans, Bal de neige fait la joie des petits et des grands. Aussi, mes collègues et moi voudrions féliciter les organisateurs et les bénévoles qui contribuent, année après année, au succès de cet événement», a ajouté M. MacMillan.
Dans le décor enchanteur du Parc Jacques-Cartier, les festivaliers pourront assister à des envolées de montgolfières, en plus de participer à une multitude d’activités culturelles et sportives. Cette fête enneigée propose une programmation diversifiée et des moments inoubliables qui plairont à tous.
«J’invite la population à participer en grand nombre à cet événement remarquable, qui leur permettra de vivre une expérience touristique hivernale riche en émotions, au coeur de la magnifique région de l’Outaouais», a conclu
la ministre Ménard.
La contribution du ministère du Tourisme, accordée dans le cadre du Programme de soutien au développement et à la promotion touristiques – volet aide financière aux festivals et aux événements, permettra d’appuyer l’organisation de ce festival enchanteur.
Action Vanier’s “Superman” volunteer retires
EMC News – After more than 15 years spent reviving Action Vanier, master volunteer Gilles Ladouceur has decided to retire.Ladouceur was honoured by Action Vanier’s Board of Directors, community members and politicians during a special luncheon in his honour at Centre Pauline Charron, 165 Jeanne-Mance Street on the morning of Tuesday, December 22.
The decision to restart a dormant charity was made easier for Ladouceur and his friends those many years ago, because of a bureaucratic hiccup.
“In 1992, Action Vanier decided to close. But they never sent the papers to Industry Canada,” to officially wind them up, said Ladouceur, during an interview before his party. As a result, Ladouceur and two friends, at the behest of Vanier’s then-mayor, decided to begin reviving it in 1994.
“We wanted to do some charity work. We wanted to change all of the street signs in Vanier,” he recalled. In time though, Action Vanier, through Ladouceur’s hard work, began taking on other initiatives, including reviving the Sugar Shack in Richelieu Park and maintaining the Maple Sugar Fest, a highlight of any Vanier winter season. Action Vanier was also helpful in setting up the Vanier Museopark and a monthly bilingual newspaper, Perspectives Vanier.
The decision to take on the Sugar Shack and its annual festival was placed upon them after Vanier amalgamated with the City of Ottawa in 2001 since “the City said they were not the festival business.”
To read the full article, click here.
A Bloom of Friendship: The Story of the Canadian Tulip Festival
A BLOOM OF FRIENDSHIP:
THE STORY OF THE CANADIAN TULIP FESTIVAL
ANNE RENAUD
ILLUSTRATIONS: ASHLEY SPIRES
MONTRÉAL: LOBSTER PRESS,
2004. 24 P.
(MY CANADA)
ISBN 189422289X
AGES 6 TO 10
A Bloom of Friendship: The Story of the Canadian Tulip Festival
Ottawa, Canada’s national capital, has hosted the Tulip Festival since 1953. The festival stems from the gift in 1945 of thousands of tulips bulbs from the Queen of Holland to Canada. This giving of bulbs became a yearly thank you to our country for hosting Dutch Princess Juliana and her two daughters during the Second World War. A Bloom of Friendship: The Story of the Canadian Tulip Festival gives a general overview of the war, of the invasion of the Netherlands and of the life of the Dutch Royal family in Canada, including the birth of Princess Margriet in an Ottawa hospital. While the Royal family was safe in Canada, Dutch people in Holland suffered from hunger and cold at the hands of the Nazis, who took away most of the food. When Canadian troops liberated their country in the spring of 1945, they found a starving population. Many Canadian soldiers helped Dutch citizens to rebuild their houses and their country.
This non-fiction book is illustrated with colourful collages created by Ashley Spires. The textured, handmade paper makes for lively interior scenes and brings out the vivid colours of the Ottawa blooms in springtime. Maps, photographs and archival documents such as Dutch food coupons, Star of David badges, newspaper clippings and vintage postcards add historical interest to the book.
For more information, click here.
Deadline for Festival and Events Ontario (FEO) Awards Applications (January 8, 2010)
FEO Top 100 & Achievement Awards applications are still available, but not for long!
Festivals & events industry professionals exude two very notable qualities – passion & commitment. The Festival and Events Ontario (FEO) Awards Program is created to give recognition to the countless hours spent on creating world-class festivals/events here in Ontario.
January 8th, 2010, is the deadline for applications. That means there are only two weeks left to get them into the FEO office. This is an opportunity you do not want to miss!
Past recipients will tell you that being a Top 100 Festival has helped in building community spirit and support. They will also share with you that being a Top 100 festival is a strong marketing tool and can be used when generating sponsorship, looking for media support, or filling out grant applications.
Our Achievement Awards are dedicated to featuring special qualities and/or components of a festival or event. Whether it is an interactive virtual campaign, or a go-green idea, we want to see what makes your festival stand out. Every festival has something that makes them distinct from any other festival. Show us what makes yours unique.
As an added bonus, if you are a FEO Top 100 or Achievement Award recipient, your festival/event will be highlighted in our annual guide.
Applications can be found using the links below, or on our website at www.festivalsandeventsontario.ca. Hope to see your applications soon!
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS SHINE BRIGHTER THAN EVER IN CANADA’S CAPITAL REGION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NCCN-09-12-17-NR
December 22, 2009
Canada’s Capital Region – The National Capital Commission (NCC) is pleased to announce that the final tally is in, and the 25th edition of Christmas Lights Across Canada is shining brighter than ever in the Capital Region – with more than 375,000 bulbs illuminated.
This year, a total of 377,515 multicoloured lights – an increase of over 77,000 bulbs – adorn Parliament Hill and the many museums, historic sites, embassies and other landmarks along Confederation Boulevard – the discovery route that circles the heart of Canada’s Capital Region. Also on the rise are the number of LED lights incorporated in the display, up this year from 200,000 to 350,000.
The holiday season is the perfect time to admire this luminous spectacle. The lights will be on from 4:30 pm to 2 am nightly until January 7, 2010 (inclusive).
The Christmas Lights Across Canada program began this year on December 12, with the official illumination ceremony on Parliament Hill, attended by a crowd of over 20,000 spectators. This year’s ceremony was twinned with the arrival of the Olympic Flame on Parliament Hill, as part of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay. As an important national element of the Christmas Lights program, all of the provincial and territorial capitals also held their own lighting festivities, creating a link with the nation’s capital, and a spectacular display of colour and light across the country.
For additional information about the Christmas Lights Across Canada program, members of the public may contact the NCC at 613-239-5000, 613-239-5090 (TTY), 1-800-465-1867 (toll-free) or 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free TTY), or visit the NCC’s website at www.canadascapital.gc.ca.
FaveQuest Social Media Platform Contributes to Ottawa Bluesfest Success
Sometimes a chance meeting makes all the difference. Mark Monahan, Executive Director of the Ottawa Bluesfest, and Allan Isfan, CEO of FaveQuest, met by chance at the launch of a new radio station in Ottawa in early 2009. A few short weeks later, the two companies inked a deal that would increase the festival’s web presence.This new web presence would lead to a substantial increase in engagement, word of mouth virality and more fans sharing their schedules. It would ultimately help the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest achieve a banner year in terms of on-line attention.
“FaveQuest’s Bluesfest ViewTube has made a dramatic difference for us in terms of increasing fan engagement.”
Mark Monahan, Ottawa Bluesfest Executive Director
FaveQuest had been working on a next generation Social Media Platform to help media companies connect with people in social networks. Working in partnership with Ottawa Bluesfest staff, the platform was quickly adapted to the events market and ViewTube was launched April 22, 2009.
The result was an extension to the website filled with performer videos, sharable personal calendars, ability to invite friends through email or Facebook, a jukebox to listen to music for hours, daily news and updates, user posted videos and pictures.
In addition to the website extensions, the engaging tools were also available through the Bluesfest ViewTube Facebook application which included some special features. For example, the Facebook application allowed fans to review the entire Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest schedule and see which of their friends were going to particular shows so they could add it to their own schedule and invite other friends. All such actions showed up in the fans’ newsfeed, ultimately reaching thousands of people.
The results were truly impressive. Several hundred thousand videos were watched and over 100,000 events were added to personal calendars that people shared with one another extensively. This led to more tickets sales and many fans discovering new acts which motivated them to show up earlier to take in the festivities. Everybody wins!
FaveQuest and the Ottawa Bluesfest team are hard at work on enhancements and new features for the 2010 festival season. Many surprises are in store.
Ottawa Festivals has moved!
Ottawa Festivals has moved to our new space at 47 William Street right in the heart of the Byward Market in Ottawa.
We’ve got some pretty exciting stuff happening in the next few months, so stay tuned so you hear the news as it drops. You can follow us on Twitter as well: www.twitter.com/ottawafestivals.
- All Blog Posts /
Tous les Postes - The Festival Industry /
L’industrie des Festivals - Ottawa Festivals Members /
Les members de Festival d’Ottawa - Ottawa News and Views /
Actualités et Nouvelles d’Ottawa - Community Issues /
Communauté - Travel and Tourism /
Tourisme et Voyage - Interesting Stuff /
Quelques faits intéressants
- 10 March:
- 8 April:
- 22 April:
- 30 April:
- 7 May:
