Ottawa Festivals, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, launched the season at a fun-filled gathering at city hall on Wednesday, May 4. This was the sixth annual launch event.

Mayor Jim Watson congratulated Ottawa Festivals on their 15th anniversary, expressing his thanks and messages of goodwill to the organizers, volunteers, artists, workers and everyone else involved in making festivals in Ottawa happen.

He mentioned his council colleagues in attendance, as he does most often at events. (“We have quorum. All in favour of more money for festivals?” he jokingly asked the audience. All joking aside,festivals rake in great revenue for the community and are an opportunity to show the diversity and culture this city consists of.

Full article: Ottawa Festivals rolls out red carpet

Okay, music lovers of the nation’s capital. You’ve had a good five days now to rest up, give your ear drums a break, sleep off that hangover and soothe that sunburn.

Between the Jazz Festival, HOPE Summerfest, Music and Beyond, and Bluesfest, it’s been a solid month of nightly live music, but there’s no rest for the weary in Ottawa’s festival season.

Country music lovers will soon get their day in the sun with Carleton Place’s Riverside Jam (July 30 to Aug. 1). The inaugural Capital Hoedown (Aug. 5 to 7) just over the horizon and the countdown is on for family-favourite Folk Festival (Aug. 13 to 15), but in the meantime, the weekend has plenty to offer on a crowded festival calendar.

Classical music lovers, from the casual to the aficionado, will delight in a double helping of orchestral and chamber music, with Saturday’s launch of the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival and with Orchestras in the Park already in full swing at Lebreton Flats.

Read more: Big weekend for Ottawa festivals

The big band of trumpeter Roy Hargrove impressed with a satisfying blend of powerful, precise ensemble work and effusive soloing Tuesday night in Confederation Park.

OTTAWA — The big band of trumpeter Roy Hargrove generously delivered two kinds of treats Tuesday night in Confederation Park.

The 40-year-old’s hard-hitting band grabbed listeners from the get-go with updated, original fare that more often recalled the turbulent music of John Coltrane instead of those traditional big-band influences Duke Ellington and Count Basie.

Read more: No need for revelry when Hargrove’s band takes the stage

With about 50 festivals planned in the capital this year, Ottawa Festivals launched its 2010 season yesterday.

Ottawa Festivals also launched its info and ticket sales centre at 47 William St. yesterday, making it easier to get in on all the action.

“This is a great opportunity for visitors and residents to find out more information about Ottawas events”, said Ottawa Festivals executive director Barbara Stacey. “There are some very unique festivals and events going on in Ottawa that they may not be aware of.”

Full story: Festival season kicks off in Ottawa

Marc Charron gets a warm fuzzy feeling when he thinks about summertime in Ottawa. That’s peak festival season, of course, and being able to see fantastic concerts outdoors night after night is one of Charron’s favourite things about his hometown.

Full article on EMC website:  New President for Ottawa Festivals

The festival’s relative strength is reflected in other events across the city, says Ottawa Festivals executive director Barbara Stacey. Although there are currently no concrete statistics for local festivals and special events, she says she hasn’t seen any large-scale downsizing among her organization’s 51 members.

“Our members are run very well, they’re very good business models for success,” says Ms. Stacey.

She speculates that recent increases in support from all three levels of government may have played a role in helping local festivals attract and maintain corporate sponsors, since government funding typically equates to increased visibility and an indication that the event is viable.

But even without government funding and with no title sponsor, the Ottawa Race Weekend is an example of the health of the local festival industry.

To read the full article, click on Ottawa Festivals continue celebrating good times.

How much money do Ottawa’s festivals bring to the city? How many visitors come from out of town? Would a volunteer who’s an accountant by day prefer to help with the books or take tickets at the gate?

Ottawa festival planners want answers to those questions and are launching a five-year study to determine the social, economic and environmental impact of festivals in Ottawa.

To read the full article, click on Study examines festivals’ impact.

Ottawa Festivals launched its 2009 season in style yesterday, announcing more than 48 festivals and special events – sometimes more than one per weekend – this year.

“Festivals are a great way of bringing people together,” said event emcee, comedian and star of the Jon Dore Television Show, Jon Dore. “Festivals are not always about bringing tourists into the area for the economy. It’s about the beer tent,” he joked.

 Read full story on the Metro website: More than 48 fests for some feel-good fun

The association representing Ottawa’s festivals and fairs is redirecting some of its marketing resources away from traditional brochures to a new campaign directing residents to its website. The 26-week public awareness campaign includes television and radio advertisements encouraging viewers and listeners to visit Ottawa Festivals online so they can see a chronological list of the city’s festivals and plan their weekends in advance, says Joe Pavia, the chair of Ottawa Festivals’ marketing committee.

Read Story at www.ottawabusinessjournal.com