Festival Updates and News
News about Ottawa Festivals and our Member festivals, special events and fairs.
Top 10 Family Activities in Ontario: Rideau Canal Amongst the Top
National Geographic
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A Trip to the Cottage
Ontario is a big, diverse place and its residents, spread across more than a million square kilometers, don’t lay claim to all that many shared experiences. But if there’s one Ontario tradition that’s nearly universal, it’s the family trip to the cottage.
Cottage time is all about campfires, canoe rides, and rainy-day board games. Visitors can get in on the action too; rental cottages are widely available. Popular “cottage country” areas include the Kawarthas and Muskoka, both within a couple hours’ drive of Toronto, and the Rideau Lakes, near Ottawa.
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Toronto Zoo
The Toronto Zoo is the largest in Canada, and one of the largest in the world. Its 460-plus animal species are organized by their region of origin. In addition to the main exhibits, the zoo also offers a special children’s zone with demonstrations, a splash park, and interactive activities for kids.
In recent years the Toronto Zoo has substantially expanded its conservation and education efforts, upgrading animal habitats and funding research projects worldwide. Ask about the zoo’s family-focused educational programs.
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Rideau Canal (Ottawa)
Ottawa’s Rideau Canal is a national historic site and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was built after the War of 1812 as the key link in a chain of locks, rivers, and lakes that provided an alternate route between Montreal and Kingston, in case of an American invasion of the St. Lawrence River. Today it’s an urban waterway lined with trees and bike paths—perfect for renting a canoe, pedal boat, or bicycle and cruising through downtown. In winter, it’s transformed into the world’s longest skating rink.
Read more on the National Geographic website: Top 10 Family Activities in Ontario
Rideau Canal Skateway likely to open mid-January
Dan Neutel, The Ottawa Citizen
OTTAWA — With the expected return of cold weather Tuesday, the National Capital Commission is predicting the Rideau Canal will be open for skating by mid-month.
“We’re still on target,” said Jasmine Leduc of NCC media relations. “On average the Rideau Canal Skateway opens in the first half of January, weather permitting.”
This will be the 42nd skating season on the canal.
“Last year the skating season opened on Jan. 8, and it closed on March 6,” says Leduc. “Visitors enjoyed 53 days of skating through a 58 day skating season. And it included a beautiful stretch of 40 consecutive days with near ideal skating conditions.
“On average over the past five years, the Rideau Canal Skateway offered 45 skating days during a season that lasted on average 50 days,” says Leduc.
The key to good ice is cold weather with no snow. Snow acts as a thermal blanket preventing the ice from thickening.
“We’re hoping that the mild weather this past weekend had very little impact on the ice,” said Leduc. “We’re hoping that the cold weather will return shortly and that we’ll be able to resume our flooding operations.”
Fostering a love of reading for success
The Ottawa Citizen
Re: Ontario’s children drastically losing love of reading, study finds, Dec. 13.
This article highlights a disturbing trend among Ontario children.
There should be no blame or finger pointing in responding to this wake up call, but rather we should see this as an early warning sign that in our efforts to raise test scores we should never take the fun and the sheer pleasure of reading out of the equation.
There is no question that our kids need all the skills in the tool kit to lead productive and happy lives and there is no question that the love of reading is the bedrock upon which all our efforts must be based.
If children do not have healthy and active imaginations, if they are insecure about expressing themselves or believing in themselves, which a love of reading fosters, then they will always be disadvantaged.
As the study by The People for Education shows, “students’ reading enjoyment contributes to their success in all subjects, as well as their sense of social and civic engagement.”
We have seen first-hand the amazing impact meeting an author can have in a child’s life.
Ottawa’s Taste of Winterlude presents Foodie Paradise
Ray, The Canadian
Taste of Winterlude is a great way to explore Ottawa this winter. Brighten your winter blaahs with great culinary treasures. Each January and February, Taste of Winterlude dazziles. This is one year you will not want to miss, with some new hit food sensations. Taste of Winterlude officially starts January 26, and ends on February 19, 2012. But, be sure to check on the availability of reservations before they are sold out. You can not only sample cuisine at some of our nation’s capital top restaurants; but can also learn new cooling techniques; and can also tour local restaurants or shops, guided by chefs or sommeliers.
And, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Taste of Winterlude also attracts winemakers, and it features made in Canada products which celebrate our cultural vitality, creative spirit, and national identity.
This year I had the pleasure to preview some of Taste of Winterlude’s offerings. This preview tour was with Chef Andrée Riffou’s and Paola St-Georges who are both from C’est Bon Cooking, and who both embrace the passion that inspires Taste of Winterlude‘s organizing.
Chef Andrée Riffou studied cuisine and pastry with Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa and in Paris. She attained the most respected Cordon Bleu designation of Le Grand Diplôme de cuisine et de pâtisserie. In 2008, she launched C’est Bon Cooking where she shares her passion for food with her clients. Contact C’est Bon Cooking if you would like to learn the secrets of fabulous French-inspired cuisine. You can experience local specialties and meet with local chefs and food artisans, and also meet other foodies. At C’est Bon, building camaraderie during their culinary team building and training events and classes helps support social networking atmosphere.
Read more on The Canadian website: Ottawa’s Taste of Winterlude presents Foodie Paradise
Fashion Week embraces Winterlude
Joe Lofaro, Metro News
For the first time, Ottawa Fashion Week (OFW) is officially partnering with Winterlude in February and will stage its fashion showcase at a new venue in the downtown Westin Hotel.
Visitors can warm up to some winter fashions as models showcase collections for the fall and winter seasons inside the hotel ballroom from Feb. 17 to 19.
Winterlude attracts more than half a million visitors to the Ottawa-Gatineau region during the three-weekend-long festival, so OFW creative director Bruno Racine said it was a smart idea to host OFW around the same time. He said more than half of the 5,000 people in attendance each year at OFW are from out of town.
Read more on the Metro News website: Fashion Week embraces Winterlude
Winterlude 2012 will remember the War of 1812
Alicja Siekierska, The Ottawa Citizen
OTTAWA — Feb. 3 will mark the start of Winterlude 2012, the 34th edition the city’s popular three-week long winter festival.
The National Capital Commission unveiled new details about the annual winter extravaganza Tuesday, which will commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 as well as the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Coast Guard. There will be various activities honouring the anniversaries throughout the festival.
The NCC will work with more than 50 programming partners — more than ever before — to bring a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities to the event.
NCC CEO Marie Lemay says the increase in partnerships will not only make for a “bigger and better” Winterlude, but it will also bring more community involvement.
“We want the community to take ownership so it’s not just the NCC’s Winterlude,” says Lemay. “Community groups have really taken part in it, building it and taking ownership of it. So it’s everybody’s Winterlude.”
One of the new partners is the Ottawa Jazz Festival, which will launch the first annual Winter Jazz Festival with a series of concerts Feb. 2 to 4, most at the NAC’s Fourth Stage.
Read more on the Ottawa Citizen website: Winterlude 2012 will remember the War of 1812
Winterlude 2012: More partners, more to discover
Skating, sliding, musical fireworks, culinary experiences and much more
[Source: NCC press release]
Canada’s Capital Region — The National Capital Commission (NCC) today unveiled the line-up of events for the 34th edition of Winterlude and the 42nd season of the Rideau Canal Skateway, the world’s largest skating rink.
The Capital’s winter celebration, will be held from February 3 to 20, 2012, and feature an array of memorable activities where the outdoors, winter sports, Canada’s diverse cultures, winter traditions and culinary arts will be at the forefront.
“For the 34th edition of Winterlude, more partners than ever have come together to offer residents and visitors the opportunity to rekindle their appreciation of Canadian winter traditions, our diversity and our artistic and scientific achievements,” explains Marie Lemay, NCC Chief Executive Officer. “The iconic Rideau Canal Skateway, the world’s largest skating rink, will be at the heart of the Capital Region’s winter celebration”.
Ms. Lemay was accompanied by Jim Watson, Mayor of the City of Ottawa; Marc Bureau, Mayor of Ville de Gatineau; and Wendy Hall, Vice-President of Account Development, Global Corporate Payments with American Express, at a news conference held today at the Fairmont Château Laurier in Ottawa.
Lights festivals herald Christmas across Canada
Katrina Heer, Centretown News
When do you know Christmas is just around the corner?
For some, it is opening that first window of the Advent calendar, revealing the stocking-shaped chocolate inside. For others, the first faint notes of Jingle Bells heard over a department store stereo; Michael Bublé crooning a jazzy rendition of It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas. Or, it means watching those first few snowflakes make their way to earth, painting the city with a layer of glittery frost.
For those living in Ottawa, it is the annual Christmas Lights Across Canada festival – where the city scape comes alive with thousands of dazzling Christmas lights – that marks the beginning of the holiday season.
The lights are one of many local public art displays – including the Bank Street bike racks or the fire hydrant sculptures on Wellington– that bring art to the streets.
The Christmas Lights program was first introduced in 1985 by the National Capital Commission to “liven up the winter months,” says NCC spokesperson Charles Cardinal, adding a welcome pop of colour to Ottawa’s snowy Parliament Hill.
Read more on the Centretown News website: Lights festivals herald Christmas across Canada
Winterlude is just around the corner!
Let’s Go Ottawa
The snow has started to fall in Ottawa and thoughts are turning to Christmas, the holidays and the whole winter season!
This winter marks the 42nd season of organized ice skating on the frozen Rideau Canal Skateway. The Canal snakes 7.8 km (4.8 miles) through downtown Ottawa— kids skate to school, people skate to work! It’s the equivalent in size to 90 Olympic-sized ice rinks, giving it the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest naturally frozen skating rink.
It takes several consecutive days of -15° Celsius (-5° Fahrenheit) or colder temperatures to ensure that the ice is at least a foot thick. That’s when the National Capital Commission deems it safe enough to open to the public — usually in late December or early January.
Read m0re on the Let’s Go Ottawa blog: Winterlude is just around the corner!
Jazz road warrior
Kellylee Evans loves to tour, whether it’s performing for thousands of fans or a handful
Peter Hum, The Ottawa Citizen
KELLYLEE EVANS
When: Thursday, Dec. 8, 6: 30 p.m.
Where: Library and Archives Canada auditorium
Tickets: $50, with a $30 tax receipt issued
Contact: 613-241-2633, ottawajazzfestival.com
Email: phum@ottawacitizen.com
Blog: ottawacitizen.com/jazzblog
Watch a video of Kellylee Evans performing in Paris.
OTTAWA — In the last month, Ottawa singer Kellylee Evans sang for crowds big and small, in venues near and far.
An indefatigable road warrior, Evans, who won a Juno Award this year for her most recent CD, Nina, performed for Canadian athletes in Guadalajara, Mexico as part of the Para Pan Am Games, revellers in Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square, jazz buffs at Birdland in New York and music-lovers at a Perth house concert.
Evans, who performs in Ottawa Thursday at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival’s annual fundraiser, discusses her travels, their impact on her family, and the live show that most recently knocked her out.
Tell me about your far-flung shows in the last month. What were those experiences like?
This last little bit has been just wake up and go wherever my calendar says to go. I really haven’t had a chance to process all of it. I love it though. I love being busy doing something I love. The trip to New York was wonderful. I had an opportunity to visit with friends and perform a couple of times. Both occasions were with the Sultans of String, who had gigs in the area and invited me to join them to promote our respective music to a new audience. We performed at a little venue called the Living Room and then moved to Birdland in the Times Square area. I know I say this a lot, but I really had a wonderful time.
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