Festival Updates and News
News about Ottawa Festivals and our Member festivals, special events and fairs.
Legends turn up Bluesfest heat
Santana, Winwood pack plaza at War Museum
By Lynn Saxberg, The Ottawa Citizen
Santana played the MBNA stage Wednesday July 14, 2010 during the 2010 Bluesfest held at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.
“This is home, baby,” Carlos Santana proclaimed as he looked out over the thousands of fans jammed onto the front lawn of the Canadian War Museum at Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest last night, the biggest crowd in the 17-year history of the festival. An estimated 35,000 fans packed the LeBreton Flats site.
“Take a deep breath,” he added, urging the crowd to summon all their happiness in order to create a beautiful experience.
Or something like that. Whatever the exact message, the 62-year-old rock legend was the preacher at the centre of a huge gathering that was more of a party than a sermon.
The fun started with the spicy Latin rock of Yaleo, a celebratory song that made a great introduction to the abundance of talent on stage. The 10-piece band included horns, backup singers, a second guitarist, a bassist and no less than three percussionists (none of whom were Santana’s new finance, Cindy Blackman.)
Read more: Legends turn up Bluesfest heat
Music and Beyond festival wraps with gala concert
By Richard Todd, The Ottawa Citizen
Music and Beyond
Music and Beyond, ‘Ottawa’s newest music festival,’ as its hosts constantly reminded us, concluded Wednesday evening in a Gala concert featuring some of the top performers from events of the preceding few days. Once that was over, it was time to reflect upon the successes and shortcomings.
Its founder and artistic director, Julian Armour, founded the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival in 1994 and famously resigned from it in 2007, just months before that year’s program was to begin. The question arose whether the OCMF could go on without him. It did, albeit not without some anxious moments.
But this year Armour was back with Music and Beyond, a ten-day happening that included few new initiatives in connection with the other arts.
Read more: Music and Beyond festival wraps with gala concert
Capital Pride 2010 fundraiser with THE CLIKS and special guests HUNTER VALENTINE
Apartment 613 Written by Katie
Spectrasonic and punkottawa.com present a Capital Pride 2010 fundraiser with THE CLIKS with special guests HUNTER VALENTINE
Friday July 23 @ Mavericks (211 Rideau St)
LICENCED 19+ – 8pm doors – 9pm show — $12 advance + service charges – general admission
On Friday, July 23, at Mavericks (221 Rideau St.), Spectrasonic and Punkottawa.com present a Capital Pride 2010 Fundraiser featuring The Cliks and Hunter Valentine. Tickets are $12 in advance and available at Venus Envy, Vertigo Records and www.ticketweb.ca
Read more: Capital Pride 2010 fundraiser with THE CLIKS and special guests HUNTER VALENTINE
Leong Brothers Tread a Musical Path
By Pam McLennan, Epoch Times Staff
Stanley and Kerson Leong at their home (Pam McLennan/The Epoch Times)
OTTAWA—If it’s young people who will shape the world of the future, we are in good hands with Stanley and Kerson Leong. The brothers, 15 and 13 respectively, are classical musicians attending Ashbury College in Ottawa.
Theirs is a close family that supports each other, and the brothers frequently credit their parents with introducing them to classical music and encouraging them to learn to play musical instruments. From their father, Kin-Wai, an MIT alumnus and physicist, Stanley says he learned about the qualities of acoustic resonance and other scientific principles that he can apply to music, sports, and his studies.
Read more: Leong Brothers Tread a Musical Path
National, local singers to take the stage at Carp Fair this September
EMC By Theresa Fritz
The Carp Farmers Market celebrated its 20th anniversary on Saturday, July 10 with a large cake cut by Kanata North councillor Marianne Wilkinson, left, Stittsville councillor Shad Qadri and David McCreery, president of the Carp Farmers market.
Tiffany Williams-Lepack, West Carleton Emc
The Carp Farmers Market celebrated its 20th anniversary on Saturday, July 10 with a large cake cut by Kanata North councillor Marianne Wilkinson, left, Stittsville councillor Shad Qadri and David McCreery, president of the Carp Farmers market.
EMC Entertainment – The Carp Fair may be agriculture’s chance to shine, but there is also always plenty of good entertainment and this year is no exception.
The line-up for this year’s fair, which runs from Sept. 23-26, has been released and according to fair board manager Joyce Trafford, “there is certainly something for everyone.”
This year’s 147th fair kicks off Thursday, Sept. 23 with the Tubman’s Homecoming celebration in the W. Erskine Johnston Arena beginning at 7 p.m. Entertaining that night will be the Ottawa Valley’s sweetheart, Gail Gavan. She will be joined by renowned fiddler Louis Schreyer and the Louis Schreyer dancers at 8 p.m.
Read more: National, local singers to take the stage at Carp Fair this September
Bluesfest’s newest stage ruins the music vibe
By Lynn Saxberg, The Ottawa Citizen
Coolooloosh
Coolooloosh hit the Blacksheep tent at the 2010 Bluesfest Sunday July 11, 2010 held at the Canadian War Museum.
Swell Season singer Glen Hansard was not amused by the sound waves from the prog-rock trio Rush bombarding his band on the Hard Rock stage on Sunday night.
If only there was a tent, he mused at one point, where the quieter bands could play their shows in relative peace.
Well, as a matter of fact there is a tent at Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest this year, a monstrosity of a structure just over the hill from the Hard Rock Café stage. Unfortunately, its purpose is not to cushion the soft and earnest acts from the main-stage onslaught of noise.
Read more: Bluesfest’s newest stage ruins the music vibe
Rideau Canal Festival set for July 30-Aug. 2
The Ottawa Citizen
The third Rideau Canal Festival celebrating the UNESCO World Heritage Site will take place from July 30 to Aug. 2.
It includes Dancin’ on the Rideau, the World Heritage Plaza, the Rideau Canal Flotilla, the Dow’s Lake Parade of Lights and Fireworks, heritage music and events at Bytown Museum and the Rideau Heritage Village.
Read more: Rideau Canal Festival set for July 30-Aug. 2
Weekend Roundup: Events and things to do in Ottawa!
Apartment 613, Written by Katie
Photo courtesy of Mike.Geiger.ca on flickr
Why travel when the world comes to Ottawa? The city’s almost endless series of summer international festivals kicks off this week with South Asia. While the main festivities of the Turkish Festival don’t start until next weekend, you can get a sneak peak with some films and a cooking demonstration on Friday and Saturday. Stay tuned for Lebanon and Africa later this month.
Read more: Weekend Roundup: Events and things to do in Ottawa!
Enjoy the tunes, any way you like
Outside or inside the fence, it’s no problem
By Bruce Ward, Citizen Special
Bystanders take in some free entertainment outside the fences of Lebreton Flats.
It was a beautiful summer’s evening, with a breeze coming off the Ottawa River. As usual, a clump of non-paying fans had gathered by the bicycle paths to catch the shows for free.
Call them El Cheapos or say they’re tighter than the bark on the parkway’s maple trees. You can even suggest that their jeans have one-way pockets.
Read more: Enjoy the tunes, any way you like
Santana to play extended set in Ottawa
Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest organizers are advising festival patrons that Steve Winwood will take to the Claridge Homes Stage tonight at 7:45—15 minutes earlier than previously scheduled.
Carlos Santana’s set—previously scheduled for 9:30—will be extended by 15 minutes and will begin at 9:15.
Please note: the www.ottawabluesfest.ca website has been updated to indicate these changes.
- 8 July:
- 14 July:
- 24 July:
- 30 July:
- 12 August:
- 13 August:
- 19 August:
- 20 August:
