FESTIVAL
NEWS

Ottawa, ON — The Ottawa Children’s Festival de la jeunesse (OCF) today announced that Catherine O’Grady will retire at the end of December 2025 after twenty-five years of visionary leadership as the Festival’s head. O’Grady’s tenure has been marked by artistic excellence, strong community partnerships, and a steadfast commitment to accessibility and inclusion for young audiences and their families. Under O’Grady’s guidance, OCF has welcomed generations of children, educators,

Building on the success of its 2024 pilot program, the Canadian Live Music Association ( CLMA) is pleased to announce the second edition of  Setting the Stage , a micro-grant mentorship and performance program supported by RBC .   Setting the Stage is open to independent live music venues, concert promoters, festivals,  and/or others whose core business is hosting and/or promoting live music shows of artists and musicians for audiences. Applicants must be members of the CLMA

The Ottawa Music Industry Coalition (OMIC) is looking for passionate, curious, and community-minded jury members from Ottawa, across Canada, and around the world to help select the nominees for the 2026 Capital Music Awards ! Whether you’re an artist, industry professional, educator, producer, presenter, journalist, volunteer, or simply someone who cares deeply about music,  we encourage you to apply . This jury is meant to represent the diversity of our music ecosystem, fr

Tara Shannon, Executive Director of Ottawa Festival Network speaking at the Ottawa Festival Summit. Subject to budget approval, the City of Ottawa in partnership with Ottawa Tourism will launch a two-year pilot program to increase financial support to Ottawa’s larger, tourism-generating festivals. The Major Festivals Fund will provide an additional $1 million per year to festivals with the largest tourism and economic impact. Mayor Sutcliffe announced the new fund today at Ci

Ottawa Festival Network is happy to share the following announcement from the Tourism and Culture Division, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming that the Experience Ontario 2026 program is now accepting applications. OFN Members can access funding application support resources by visiting the Resource Hub in the OFN Member Portal. For questions and support on your Experience Ontario application specifically, please utilize the resources linked below. We are pleased to anno

After the federal government announced it's budget yesterday, there are important funding allocations to the festival and events sector. OFN's advocacy partners at the federal level, Festivals and Major Events Canada (FAME), has summarized the relevant budget items in the following statement. The budget can be found here (pages 170 and 171). Festivals and Major Events Canada (FAME) is greatly relieved that the federal government has announced, in its budget, that the additio

Building on the success of its 2024 pilot program, the  Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA)  is pleased to announce the second edition of  Setting the Stage , a micro-grant mentorship and performance program  supported by RBC .   Setting the Stage  is  open to independent live music venues, concert promoters, festivals,  and/or others whose core business is hosting and/or promoting live music shows of artists and musicians for audiences.  Applicants must be members of the

Canada’s live music ecosystem — made up of venues, festivals, promoters, production companies, and countless creative professionals — works together to support the careers of Canadian artists, attract visitors from around the world, and power a major segment of the national economy. It is a vital industry that connects communities, creates jobs, and helps define who we are as a country.   The Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) enthusiastically welcomes the federal governm

Ottawa Tourism is launching the 200th Tourism Animation Fund. This one-time program supports tourism businesses and organizations in...

Les Forains are proud to announce the official launch of Nuit Blanche Ottawa , a unique artistic and cultural event that will be held in...

Ottawa, ON — September 2025  – Saunders Farm is proud to announce the return of its world-renowned Haunting Season , highlighted by the...

As a successful summer season wraps up, Ottawa Tourism and Outaouais Tourism report strong tourism results on both sides of the river.  ...

The City of Ottawa Nightlife Office has launched the Ottawa at Night website to help build awareness for the city’s nightlife, to...

Sometimes the biggest lessons don’t happen in the classroom... they happen halfway across the world. For Michael Peters and Leo Bak,...

The National Capital Commission (NCC) has published its updated National Capital Core Area Plan , a framework that lays out a bold vision...

T hanks to a contribution of $35,000 from the City of Ottawa’s Nightlife Office, the ByWard Market District Authority is launching a...

Photo credits: Craig Conoley/EnviroCentre At this year’s Run to Empower, sustainability wasn’t just a side note — it was part of the...

The City of Ottawa wants to hear from you on Budget 2026. Draft Budget 2026 has many opportunities for you to get involved, including...

The City of Ottawa recently published the Special Event By-law review and recommendations report . OFN's Executive Director, Tara Shannon...

Ottawa, ON - The Ontario government is investing $1.4 million through the 2025 Experience Ontario program to support 23 festivals and...