Covert Ottawa Guy

Capital Ribfest
2026-06-07 11:30 - 18:00 (America/Toronto) | RA Centre, 2451 Riverside Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 7X7, Canada
WE ARE BACK! Join us for the Biggest and Best Capital Ribfest yet, celebrating 10 years of BIG STICKY Awesomeness and the NEW Great Canadian Backyard “Smoke Off” Competion and more.

Italian Week Festival
2026-06-11 - 2026-06-12, 2026-06-12 - 2026-06-13, 2026-06-13 - 2026-06-14, 2026-06-14 - 2026-06-15, 2026-06-15 - 2026-06-16, 2026-06-16 - 2026-06-17, 2026-06-17 - 2026-06-18, 2026-06-18 - 2026-06-19 and 3 more dates | Preston Street BIA, 118A Preston Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1R 7P2, Canada
Join us in the heart of Ottawa’s Little Italy to experience 11 days of immersive programs celebrating Italian culture, cuisine, art, music, and traditions.

Our festival features more than 15 events both in, and around, the heart of Ottawa’s Little Italy. Our events highlight all-things Italian from art, music, food, and heritage!

We’re bringing the most beloved Italian culinary traditions to Preston Street again this year with our highly-anticipated (and Nonna approved) Masterclasses!

Whether you’re walking, driving, or taking the bus, we’ve got your directions covered!
Click the button below to visit our Getting to the Festival section which includes parking information and tips for being dropped off by rideshare and taxi services.

City of Om
2026-06-12 18:00 - 20:45, 2026-06-13 07:30 - 18:00, 2026-06-14 08:00 - 13:30 | RA Centre, 2451 Riverside Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 7X7, Canada
City of Om is Ottawa’s largest and most vibrant health and wellness festival—a celebration that brings people of all ages together to explore fitness, mindfulness, and community.
What began as a yoga festival has grown into a dynamic event offering something for everyone.

Osgoode Porchfest 2026
2026-06-12 18:00 - 22:00, 2026-06-13 11:00 - 22:00, 2026-06-14 09:00 - 15:00 | Osgoode, Osgoode, Ontario, Canada
Osgoode PorchFest 2026 is BACK!
Get ready for a full weekend of music, community, and summer vibes in the heart of Osgoode — and the best part? It’s a FREE event!
Friday, June 12thKick things off with our Open Mic Night (registration at 6PM) at No Go Cafe with Vibration Studios — come perform or cheer on local talent!
Saturday, June 13thThe village comes alive with: Live Music from 11AM–7PM on porches near Osgoode Main St O-YA Block Party (11AM–2PM) with family-friendly fun Beer Tent & Live Music (11AM–10PM) Food Truck Alley (11AM–7PM) Artisan Market (11AM–4PM) Kids Activities at the Osgoode Library (10AM–2PM)
Sunday, June 14th Highway 43 Car Club Car Show at the Osgoode Foodland Plaza (9AM–3PM)
Whether you’re here for the music, the food, the shopping, or just to soak in the atmosphere, there’s something for everyone all weekend long
Help us spread the word by sharing this event with your friends and local groups — let’s make Year 5 the biggest PorchFest yet!

Pique #20 - 5-year anniversary!
2026-06-13 16:00 - 2026-06-14 02:00 | Arts Court, 2 Daly Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6E2, Canada
About

After five years of reshaping Ottawa’s underground arts landscape, Pique arrives at its 20th edition with momentum, reflection, and an eye firmly on what’s next.
This season’s program brings together returning collaborators and new voices from across local and international scenes, bridging different communities, genres, and styles. Get to know our lineup and grab your tickets now.

TOPIQUE
Topique returns on June 12–13 as Pique’s semiannual symposium, offering a dedicated program of panels, artist talks, and demonstrations exploring equity and sustainability in the cultural sector. Full Topique programming will be announced soon.
Topique tickets are pay-what-you-can and can be purchased here. Please note that Topique tickets do not grant access to Pique’s musical programming on June 13.

MOBILE APP
Download our mobile app for all the Pique info you need at your fingertips, including:

Artist and lineup information
Favourites and notifications, so you don’t miss a thing
Venue and accessibility info
Interactive schedule (coming soon)

ADMISSION EQUITY AND SUSTAINABILITY
When you pay $75 or more for a ticket to Pique, you help subsidize a ticket for someone else in need, and promote admission equity and accessibility in the arts.
Subsidized (choose-your-own-price) tickets are available for registration here while supplies last.
Please note that subsidized tickets will only be available for purchase online, and are no longer available to purchase at the doors.
Support the Pique Sustainability Fund! Contributions support admission equity—helping us to offer hundreds of ticket subsidies to community members in need for each edition of Pique—while also ensuring fair pay and healthy working conditions for the artists and cultural workers who make it all happen.

ACCESSIBILITY GUIDE
As always, Pique is all ages and pay-what-you-can. Arts Court is an accessible building, with elevator access to all levels. Check out our full accessibility guide for more info, and contact us at hello@debaser.ca to request support.
The EQUIPE harm reduction team will be on-site to support audience members and hand out free supplies thanks to our partners at MAX Ottawa. Pique staff and volunteers are trained in bystander intervention and harm reduction strategies to support audience members throughout the event.

PARTNERS, SPONSORS, AND FUNDERS
Pique is presented in partnership with the Arts Court, SAW, Ottawa Art Gallery, Ottawa Fringe, Digital Arts Resource Centre, Artengine, Ottawa Dance Directive, Canadian Film Institute, Produced by Youth, with support from Dominion City Brewing Company, and is funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, Government of Canada, Ontario Creates, City of Ottawa, and Ottawa Tourism.

Ottawa Jazz Festival
2026-06-18 18:00 - 23:00, 2026-06-19 18:00 - 23:00, 2026-06-20 18:00 - 23:00, 2026-06-21 18:00 - 23:00, 2026-06-24 18:00 - 23:00, 2026-06-25 18:00 - 23:00 | Confederation Park, 50 Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Celebrating its 46th anniversary in 2026, the Ottawa Jazz Festival’s programming continues to be a trailblazer in the complexities and explorations of jazz.

Our Purpose.
The Ottawa Jazz Festival exists to advance the appreciation and knowledge of all music, in particular jazz, by programming music that richly underscores the continuing creativity and diversity of the artists and the music itself.

Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival
2026-06-19 - 2026-06-20, 2026-06-20 - 2026-06-21, 2026-06-21 - 2026-06-22 | Mooney’s Bay Beach, 2960 Riverside Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8N5, Canada
The Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival is a not for profit founded in 1993. The organization held it’s inaugural festival in 1994 with the assistance of the Hong Kong Canada Business Association. The Festival, currently boasts 125-200 teams in competitive, corporate and community categories, and is one of the hottest sporting and entertainment events in the Nation’s Capital.
Recognized as one of the sports flagship regattas, the multi-day celebration offers free admission to non-stop racing a variety of artisans, exhibitors, delicious culinary treats!
Festival Mission
To deliver North America’s premiere Dragon Boat Festival. Offering visitors to and residents of Canada’s Capital Region the opportunity to participate and engage in, the arts, sports, cultural, heritage and volunteer activities, significantly contributing to the tourism, economic growth, community engagement and cultural fabric of our diverse community.
Dragon Boat Tradition
The Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival is part of a larger Chinese cultural tradition that goes back 2,400 years. It began on the life-sustaining riverbanks in the valleys of southern China as a fertility rite performed to ensure bountiful crops. The first participants held their celebration on the fifth day of the lunar month of the Chinese calendar. The race was held to avert misfortune and encourage the rains needed for prosperity. The object of their worship was the dragon.
Also known as Poet’s Day, it commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a poet and Minister of State during the Chou Dynasty. Qu had protested against the corrupt government and was stripped of his office as Minister of State. He wandered about the countryside, unhappy and dejected. When local fishermen realized Qu had disappeared into the river, they raced out in their boats to save him, beating drums to scare off the fish that they thought would eat his body. They also dropped rice dumplings in the water as a sacrifice to his spirit. The scene of the fishermen racing out to save Qu Yuan is reenacted every year in the form of dragon boat races.
The Festival At A Glance

North America’s largest dragon boat festival
Established in 1994
Original Founders are Frank Ling, President of the Asian Heritage Month Society, Warren Creates, Head of Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall LLP’s Immigration Law Group and Mike Chambers, President of the Canadian Olympic Committee

Statistics

A non-profit festival with free admission to the public
15,000 Attendees
5,000 Paddlers
200 Teams in competitive, corporate, and community categories
1,500 Medals awarded
25 Challenge Cup categories
Breast Cancer Survivor Challenge and traditional Flower Ceremony
Races every 10 minutes
A dragon boat is a slim 44’ racer with a dragon’s head at the bow and a tail at the stern
Each dragon boat holds 22 athletes including 20 paddlers, 1 drummer and 1 steersperson
Free public parking at the Canada Post parking lot
Free bike parking available on site

Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival
2026-06-20 10:00 - 22:30, 2026-06-21 10:00 - 17:00 | Wesley Clover Park, 401 Corkstown Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K2H 8T1, Canada
The Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival (SSIF) is an annual multi-disciplinary arts festival that brings together Indigenous artists, performers, educators, students, and community members to share knowledge, foster understanding, and celebrate the richness of Canada’s Indigenous cultures.
Founded in Ottawa in 1996, SSIF is held each June during National Indigenous History Month and coincides with National Indigenous Peoples Day (NIPD) on June 21 — a national occasion recognizing the heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.
Also known as the Summer Solstice, June 21 marks the longest day of the year and has long been a time of cultural significance and celebration for Indigenous peoples around the world.
Produced by Indigenous Experiences on behalf of the National Indigenous Peoples Day Committee (NIPD) — a coalition of national organizations representing Indigenous communities across Canada — the festival has, for over twenty years, provided meaningful opportunities for Canadians to come together in the National Capital Region to honor, experience, and celebrate Indigenous culture, art, and contributions.
