10 things to do in Ottawa this weekend – August 26-28, 2022

North Lanark Highland Games

When: August 27, 2022
Where: N.L.A.S. Fairgrounds, Almonte
What time: 8 am to 7 pm
Admission: Gate tickets are $17 for adults, Free for children under 12

The 37th annual North Lanark Highland Games is one of the Ottawa Valley’s premier summer events featuring twenty pipe bands, a hundred dancers, and champion heavyweight athletes. With the picturesque Mississippi River as the backdrop, the Almonte Games have a reputation as the prettiest site and the friendliest Games on the Ontario circuit.

Photo: Wiseman Photography

Cirque du Soleil – Kooza

When: Until September 25, 2022
Where: Zibi, 3 Rue Eddy, Gatineau
What time: Various time
Admission: From $50 • Click here for tickets

The Cirque du Soleil’s big top is back with the family-friendly show KOOZA. Exploring themes of fear, identity, recognition, and power between strength and fragility, turmoil and harmony, the Cirque will bring laughter and smiles to all.

Photo: Cirque du Soleil

Capital Pride Parade

When: August 28, 2022
What time: 1 pm to 3:30 pm
Where: Centretown
Tickets: Free

The Pride Parade returns triumphantly as the community comes together loudly and proudly. Over 200 groups, more than 5,000 marchers plus this year’s Grand Marshal Icesis Couture, Youth Marshal Gillian Welsh, and Honoured Group Capital Rainbow Refuge will lead the parade. The parade starts at Kent Street and Somerset Street before traveling north on Kent, east on Laurier, south on Elgin, and west on Gladstone. The Parade will end at Bank Street and Gladstone Avenue. Click here to view the parade route.

Photo: OLM Staff

Laugh Out Proud

When: August 25-27, 2022
Where: Yuk Yuks Ottawa, Inside the Marriott Hotel
What time: Thursday 8 pm, Friday 9 pm, Saturday 9:30 pm
Admission: From $15 • Click here for tickets

Yuk Yuks Ottawa presents the very best in 2SLGBTQIA+ comedy. See the fabulous Ted Morris, Canada's top gay vet, Adrienne Fish, who brings high energy and presence, and headliner Doug Stanhope. Opening for these killers are local comics Melanie Paige and Dianne Skoll.

Photo: Yuk Yuks Ottawa

Street Art with the House of PainT

When: August 26, 2022
Where: National Arts Centre, Peter A Herrndorf Place, 1 Elgin Street Ottawa
What time: 11 am
Admission: Free

Local Ottawa artists TRP613, Jimmy Baptiste, and Filip Wawrzynczak help make cities a little less grey with their bold expressions of colour and artistry. They will be on hand at the NAC to help participants practice bubble block and wildstyle lettering, get familiar with a can of spray paint, try out a new character, or even make their own custom stencil. The weekly sessions inspire a deeper appreciation for outdoor public art.

Photo: www.facebook.com/jimmy.baptiste.3

3rd Annual Meat + Grease Ottawa for CHEO

When: August 28, 2022
Where: Derand Motorsport, 1231 Newmarket Street, Ottawa
What time: 12 pm – 4 pm (car registration opens at 11 am)
Admission: Free for spectators but $10 for each vehicle

Car enthusiasts won't want to miss the hundreds of beautiful vehicles on display at Derand Motorsport's Meat + Grease. There will be music, food, 50/50, thousands of dollars in door prizes, and an “Engine sound off” contest. The $10 donation fee for each vehicle includes a door prize ticket. All proceeds from the day will be donated to CHEO.

NOTE: Rain date September 4th**

Photo: meatandgreaseottawa

Nostalgia Festival

When: August 24 – 28, 2022
Where: Lebreton Flats
What time: Click here for the festival schedule
Tickets: From $50 • Click here for tickets

Get transported back to the 70s, 80s, and 90s at the Nostalgia Festival. The lineup features some of the biggest cover bands and singers performing hits from iconic artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Sade, Bob Marley, and many more. Let’s get groovy!

Capital Book Fair

When: August 26 to August 28, 2022
Where: Horticulture Building, Lansdowne Park
What time: Friday, August 26, 2022 – 11 am – 8 pm; Saturday, August 27, 2022 – 10 am – 7 pm; Sunday, August 28, 2022 – 10 am – 7 pm
Admission: Free

The Ottawa Book Expo truly represents all that Ottawa has to offer the literary world, plus it aims to spread social awareness on literacy and homelessness. The three-day festival features over 60 authors representing many cultures in both official languages. There will be networking opportunities for writing professionals of all stripes, great speakers, local food, and a worthy cause to support; you don’t want to miss the Ottawa Book Expo and Ottawa Tastes Festival.

Photo: Capital Book Fair

Major League Show Jumping

When: August 24 – 28, 2022
Where: Wesley Clover Parks, 401 Corkstown Road, Ottawa, Ontario
What time: Various times
Admission: From $19.13 • Click here for tickets 

Major League Show Jumping Ottawa CSI 5* / 2* brings a level of equestrian sport never before seen in our Nation's Capital. In a unique jumpers-only format, this tournament focuses on the sport of show jumping with the world's top riders competing in high-stakes team and individual events, featuring over $800,000 in prize money, exciting feature classes, family attractions, and more!

Photo: Jump Media

Imagine Monet: The Immersive Exhibition

When: Extended until September 4, 2022
Where: EY Centre, 4899 Uplands Drive
What time: Timed entranced
Admission: From $31 • Click here for tickets

Get completely enveloped in the Impressionist paintings of Claude Monet, the father of Impressionism: a modern style of painting that celebrated nature and the outdoors, not simply as a backdrop but often as the subject itself. William Seitz, the curator at MoMA and curator of the Monet exhibition, has removed the frames from the paintings and invites the viewers to enter into the paintings.