• By: OLM Staff
  • Posted: September 1, 2022
  • Category: Arts & Events

10 things to do in Ottawa this weekend – September 2-4, 2022

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 family-friendly Cirque du Soleil’s big top is back with the production KOOZA. The amazing show is non-stop entertainment from beginning to end. The show explores themes of fear, identity, recognition and power between strength and fragility, laughter and smiles, turmoil and harmony.

The 35th Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival

When: September 1- 5, 2022
What time: Various
Where: Parc de la Baie, Gatineau
Tickets: Day passes from $17.99, Balloon rides from $325 • Click here for tickets

This year, the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival has a range of performances and festive events that will surely delight audiences. Head to Parc de la Baie in Gatineau to catch the daily flights at 6:30 am and 6:30 pm, or stay all day and take in more than a hundred activities, rides, and shows for the whole family.

Photo: Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival

Rachelle Elie at Yuk Yuks

When: September 1-3, 2022
Where: Yuk Yuks Ottawa, inside the Marriott Hotel
What time: Thursday 8 pm, Friday and Saturday 9 pm
Admission: From $15 • Click here for tickets

Rachelle Elie has written and performed five one-woman shows. She was nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award and a Just For Laughs Comedy Award. Elie participated in the First Air Arctic Comedy Festival, Hub Cap Comedy Festival, Boston Women In Comedy Festival, Just For Laughs 42 & Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Catch her in person this weekend at Yuk Yuks Ottawa!

Atletico vs. FC Edmonton

When: Friday, September 2, 2022
Where: Stadium at TD Place
What time: 7 pm
Admission: From $20 • Click here for tickets

Dig deep in the closet for those acid-wash jeans and leg warmers, tease your hair and join Atletico for their first ever 80’s night as they take on FC Edmonton. The best dressed will win $1000, and another $500 is up for grabs at half-time trivia.

Photo: Atletico

Banksy 360°

When: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays until October 7, 2022
Where: The Aberdeen Pavilion, 1000 Exhibition Way
What time: 10 am – 8 pm (Timed entrance)
Admission: $23-$46 • Click here for tickets

The Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne is home to the latest immersive art experience, Banksy 360°. Using cutting-edge projection technology crafted by renowned audiovisual designers, Banksy 360° creates an engaging journey into the work of one of the world’s most notorious graffiti artists.

Photo: Banksy 360°

Anastasia – Broadway Across Canada

When: Until September 4, 2022
Where: National Arts Centre, 1 Elgin Street
What time: Various times
Tickets: From $70 • Click here for tickets

The romantic and adventure-filled new musical ANASTASIA is at home in Ottawa at last! This dazzling show will transport you from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s as a brave young woman sets out on a journey to discover the mystery of her past. OLM's reviewer says it is a not-to-be-missed show!

Photo: Jeremy Daniel

Art For Mental Health – Paintfest in Confederation Park

When: September 4, 2022
Where: Confederation Park, Elgin Street
What time: 11 am – 5 pm
Admission: Free

Join hundreds of people, young and old and paint together, enjoy music, connect, and raise awareness while fundraising for mental health. Admission is free, but donations are strongly encouraged to cover the price of your paint kit (acrylic paint, board, water, and paintbrushes). Anything more you can offer is appreciated to fundraise for YouthNet Réseau Ado (YNRA). You can also bring your own painting kit.

Photo: Art for Mental Health 

80’s Dance Party with DJ Remi Royale + One Vision

When: September 3, 2022
Where: House of TARG, 1077 Bank Street
What time: Doors 9 pm; Show starts at 10 pm
Admission: $12

Head to House of TARG, Ottawa’s only pinball, and perogies bar, to dance the night away to 80’s favourites brought to you by DJ Remi Royale, plus two live bands. Expect classics by Cyndi Lauper, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Katrina & the Waves, and Bon Jovi, plus tunes from Flashdance.

Photo: House of TARG

Imagine Monet: The Immersive Exhibition

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

It is the last weekend to 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.

Forever Changed – Stories from the Second World War

When: Until September 5, 2022
Where: Canadian War Museum, 1 Vimy Place
What time: Timed entranced
Admission: Adults $18 • Click here for tickets

It's the last weekend to take in Forever Changed at the Canadian War Museum. The exhibit brings to life the impact of the Second World War on the lives of Canadians. See the last letter penned by a parachutist before being dropped into danger, the photo album of a Japanese-Canadian teenager forced to move 600 kilometres from home, and a hand-stitched blanket from a Hong Kong prisoner-of-war camp. These are just a few of the compelling objects and stories in Forever Changed.