Thousands of tourists arriving in Ottawa for Canada Day activities, festivals
It's a very busy and energetic weekend in the nation's capital with thousands of tourists arriving for activities and festivals.
The Canada Day weekend is kicking off with programming right across the city and in the suburbs.
In Barrhaven, the Canada Day event is featuring plenty of rides and a larger midway. The event is free and runs until July 6.
'Our midway is bigger. We got some more rides for the older people and some great new rides for the younger people,' said Darrell Bartraw, the event organizer. 'We got a little bit for everybody. Lots of games and lots of rides.'
Downtown in the historic Byward Market, dozens of vendors are set up with items to buy or food to eat, a DJ playing a set and shoppers picking up Canada Day shirts for the big day.
'This is awesome. We've got music going over there. There's people all over the place. The sun is shining. I love it. It's like Canada Day is back to where it should be post-COVID, rocking in the market,' said Mark Campaigne, an Ottawa resident.
Music from the final weekend of the Ottawa Jazz Festival will soon be filling the air for another night.
'This is my first outing in like three weeks so I'm very grateful that we're in between clouds,' said Marianne Bournes, an Ottawa resident. 'The jazz festival has been with us for so long now and everything down at Lansdowne is awesome.'
The vendors are also ready for the crowds.
'The weather was pretty hot, so I managed to put in some misting fans,' said Vincent Gobuyan, who runs Green Papaya Thai.
Visitors from near and far are spending time in the capital.
'We're actually doing the Pokemon fest here, walking around Confederation Park and City Hall with my son who is seven,' said Natalie Le Claire, who is visiting from Kingston.
Some are also travelling across the border to take in all the festivities.
'We love, the citizens of Canada, they're so lovely,' said Robin Rubens, who is visiting with her family from Miami, Florida.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Montreal Gazette
44 minutes ago
- Montreal Gazette
Canada Day 2025: What's open and closed in Montreal
Montrealers can expect closings across banks, government offices and major retailers on Monday as the city marks Canada Day, with reduced transit service and limited store hours in effect. Transit will run on a reduced schedule across the region, with the STM operating on a holiday timetable for buses and the métro. The RTL and STL will also offer reduced service, Exo commuter trains will follow a Sunday schedule, and the REM will run from 5:30 a.m. to 8:40 p.m. Grocery chains such as IGA, Provigo, Super C, Metro and Maxi may have varied hours depending on the location — some may open with reduced schedules, others may close for the day. Most major pharmacies will remain open, though hours may vary. There will be no Canada Post delivery or pickup on Monday. Most bank branches will be closed for the day. Garbage, recycling and compost collection will proceed as usual across all boroughs for Monday pickups. Borough halls, permit counters, Accès Montréal offices and municipal courts will be closed — except for detainee court, which remains open in Room R.40. Major shopping centres will be closed. Big-box retailers may also be closed. Many SAQ outlets will be closed, though some locations may remain open — check with your local store. All SQDC cannabis shops across the province will be closed for the day. Most restaurants, cafés and bars will remain open, especially in busy neighbourhoods such as downtown, the Plateau and Old Montreal. Jean-Talon, Atwater and Maisonneuve markets will stay open, though hours may be reduced. Espace pour la Vie institutions — including the Biodôme, Botanical Garden, Planetarium, Insectarium and Biosphère — will be open to the public. Library branches, community centres and public pools may have modified hours or be closed — check your borough's website for details. Holiday restrictions remain in effect for parking, so be sure to read posted signs carefully.
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Canada Day is almost here. Who is performing and what to expect
Canadians will be taking to parks, streets and everywhere in between across the country on Canada Day on Tuesday, and thousands are expected to descend on the nation's capital to take in the festivities. The celebrations will come amid a year that has seen Canadians face repeated threats of annexation and a continuing trade war from U.S. President Donald Trump, fuelling a surging 'Buy Canadian' movement and a groundswell of renewed patriotism. So, what will Canada Day celebrations offer from the capital? What's happening on Canada Day? On Parliament Hill, visitors can witness the traditional Changing of the Guard ceremony at 10 a.m. and enjoy the Royal Canadian Air Force pipes and drum show at 2 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. Story continues below advertisement The Snowbirds will also perform an aerial show at 4 p.m. for those wanting to look to the sky for the celebrations. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Canada's capital has also set up a big screen on Parliament Hill for people to watch the celebrations for free, including the national show at noon, featuring tributes, Canadian 'icons and artists' and a ceremony to promote the country's culture. Performances will include Amanda Marshall, Garou, Thompson Egbo-Egbo, Rafaëlle Roy, Alli Walker and Sonia Benezra. A short film screening will take place from 5 to 7 p.m., and the national evening show begins at 8 p.m. 2:13 Montreal Canada Day celebrations will go without a parade again The national evening show will feature musical performances and see 'waves of red and white' move through LeBreton Flats Park, with performances being streamed in from Summerside, P.E.I., Yellowknife and Vancouver. Story continues below advertisement Sarah McLachlan, Blue Rodeo, Tom Cochrane, Amanda Marshall, Cœur de pirate, Dear Rouge, Brenda Montana, Jeff Douglas and Enola Bedard are among the artists set to perform either in Ottawa or from various other locations. Canadian Heritage, the federal department organizing the celebrations, also released a playlist of the various artists performing, including those previously mentioned and others like Roch Voisine, Mitsou, Morgan Grace, Billie du Page and Aasiva. The full list can be found here. Attendees can take in the show from the park, or watch it on big screens on Parliament Hill and the Supreme Court of Canada. Those who want to head right to LeBreton Flats Park will also have plenty to do, ranging from a 'Celebrate Canada Space, Loud and Proud' experience with talents, cultures and innovations 'that make Canada shine.' People interested in some history can also head to the Supreme Court of Canada from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. to see a special exhibit on the history of the court as it marks its 150th anniversary. There will also be activities, including an introductory camping workshop, a makeup station, a Djembe rhythm activity and 'dynamic yoga' at the court at different times during the day. Then, at 10 p.m., fireworks will light up the sky over Ottawa as the Canada Day festivities draw to a close.
CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
Did Trump make Canada Day great again? Some observers say, in a way, yes
Just a few years ago, Canada Day was going through a serious identity crisis. Calls to #CancelCanadaDay were trending in 2021 after preliminary findings from a ground-penetrating radar survey at a former residential school in British Columbia had found some 200 potential unmarked graves at the now-national historic site. In 2017, protesters with Idle No More descended on Parliament Hill, calling for a national day of action called UNsettling Canada 150 on the country's 150th birthday. Enter, Donald Trump and his threats to annex Canada if the country doesn't voluntarily become the 51st state — something that's dominated headlines this year. "There is a switch this year suddenly," said historian Matthew Hayday. The threat to Canadian sovereignty has galvanized Canadians, the University of Guelph department chair said. This year, he expects celebrations with "the whole rhetoric of 'elbows up' and championing Canada." Trump's taunts and very real tariffs may be driving a resurgence of patriotism, but while some Torontonians are heading to Ottawa to celebrate, some Indigenous people say their concerns remain and shouldn't be forgotten. "July first can, in some ways, be a microcosm of a given year of what the national mood looks like," Hayday said. A day shaped by tensions Earlier this year, Canadians across the country were boycotting American products and cancelling vacations plans to the U.S. Those sentiments may not be as potent now, but for many the sentiment lingers. Yao Ameyaw told CBC Toronto he's still avoiding spending money south of the border, and he'll be travelling to Ottawa for Canada Day. "There is a bit of bad blood whether spoken or not, between us and America," he said. Patrick Shea and his wife will also be heading from Toronto to the nation's capital. He agrees Canada-U.S. relations have "reinvigorated [Canadians] sense of nation and our sense of belonging together," but hopes the tensions die down soon. "It may pass like a kidney stone, but it's going to pass." For Tira Cardinal, who is Indigenous, the holiday is an opportunity to spend time with friends, but she won't be celebrating. "I'm going to be wearing an orange shirt on Canada Day," she said, adding that she isn't surprised Indigenous issues aren't front of mind for many Canadians this year. "People hop on the bandwagon for a lot of things. Unfortunately, I think that's how people in society are going to be." Brianna Olson-Pitawanakwat, a member of the member of Wiikwemkoong Unceded First Nation, said she'll be spending the day rallying around her community and highlighting their resilience and resistance. She's the co-founder of the Native Arts Society in Toronto, an art gallery and studio space dedicated to celebrating and showcasing Indigenous artists, many of whom are survivors of residential schools or the Sixties Scoop. "[They] are struggling with displacement, and deserve to be honoured on this day," Olson-Pitawanakwat said. "There's been a big push with what's happening south of the border for Canada to kind of relish in this hyper-nationalism. I think it's really important to recognize that like the boundaries of what we call Canada today would not exist without Indigenous peoples." Recent bills could move the pendulum of public opinion Already, the surge in patriotism — and protectionism — has led to threats against Indigenous sovereignty, Olson-Pitawanakwat said. She compares Bill 5 in Ontario to Stephen Harper's Bill C-45, a controversial omnibus bill that made changes to the Indian Act, the Environmental Protections Act and Navigation Protection Act to make it easier for pipelines to be approved on Indigenous land without the consent of affected First Nations. That 2012 bill was part of what sparked the Idle No More movement that drove protests across the country and calls for Canada Day to be cancelled. Olson-Pitawanakwat says, like C-45, the Ford government's Bill 5 will also allow the government to expedite and approve energy project in Indigenous territories without local approval, namely when it comes to mining in the Ring of Fire. "We cannot approve these things without free, prior-informed consent," Olson-Pitawanakwat said. Similar tensions are playing out at national level, too. Prime Minister Mark Carney has signalled Bill C-5 could be used to greenlight and fast-track new energy projects, including pipelines, mines and other resource-related initiatives. There's already fear and pushback in some Indigenous communities about what it'll mean for the consultation process — though both Carney and Ford have vowed their governments will consult. "Right now, there is a lot more leeway for various actors to do things in the name of Canada," Hayday said. And as a result, "Indigenous concerns more broadly are kind of getting shunted," he said. With the pendulum in one direction, this could be the moment that it starts to move the other way, Olson-Pitawanakwat said.
