During the 2026 Big Art Walk<\/a> on Saturday, July 25, you can see 25 artists at work, enjoy live musical performances, and check out an epic live chalk art in downtown Smiths Falls from 10am to 4pm. A $10 ticket entitles you to a reusable cloth tote bag featuring artwork from this year\u2019s banner artists, three cards featuring local art, entry into a grand prize draw, discounts at local restaurants and two free refreshments. The art walk is being presented in conjunction with the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum\u2019s Rideau Artist of the Year<\/a> event.<\/p>\n Also on Saturday, July 25, Art Factory in Renfrew is hosting a free Art Fair <\/a>from 9am to 4pm. Artists from Renfrew County and beyond will be showing their works for sale.<\/p>\n Admire cool cars at Lansdowne Park<\/p>\n If flashy vehicles get your motor runnin\u2019, drop by Lansdowne Park on Saturday, July 25, for Cars and Coffee Ottawa<\/a>. From 10am to 3pm, owners will be displaying their prized wheels in this fundraiser for the OSEG Foundation, which supports youth and community sports. If you can\u2019t make it this week, the event will be back at Lansdowne for a day in mid-August.<\/p>\n Celebrate world cultures in Orl\u00e9ans, Nepean and Montreal<\/p>\n Ottawa is playing host to two different Caribbean festivals from July 24 to 26. Caravibe<\/a> is bringing Caribbean music and flavours to various locations, including Mexi\u2019s Orl\u00e9ans, and Skate and Play\/Exit Lounge on Baxter Road. Not to be outdone, the Afro-Caribbean Kinkol\u00e9 Festival<\/a> will be lighting up Britannia Park with live music, Caribbean cuisine, a vendors\u2019 market, fashion shows, kids\u2019 activities and more.<\/p>\n On Saturday, July 25, the Ottawa Kondattam Tamil Feast<\/a> at Clarke Fields Park in Barrhaven is an all-day Tamil cultural festival featuring food, music, dance, a vendors\u2019 market, kids\u2019 activities and more.<\/p>\n Also this week, Montreal is celebrating all things Haitian at Haiti en folie<\/a> (July 23 to 27). Programming includes a food fair, panel discussions, movies and lots of live music. <\/p>\n Enjoy HerbFest in White Lake<\/p>\n HerbFest<\/a> (formerly the Ottawa Valley Midsummer Herbfest) comes to the Waba Cottage Museum and Gardens (24 Museum Road, White Lake) on Sunday, July 26, from 10am to 3pm. Along with the shorter name, the festival is reorienting itself a bit to become more of a family destination, with bouncy castles and kids\u2019 games and activities. But you can still browse the wares of more than 50 local vendors, and there will be live music, food and a beer garden, too. Free admission. Accessible parking and an accessible washroom are available.<\/p>\n Shop for all things vegan in Ottawa<\/p>\n VegOttawa Fest<\/a> is a celebration of all things vegan. It\u2019s coming to the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre on Coventry Road on Saturday, July 25. Along with a vendors\u2019 market, the festival will feature speakers, a fashion show, bingo, kids\u2019 activities, live music and more. Free admission.<\/p>\n Learn about weaving in Middleville<\/p>\n The Middleville and District Museum<\/a> is hosting a three-hour weaving workshop on Saturday, July 25. The $20 registration fee includes a light lunch, and the workshop starts at 10am. As of early on July 20, five spots were still available.<\/p>\n Get literary in Ottawa, Brockville and Kingston<\/p>\n Kingston kicks off a fun week for book lovers with a free night of literary trivia<\/a> at Something in the Water brewpub on Wednesday, July 22. The event is sponsored by Kingston WritersFest, which happens in early October.<\/p>\n On Friday, July 24, Cover to Cover bookstore in Brockville is hosting a Black Out Poetry Night<\/a>. Using pages of old books, participants will black out certain words to reveal a hidden poem. All materials will be supplied.<\/p>\n The Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association is holding its monthly mammoth book sale<\/a> at the James Bartleman Archives and Library Materials Centre in Nepean on Saturday, July 25. Thousands of gently used books, CDs and DVDs will be available at good prices. The focus this month is on DVDs, which will be available for three for $5 (or as marked).<\/p>\n Go to a market in Ottawa, Spencerville or Brockville<\/p>\n On Tuesday, July 21, you can browse for unique products at the Twilight Tuesday Makers Market<\/a> in Brockville. Taking place at the south entrance of the Brockville Railway Tunnel, the monthly event showcases artisans, bakers, crafters and other creative types. Food and beverage vendors will be on hand, and there will be live music, too.<\/p>\n This month\u2019s edition of the Canterbury Night Market<\/a> is happening outdoors on Thursday, July 23, at the Canterbury Community Centre (2185 Arch Street) in Ottawa\u2019s Alta Vista neighbourhood. Browse for fruits, veggies, sweets and more, from 4pm to 8pm.<\/p>\n From July 24 to 26, the Capital City Summer Market and Small Business Showcase<\/a> at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Ottawa will offer the chance to browse for art, clothing, home d\u00e9cor, specialty foods and beverages, and products handmade by local artisans. <\/p>\n And on Sunday, July 26, the Spencerville Summer Market<\/a> will be offering produce and artisanal products by local makers at 22 Sloan Street in Spencerville from 10am to 3pm. Proceeds will support the South Grenville Food Bank.<\/p>\n Cheer for leaping dogs in Newburgh<\/p>\n Canine Watersports Canada<\/a> will be at Hollow Square in Newburgh (northeast of Napanee) from July 24 to 26, so you can head there to see joyful dogs leaping into water in pursuit of tossed objects. Honestly, I love the idea of this sport SO MUCH.<\/p>\n Kick back at a community festival in South Mountain or Alexandria<\/p>\n Two more of the popular Meet Me on Main Street community festivals are happening this week. On Wednesday, July 22, it\u2019s South Mountain\u2019s turn<\/a>, with festivities at Rick Cauvier Memorial Park.<\/p>\n At the Meet Me on Main Street event in Alexandria<\/a> on Thursday, July 23, you can enjoy outdoor seating, music by The Ceilidh Drovers and a cash bar, and check out local businesses (they\u2019ll be open late for the occasion).<\/p>\n Chow down on barbecue in Cornwall<\/p>\n At the Cornwall Ribfest<\/a> (July 23 to 26), five different ribbers are expected to be on hand, tempting visitors with juicy barbecue. There will also be lots of other food vendors, as well as a beer garden, live music, a midway and kids\u2019 activities. The festival takes place in Lamoureux Park (100 Water Street East, Cornwall). Free admission.<\/p>\n Looking for more ribfests to check out this summer and fall? Check out my list of barbecue events around the region<\/a>. <\/p>\n See a military tattoo in Kingston<\/p>\n In Kingston, the Fort Henry Annual Tattoo<\/a> (Saturday, July 25) usually attracts a large and enthusiastic audience. You need tickets for this one, and the organizers advise buying them in advance to avoid disappointment (balcony tickets are already sold out). This event also features massed military bands (fife, brass, pipes and drums) and adds a fireworks show to the mix.<\/p>\n Pick up new dance moves at Zibi and on Parliament Hill<\/p>\n Dance at Zibi is a series of free monthly dance lessons at Zibi on Albert Island (28 Booth Street, just north of the Canadian War Museum). The outdoor, one-hour lessons are presented by the National Arts Centre. During this week\u2019s class<\/a> on Thursday, July 23, you can learn K-Pop dance moves from Synaptik Dance Crew. (Note that on-site parking is limited.)<\/p>\n On Saturday, July 25, you can time travel back to the 1920s, \u201930s and \u201940s during Swing on the Hill<\/a>. Open to dancers of all ages and experience, the free event will include lessons for solo and partner dancers, as well as lots of social dancing to DJ music.\u00a0It runs from 3pm to 7:30pm.<\/p>\n Go to a classical concert in Ottawa or Prince Edward County<\/p>\n Ottawa Chamberfest<\/a> runs from July 23 to August 2. Scattered across 11 locations in Ottawa, the festival offers everything from a chamber song series written by Elvis Costello to yoga, for children, and opera. On Sunday, August 2, there will be a free outdoor finale at Club SAW. <\/p>\n Classical music fans can also check out Music at Port Milford<\/a> (July 19 to August 2). This combined festival and youth summer school presents chamber music concerts on Saturday nights at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Picton and free Sunday student concerts in various locales around The County. <\/p>\n Discover a historic site<\/p>\n Some 400 historic sites across Canada are participating in Historic Places Days<\/a> (July 11 to 25). Some sites have events scheduled, while others are simply offering a special invitation to come check them out. Click on the \u201cplaces\u201d tab in the link above to find sites near you participating in the day. The Vanier Museopark, the Bytown Museum and Laurier House are among the participating sites in Ottawa. Further afield, they include the Spencerville Mill and Museum, Manoir Papineau in Montebello, and the L\u2019Orignal Old Jail.<\/p>\n Celebrate Pride in Stittsville<\/p>\n Out in the Park<\/a> is a celebration for the LGBTQ community and allies at Alexander Grove Park in Stittsville on Saturday, July 25. Running from 11am to 4pm, the event by West Side Pride will include a community fair, live entertainment and other fun.<\/p>\n Head to a game at TD Place<\/p>\n Sports fans, here are two games for you at TD Place at Lansdowne Park: You can cheer for the\u00a0Ottawa BlackJacks<\/a>\u00a0men\u2019s basketball team as they take on the Scarborough Shooting Stars on Wednesday, July 22, and for men\u2019s soccer team Atl\u00e9tico Ottawa<\/a> when they play Pacific FC on Sunday, July 26.<\/p>\n Enjoy plays in Pembroke, Maitland, Kingston and elsewhere<\/p>\n Several productions are opening in our region this weekend. This weekend is your only chance to catch the 10-Minute Play Festival<\/a> at the Ron Maslin Playhouse in Kanata. In Strathcona Park in Sandy Hill, it\u2019s opening week for Odyssey Theatre\u2019s sharp-witted comedy Mirandolina<\/a>. The St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival is launching its production of Macbeth at the Tower<\/a>, a walk-about production of Shakespeare\u2019s Scottish tragedy, in Maitland. And in Pembroke, it\u2019s opening night for Stone Fence Theatre\u2019s 2026 production, If You Don\u2019t Know, You Wilno!<\/a> The musical highlights Wilno\u2019s famous chicken supper and goings-on at the village\u2019s community hub, the Wilno Tavern. <\/p>\n Other shows continuing in the region include A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream in various local parks, The Beaver Club in Morrisburg, R+J and Joni in Prescott and Grease in Gananoque. You can learn more about these and many other plays in my theatre post<\/a>. <\/p>\n Also in theatre news: The Kick and Push Festival<\/a> in Kingston brings innovative, interactive shows to theatres and more unusual venues across the Limestone City. This year, it will see performances of Le Concierge (The Caretaker) at Le Centre Culturel Frontenac from July 23 to 28. That will be followed by the TK Fringe Festival at the Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning (August 6 to 16), which will feature multiple productions.<\/p>\n Dance at a summer party in Gatineau<\/p>\n Gatineau\u2019s Festival Parasol<\/a> (July 16 to 26) wraps up this weekend, with craft beer, loads of food, pedal boats, dance lessons, and endless tunes spun by DJs and played live. Saturday afternoon will be aimed particularly at families. It\u2019s all happening at the H\u00f4tel-Casino du Lac-Leamy.<\/p>\n Have a doggone good time in Gananoque<\/p>\n What dog doesn\u2019t love a road trip? Here\u2019s an outing that\u2019s perfect for pooches: the Thousand Islands Bark Bash<\/a> (Saturday, July 25, 10am to 3pm), which brings canines and their human companions together to browse for doggie goodies from a range of vendors, see demonstrations and learn about rescue dogs looking for new homes. It\u2019s happening in Gananoque Town Park, at the corner of King Street East and Park Street, and admission is free. <\/p>\n Sip drinks in Manor Park, Almonte and Belleville<\/p>\n The Almonte Craft Beer Fest<\/a> returns to the grounds of the Almonte Old Town Hall on the evening of Friday, July 24. Nine beverage makers (including wine and spirits makers, as well as brewers) will be on hand. You can also enjoy non-alcoholic mocktails from The Sip Stand, food from local companies, and live music by opening act Jones-Finn and headliners Sussex. Tickets are limited, so you might want to buy yours in advance online.<\/p>\n Pints in the Park<\/a> (Saturday, July 25) is a neighbourhood celebration at the Manor Park Community Centre in Ottawa. You can nosh on food and beverages from local brewers and restaurants, shop from local vendors, and enjoy live music from 2pm to 7pm.<\/p>\n And if you happen to be in Belleville on Saturday, July 25, you can sample lots of non-alcoholic beverages and vote for your favourite during the Savour the Sips<\/a> event, from noon to 3pm.<\/p>\n Delight in sunflowers near Napanee<\/p>\n Wynn Farms\u2014located on the Loyalist Parkway, about 20 minutes south of Napanee\u2014is holding a Sunflower Festival<\/a> on select weekends in July and August, including July 25 and 26. Admission includes a Kawartha Dairy ice cream cone, along with face painting, a bouncy castle, a colouring contest, and the chance to explore the sunflower field and pick your own bouquet.<\/p>\n Catch a music festival in Palmer Rapids or on Howe Island<\/p>\n The\u00a0Palmer Rapids Twin Music Festival<\/a> (July 23 to 26) bills itself as two festivals\u2014country and bluegrass\u2014in one, on the banks of the Madawaska River south of Barry\u2019s Bay. And you can camp there, too. The festival site is at 937A Cedar Grove Road in Palmer Rapids.<\/p>\n On Saturday, July 25, the Howe Island Rockin the Rock<\/a> festival brings six acts to Howe Island, which is about 20 kilometres east of Kingston. The music starts at 3pm. (You can reach the island via a ferry ride that usually takes less than five minutes.)<\/p>\n Head to a fair in Delta<\/p>\n The fun at the Delta Fair<\/a> (July 23 to 26) includes truck and tractor pulls, live music, a baby show, a teddy bears\u2019 picnic, lawn mower races, craft and agricultural competitions, a midway, and lots more.<\/p>\n Stroll the Bridge Street SummerFest in Carleton Place<\/p>\n A half-kilometre downtown stretch of Bridge Street in Carleton Place will likely be packed with visitors, musicians and food vendors during the lively Bridge Street SummerFest<\/a>. It\u2019s free, it\u2019s family friendly and it\u2019s happening from 10am to 3pm on Saturday, July 25.<\/p>\n Applaud ballet and more in Saint-Sauveur<\/p>\n The Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur<\/a> (July 22 to August 2) is a multidisciplinary arts festival in the Laurentians featuring a diverse selection of dance and musical performances. Performances will include lots of ballet, a performance by Australian circus troupe Circa and a concert by Montreal\u2019s Orchestre M\u00e9tropolitain.<\/p>\n See Trooper in Ottawa<\/p>\n Do you want to raise a little hell, raise a little hell, raise a little hell? If you\u2019re old enough to get that reference, you may just be interested in seeing Trooper live<\/a>. The \u201980s CanCon staples are coming to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Ottawa on Friday, July 24.<\/p>\n Cast a line in Brockville<\/p>\n Anglers, bring your boat (or rent one there) to join the Paul Gill Memorial Fishing Derby<\/a> in Brockville on Saturday, July 25. The fundraiser in the waters off Hardy Park will raise money for local sports programs. And on shore, a vendor village, bouncy castles, food vendors, a balloon artist, princesses and more will keep the whole family entertained from 10am to 2pm.<\/p>\n Catch a movie outdoors in Ottawa or Smiths Falls<\/p>\n At TD Place at Lansdowne Park, you can enjoy a free outdoor screening of The Tiger\u2019s Apprentice<\/a> on Thursday, July 23. That same night, Smiths Falls\u2019 free series of family movies in Centennial Park (under the water tower) continues with Hoppers<\/a>. (Hoppers must be a hot ticket, because it\u2019s also being screened outside the Canterbury Community Centre<\/a> in Alta Vista on Saturday, July 25.)<\/p>\n And Capital Pop-Up Cinema is offering two shows this weekend: The Little Rascals<\/a> in the parking lot beside the Churchill Seniors Recreation Centre on Friday, July 24; and (postponed from last week), Romeo + Juliet<\/a> at Beechwood Cemetery on Saturday, July 25. <\/p>\n SAVE THE DATE <\/p>\n Here are a few upcoming events you might want to add to your calendar, if you\u2019re planning ahead. (Look for details on these events and many others in upcoming posts.)<\/p>\n July 30 to August 1: Les FestivILES<\/a>, Gananoque<\/p>\n July 30 to August 1: Baitfuel Thousand Islands Open<\/a>, Kingston (fishing derby)<\/p>\n July 31 to August 1: Glengarry Highland Games<\/a>, Maxville<\/p>\n August 1 to 16: Water and Dirt Festival<\/a>, Renfrew County<\/p>\n August 7 to 9: Ottawa International Busker Fest<\/a><\/p>\n August 7 to 9: Twist Fibre Festival<\/a>, Saint-Andr\u00e9-Avellin<\/p>\n August 7 to 9: 1000 Islands Kingston Poker Run<\/a><\/p>\n August 8 and 9: Puppets Up!<\/a>, Almonte<\/p>\n August 13 to 23: Ottawa Greek Festival<\/a><\/p>\n August 14 and 15: Ottawa Valley Buskerfest<\/a>, Pembroke<\/p>\n August 22 to 30: Capital Pride<\/a>, Ottawa<\/p>\n August 28 to 30: Upper Gatineau Whitewater Festival<\/a>, Maniwaki<\/p>\n August 30: Tour de Bonnechere<\/a>, Eganville<\/p>\n September 2 to 6: Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival<\/a><\/p>\n September 10 to 12: Big River Country Festival<\/a>, Mallorytown<\/p>\n September 12 and 13: Fibrefest<\/a>, Almonte<\/p>\n September 16 to 20: CityFolk<\/a>, Ottawa<\/p>\n Looking for more tips on things to see and do in and around Ottawa? Subscribe<\/a> to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First<\/a>, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"200 If variety is the spice of life, our region is smokin\u2019 hot this week, with a festival,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":815043,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194295],"tags":[49,48,20739],"class_list":["post-815042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ottawa","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-ottawa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/815042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=815042"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/815042\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/815043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=815042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=815042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=815042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"people](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/midsummer-herbfest-1-sized.jpg\" "\\"midsummer-herbfest-1-sized")
Photo courtesy of HerbFest.<\/p>\n![\"band](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/forthenry_tattoo_405.jpg\" "\\"forthenry_tattoo_405")
Photo of the Fort Henry Annual Tattoo courtesy of the Parks of the St. Lawrence.<\/p>\n![\"grey](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/spencerville-mill.jpg\" "\\"spencerville-mill")
The Spencerville Mill and Museum.<\/p>\n![\"rows](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/denise-jans-theatre-seats-unsplash.jpg\" "\\"denise-jans-theatre-seats-unsplash")
Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash.<\/p>\n![\"shops](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/carleton-place-bridge-street.jpg\" "\\"carleton")
Shops on Bridge Street in Carleton Place. The street will be MUCH busier during SummerFest!<\/p>\n