All weekend

’Tis the season of holiday fairs! Here are a few that are happening this weekend.

  • Pride, Not Prejudice is a virtual craft and community fair for social justice warriors taking place November 5-8th. The event will feature 35+ local and progressive vendors, community groups and workshops. RSVP on the Facebook event for the latest details, including info about freebies!
  • The Orleans United Church has moved their annual Christmas Bazaar online, with shopping open from October 26-December 5. Everything sold at the market is locally made by talented and dedicated church volunteers. New products are being added daily so check in often.
  • “Oh What Fun” is a happy holiday shopping event hosted by Cheerfully Made Goods + Market. In lieu of their annual market, they’ve been busy behind the scenes pulling together some of the best handmade items. Virtual doors open at 6pm on Thursday November 5. Checkout before the event ends at 4pm on Sunday November 8.
  • Home for the Holidays online shopping event is stocked with handmade goods from makers and artisans located within a 100km radius of Ottawa.
  • Not technically a holiday fair, but the final Vintage Pop-up 613 parking lot pop-up is taking place this Sunday from 10am-4pm in the Bread By Us parking lot.
  • Head to Carp for the first of their two “Christmas in November” markets. Follow them on Instagram @carpfarmersmarket for the latest list of vendors.

Thursday

A Thursday activity in Ottawa: exploring the city’s museums and galleries. You can find many galleries and museums with free admission on Thursdays and get excited about the upcoming weekend.

  • The Ottawa School of Art is hosting a solo exhibition called “The Impasto series” by Edmond Léger in Little Italy, and a mini print exhibition at their ByWard Market location.
  • Untitled I is a free livestream performance from Andrea Peña and Artists, and is part of the National Arts Centre’s #DanceForth livestream project. Most Thursday evenings at 7 PM local time, live performances will be presented by a variety of Canadian dance artists, both from the NAC Fourth Stage and from various centres across the country. Read more about the performance in our interview with Andrea Peña here.
  • VERSeFEST, Ottawa’s international poetry festival, has gone virtual for 2020. The original 2020 event had to be rescheduled from early this year, and they’ve gone above and beyond. The festival starts Thursday November 6 and continues through to Friday November 20. Get all the details in our interview with Festival Director Monty Reid here.

Friday

  • Pascale’s All Natural Ice Cream is holding an end of season sale—buy one pint, get one at half price! What a sweet deal! Place your orders online for pickup this Friday from 12-4pm. Warm mini doughnuts will also be for sale, in case you needed any extra motivation to go.
  • Marvest music festival moved online this year, with shows being posted every Wednesday and Friday. This week, performances are by Jonathan Pearce of Winchester Warm on Wednesday and Jeff & the Falcons on Friday. You can find the full calendar on the Marvest website.

Saturday

  • Enjoy a drive-in movie Saturday night at the Greely Legion. Saturday night’s show is Honey I Shrunk the Kids, with ET playing on Sunday. Tickets are available online.
  • Wellington West is hosting a game of #WelliWINGO, aka the most delicious game of Bingo you’ll ever play. Place an order from a Wellington West restaurant, snap a photo of your meal, and cross it off you bingo sheet. Entries can be submitted online to their Facebook page. Get the full run down of rules here, including info on how to enter the bonus draw!

Sunday

  • Brew Donkey Tours is celebrating their 7 year anniversary by  hosting a series of virtual beer halls. This Sunday, “travel” via the internet to Stray Dog Brewing. Enjoy the benefits of a tour from the comfort of home. You can purchase a beer hall pack ranging from a pint pack to a barrel pack. Check out their upcoming tours online, including stops at Whiprsnapr on November 15, Broadhead on November 22,  Tooth and Nail on November 29, Dominion City on December 6, and Small Barrel Pony Works on December 13.
  • Round out your weekend by participating in the final moments of the CKCU funding drive. Maybe you’ll help push them over their goal of $150,000? Funds raised support their programs and broadcasters, and tax receipts are issued for donations of $25 or more.
  • Sunday’s forecast looks to be the best of the weekend, so why not head for a walk downtown and take in the Royal Canadian Legion‘s virtual poppy drop? Until Remembrance Day, the Ottawa sign will be lit up in red in support of the poppy campaign. Pause and reflect as 117,000 virtual poppies, representing each of Canada’s fallen since the beginning of the First World War, slowly fall down the Peace Tower and the Senate building. The display runs from October 30-November 11, from 6:30-9:30 pm, including until midnight on the 11th. Virtual poppies will also cascade down the National Art Centre’s “Kipnes Lantern” on November 11 from 7am to midnight.