As Canada’s capital, Ottawa is the perfect place to experience some of the country’s best attractions, celebrations and flavours. Here are our highlights on what’s coming up and what we are excited about!
The Diefenbunker’s 2023 Artist-in-Residence exhibition features the work of collaborative duo Wind Up Radio, founded by Sarah Blumel and Anisa Cameron.
This multi-part exhibition explores how we cope in the face of an uncertain future, taking inspiration from Cold War preparedness that the Diefenbunker exemplifies. Using satirical music and video compositions that contribute to a long history of musical responses to nuclear war, Wind Up Radio invites us to consider an unlikely truth: that levity and laughter may be possible — perhaps even comforting — in moments of fear and helplessness.
Experience the best the Canadian winter has to offer at the free Winterlude festival that takes place in the Ottawa region during the first three weekends of February each year! There is something for everyone to enjoy, from family-friendly activities, to group adventures and date nights!
Prepare to be astonished by stunning ice sculptures created by artists from around the world, skate on the world-famous Rideau Canal Skateway (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and play around in a gigantic snow playground called Snowflake Kingdom.
Winterlude activities highlight Canada’s cultural and artistic diversity. Urban sites, museums and special events present seasonal programming as well as opportunities to connect with Indigenous culture. Most festival activities are free and take place in the Urban Ottawa-Gatineau region!
Low and no carbon ways to see the city
Ottawa’s downtown is compact and walkable, with Parliament Hill, the ByWard Market, delicious restaurants, diverse shopping, and multiple national museums and monuments within a short walk of
each other. 800+ kms of bike paths criss-cross the city, and business like Escape Bicycle Tours and Rentals and RentABike offer bike rental to help you get around. To travel further afield, Ottawa’s electric Light Rail Transit system is a carbon-free way to get around, as are the fleet of OC Transpo public busses (4 of which are zero-emission!) To see the city by water, the Water Taxi Eh and Rideau Canal Cruise are fully electric options open seasonally.
Sustainable stays:
Sleep well knowing you’re lessening your impact on the environment! At the LEED registered reStays Ottawa, the green roof reduces the heat island effect and high-efficiency
heating and cooling equipment saves energy. In Ottawa’s west end, the Hyatt Place Ottawa-West boasts solar panels, eco-friendly products and has won a Green Key Five StarAward for the ways in which their property works to protect the planet. And Brookstreet Hotel is powered by 100% renewable energy from Bullfrogpower among other sustainability initiatives.
