Festivals in Ottawa

Festivals are one of the main selling points of Ottawa, and in the many and varied festivals there is surely something for everyone!

Bluesfest is the major festival of the summer, being the largest Blues festival in Canada and the second largest in North America. Drawing almost 500,000 people it has a large variety in the types of music acts it hosts, including a lot of pop and rock bands in it's lineup. In the past, bands such as Soundgarden, Metric, The Black Eyed Peas, Sting and The Flaming Lips have all played. The multiple stages make it easy to have several different styles of music on at the same time. The festival was setup in 1994 and has grown and grown, making its way to the present location of LeBreton Flats Park in 2007.

 Winterlude is a major draw in winter, drawing an average of 1.5million visitors through the season. It covers a large area of seasonal activities, the highlight being skating along the Rideau Canal. At 8k long, the canal is the worlds largest skating rink by area, the longest skating rink title having being taken by The Forks in Winnipeg. Skating is not the only thing on offer, as at other locations such things as The Ice Scupture competition at Confederation Park, The Snowflake Kingdom in Jacques-Cartier Park in Gatineau and many special events all over the city.