Friday

TD Ottawa Jazz Festival. Photo Credit: Brian Goldschmied

The much-anticipated TD Canada Trust Ottawa International Jazz Festival is sure to please the likes of any jazz lover. Friday features Tim Bedner, Steve Bilodeau Group, Joel Miller Quartet, Ninety Miles, and more. At various venues around Ottawa.

Celebrate centuries of Aboriginal culture with the Summer Solstice Aboriginal Arts Festival. The weekend’s events include performers Crystal Shawanda, Amanda Rheaume, and Donny Parenteau among others, as well as countless Aboriginal artisans, art workshops, displays, a family fun zone, music and dance shows, and more. Make sure you don’t miss the second annual Competition Pow Wow.

Feverfest brings together local and unique musical artists and independent bands in Ottawa to two locations in the Glebe. Friday’s events begin at The Clocktower Brew Pub, and continue Saturday at Irene’s Pub. The event will also be raising funds for The Capital City Condors, a local youth hockey team.

Saturday

Chicken, ribs, barbeque sauce…is your mouth watering yet? Guests will find all this and more at the International Chicken-Rib Cook-Off outdoors on the Sparks Street Mall. During the five-day event, competitors from both Canada and the US will vie for title of best ribs and rib sauce, and best chicken and chicken sauce.

Nearly 200 teams paddle it out at the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival

The 19^th annual Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, North America’s largest dragon boat celebration, is taking place all weekend long in Ottawa. The event features live performances by artists The Acorn, David Usher, Said The Whale, and many more. Saturday’s events include a beer tent, the Tim Hortons Children’s Area, and a Tiki Beach Bar, all focused around the day’s non-stop race schedule.

The Canadian Gharana Festival is a celebration of Indian dance, theatre performance, visual arts, film, and literature within our country. The festival, which is in its first year, will showcase the best in Indian culture. The three-day event features performers from across Canada, and hopes to promote Indian arts to all Canadians.

Sunday

Ottawa’s Community Cup, an event that welcomes newcomers and their families to the city, celebrates another edition. Along with its annual soccer tournament, the fest offers plenty of activities appropriate for the whole family. There’s also a Kid Zone with crafts, clowns, and face painting, as well as Mexican and Indian food vendors, a farmers market, live entertainment, a musical language tent, and plenty more.

Seafood lovers rejoice, because the 6^th annual Bytowne Oysterfest is at The Whalesbone this Sunday. The event will feature live musical performances by The Devillaires, The Occupational Side Effects, The Flaps, and more – and of course, lots of oysters. Get your knives ready for the Chef’s Cup Shuckoff, a contest to see who can pry open oyster shells the fastest.