Events/Festivals

[J.OT13]

Canadian Heritage eyes Canada Day festivities at LeBreton Flats

David Sali, OBJ
Feb. 19, 2021



After last year’s Canada Day bash on Parliament Hill was scrapped due to the pandemic, the federal agency responsible for the annual celebrations says it is looking at various options for this year’s event ​– including a large stage with all-day programming at LeBreton Flats and a “musical pyrotechnics” show featuring fireworks and hundreds of drones.

The department of Canadian Heritage is currently seeking bids for a contractor to provide pyrotechnics, fireworks, music and a minimum of 200 drones for the performance on the evening of July 1.

The request for proposals says the show, which can last up to 12 minutes, must be “spectacular, colourful and eye-catching for spectators.”

While noting there will be no stage on Parliament Hill due to the Centre Block renovation project, Canadian Heritage says it “will propose revised and varied programming for visitors who come to Parliament Hill throughout the day and in the evening.”

That suggests the department believes there’s at least a chance that Ottawa will be in a position to host public celebrations by the time the country’s 154th birthday rolls around.

Safety the top priority

In an email to OBJ this week, spokesperson Caroline Czajkowski said Canadian Heritage is “closely monitoring the recommendations and the health and safety measures of public health authorities.” She said the department is “exploring various options” for Canada Day festivities and will provide more details as summer approaches.

“In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the government’s priority is the safety of Canadians,” Czajkowski said.

While the door to some sort of Canada Day party might be open a crack, local tourism officials aren’t popping the champagne just yet. They say a lot has to happen ​​​– including more widespread vaccinations ​– before the industry can even think of hosting major events that attract tens of thousands of spectators.

Ottawa Tourism spokesperson Jantine Van Kregten said Canadian Heritage officials are likely preparing for a best-case scenario and will scale back their plans should public health authorities continue to deem large crowds unsafe.

“It definitely offers some hope,” she said. “We need to stay positive and plan for recovery, whatever form that takes. So much is out of our control, but we can spend some time thinking about best-case scenarios and then planning for every other scenario.”

Van Kregten said she’s confident fireworks, for example, could be enjoyed while following COVID-19 protocols such as physical distancing.

“When you think about it, you don’t have to stay in one spot only to see fireworks,” she said. “It’s not like (watching) a band. I think there’s ways to promote that – you can be in different locations.”

But Steve Ball, the president of the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association, doesn’t see his industry bouncing back until a much bigger chunk of the population has had the vaccine and feels comfortable with travelling again.

“If we're able to meet as groups, I think the hotels will benefit, but up until that point, it doesn’t really matter what activities there are,” he said. “As long as we’re promoting stay-at-home, hotels are going to continue to stay empty.”

Van Kregten said Ottawa is “lucky” because it’s within easy driving distance of the country’s two largest cities, making the city a natural destination for a huge potential crop of visitors with a pent-up desire to jump in their cars and hit the road once the pandemic abates.

“That makes us perhaps a little better off than some locations that depend heavily on international travel or U.S. travel,” she noted, adding the agency is holding off on launching any big promotional campaigns under the coronavirus situation is more stable.

“I think we’re watching closely to see what happens in Toronto and Montreal to when we could be a little more proactive in those markets, but we’re not quite there yet. It’s tough. It’s uncharted territory.”

https://obj.ca/article/local/tourism...lebreton-flats

[J.OT13]

Makes a whole lot of sense to move Canada Day to LeBreton. Bluesfest Park is larger than Parliament Hill. The site is highly accessible by transit, both STO and OC Transpo. We could eventually create a good synergy with the library and Zibi. Parliament is visible from the site.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by glekter

Can you tell me other places which I should visit because I want to travel to Canada?

In Ottawa, or Canada in general? And where would you be coming from? That could influence suggestions.

[HighwayStar]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

In Ottawa, or Canada in general? And where would you be coming from? That could influence suggestions.

Well, if you look at the embedded link in his/her last post, it would appear Australia.

However, browsing through glekter's last 6 posts, each one contains a different link, to a different company, which has nothing to do with the post.

No other ones from Australia, but glekter sure gets around a lot, and has high praise for many unrelated companies

[J.OT13]

'We’ve simply run out of time': Bluesfest cancelled for second straight year

OBJ, Apr. 8 2021

The pandemic has forced Ottawa Bluesfest organizers to cancel the annual music festival for the second year in a row ​– but the glum news comes with a bit of a silver lining.

While the hugely popular event won’t be happening at LeBreton Flats this summer, executive director Mark Monahan said Thursday that California-based hard rock band Rage Against the Machine has already been confirmed as one of next year’s headliners.

“We’ve been working hard at trying to figure out a way to put on this year’s event, but we’ve simply run out of time, so we’re just going to have to move on,” Monahan said in a statement, adding he had some “good news” to report – RATM will perform on Friday, July 15, 2022.

Monahan said anyone who kept their 2020 tickets for this year’s festival will be eligible for a full refund, but he’s urging ticketholders to hold on to their passes to “guarantee the best prices possible” for next year’s event.

Noting the pandemic “blindsided” organizers last year, Monahan said he’s much more optimistic about the festival’s future heading into 2022 despite not being able to host the event again this year.

“With vaccines rolling out, health authorities expect most people to be vaccinated by the end of this year, so the prospects for 2022 are quite promising,” he said.

“There are many exceptional acts that are showing interest in touring in 2022 and taking part in the RBC Bluesfest. This is very encouraging. We are working on the lineup right now, in preparation for one of our best years ever.”

This year’s festival was scheduled for July 8-18 at LeBreton Flats. Tickets for next year’s edition, which is slated to run from July 7-17, are now on sale.

The event is a major contributor to Ottawa’s tourism industry, attracting more than 300,000 spectators annually. In 2019, Bluesfest injected more than $40 million into the city’s economy, according to the festival’s website.

Meanwhile, another music-themed event aimed at kickstarting Ottawa’s beleaguered tourism sector has been postponed after the province tightened restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.

Music livestreams on hold

The Room Service Concert Series ​– a mix of music and comedy shows that was slated to be streamed to guests at participating Ottawa hotels later this month ​– has been put on hold indefinitely due to the Ontario government’s latest stay-at-home order that came into effect Thursday, organizers say.

“We wanted Ottawans to continue supporting local businesses and have the mental health benefits of planning a staycation, encouraging them to also consider a museum visit, a guided tour, ordering in food and drink, or dining on a patio, for example,” Ottawa Tourism CEO Michael Crockatt said in a statement.

“But with the move to stay-at-home through the month of April, it simply is not possible, nor is it consistent with the directions coming from Ottawa Public Health and other entities.”

Eight shows were scheduled to be streamed at 20 local hotels from April 9-30, featuring acts such as Great Big Sea frontman Alan Doyle, comedian Gerry Dee and American rock band Third Eye Blind.

Organized by Bluesfest and Ottawa Tourism, the event was expected to give a boost to a hospitality sector that has been hit hard by the pandemic, with hotel occupancy rates stuck in the low double-digits at most local properties.

Ottawa Tourism says up to a third of the 43,000 people previously employed in the capital's tourism sector have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic. The organization estimates that total visitor spending in Ottawa plummeted from $2.2 billion in 2019 to about $800 million last year, adding it expects only a slight improvement in 2021.

Monahan said new dates for the concert series will be announced as soon as possible. Anyone who booked a room for the event is asked to contact the hotel or booking agency to cancel the reservation.

It’s the second event recently organized by Bluesfest to be rescheduled due to the pandemic. Last month, the Long Road Back concert slated for March 27 at Lansdowne Park was postponed after Ottawa moved into the more restrictive red zone of COVID-19 protocols.

https://obj.ca/article/local/tourism...-straight-year

[J.OT13]

Feds' budget boost to domestic tourism expected to be boon for Ottawa

David Sali, OBJ
April 20, 2021



Staring at more than a billion dollars in projected lost visitor spending in 2021, Ottawa’s beleaguered tourism industry is hoping to get a much-needed lift from new funding announced in Monday’s federal budget.

Ottawa Tourism CEO Michael Crockatt said he sees the $1 billion in new spending earmarked for the pandemic-battered sector across Canada as a “really positive” sign that the feds understand the economic importance of the industry.

“I don’t think we’ve ever heard a finance minister specifically talk about tourism in the first two minutes of presenting a budget,” he said, adding tourism has been among the industries hit hardest by COVID-19 and might take the longest to recover.

“It’s not likely going to be a full economic recovery until the tourism industry recovers,” Crockatt told OBJ on Tuesday. “It employs so many people and there’s so many companies involved in it that it needs to recover to be part of that stronger Canadian economy.”

While the feds have yet to provide a detailed breakdown of how the $1 billion will be allocated, Crockatt said he was especially heartened to hear about the $100 million in new funding for Destination Canada to urge Canadians to hit the road and explore their own country once it’s safe to do so.

About 90 per cent of the capital’s visitors come from inside the country’s own borders, and Crockatt said the domestic market will likely be the first to bounce back post-COVID.

“I’m confident that we will be in a good position to get our market share of Canadian travellers,” he said.

But when exactly that happens remains to be seen, and Crockatt doesn’t think the local industry will be back on solid footing for a while yet. Ottawa Tourism is forecasting that the city will miss out on $1.2 billion in visitor spending this year on top of the $1.4 billion it lost in 2020.

“All of that economic activity is just gone, and we can’t just get it back overnight,” Crockatt said.

“The impact has been longer and deeper even than we thought just a few months ago. This sector is different from most of the rest of the economy, and it will probably need more help and will need help longer than other parts of the economy.”

The city’s top tourism marketing executive said he’s still waiting to learn more details about some of the other programs announced in Monday’s budget, including a $500-million relief fund aimed at helping regional tourism agencies rebuild the sector once the pandemic abates.

Critical subsidy programs extended

Meanwhile, Crockatt said the extension of federal wage and rent subsidy programs to the end of September will be a life-saver for many struggling enterprises.

“Those are so critical for so many businesses in the tourism sector,” he said.

Crockatt said some tourist destinations will rebound quicker than others. He says major cities such as Ottawa are “disproportionately impacted” by the loss of meeting and convention business, a segment of the industry he fears will take the better part of a decade to fully recover.

“That will impact cities like Ottawa much more than it will impact smaller communities or rural areas,” he said. “We might feel the effects of that for the next 10 years.”

Maria Rasouli, owner of Ottawa-based Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals, said she’s thankful the budget included extended wage and rent relief for small businesses.

Rasouli said her revenues have shrivelled to virtually nothing during the latest stay-at-home order, and she doesn’t foresee things getting much better in the near future.

$200M to support festivals

“Before, we used to wish for good weather, but now really good weather doesn’t do anything with all the restrictions,” she said. “I think this year is going to be worse than last year. Hopefully, we get out of this third wave sooner than later.”

The feds’ $1-billion tourism package also includes $200 million to support major arts and music festivals such as Bluesfest and the Ottawa Jazz Festival and another $200 million for smaller local events such as county fairs.

Bluesfest executive director Mark Monahan called the new funding a “crucial step” toward getting the festival sector back on its feet.

“Immediate relief is definitely needed, and we are encouraged to see that the plan includes longer-term relief as well,” Monahan said in a news release Tuesday afternoon. “This funding boost will go a long way to bringing about a brighter future for the industry and help us to come back bigger and better.”

Crockatt said Ottawans can do their part to help jumpstart the industry when the time is right. His agency has calculated that if all of the city’s 400,000 households were to invite a pair of visitors to stay with family and friends once restrictions ease, it would pump as much as $500 million into the local economy.

“It’s an incredible economic impact that locals can have just by inviting friends and family to come to visit,” he said. “There are things that we can all do to help.”

https://obj.ca/article/local/tourism...-top-exec-says

[J.OT13]

I know I'm the one who created this thread, but could we rename it "General Tourism" or "Ottawa Tourism", "Tourism in Ottawa". "Events/Festivals" is a bit too restrictive.

• Video Link

[J.OT13]

Ottawa baseball stadium to host drive-in events; movies start Friday

“We’re going to start with drive-in movies and keep going with the reopening plan to eventually get into music, hopefully by August."

Lynn Saxberg, Ottawa Sun
June 9, 2021

The Ottawa promoter who organized drive-in events at Wesley Clover Parks last summer is back with another season of pandemic-proof live entertainment, starting with a new, east-end location at the Ottawa baseball stadium that will be ready for moviegoers and their cars on Friday.

“We’re going to start with drive-in movies in the parking lot, and keep going with the reopening plan to eventually get into music, hopefully by August,” said Ali Shafaee of DNA Live, promising news soon as to the status of events at the original site at Wesley Clover Parks.

Between June and November last year, more than 70,000 people drove-in to movies, concerts, comedy shows and more at the west-end WCP site, numbers that showed the region’s ravenous appetite for safe forms of entertainment during the pandemic. After a summer of sold-out shows, Shafaee and his team decided to look for additional sites.

They landed in the parking lot of the Coventry Road stadium that is formally known as Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Park. With space for 80 to 100 cars, RCGT Park is a little smaller than the 100- to 120-car capacity at Wesley Clover Parks. Similar safety protocols will apply.

For now, start your engines: The 2021 drive-in season kicks off this weekend at RCGT Park with a pair of movie screenings. The 2011 comedy Bridesmaids is on the big screen on Friday, followed by Jurassic World on Saturday. Doors open at 7:30 each night, and showtime is 8:30 p.m.

For more information and to buy tickets, go to thedriveinottawa.ca.

https://ottawasun.com/entertainment/...box=1623255524

[J.OT13]

The full Doors Open Ottawa list. Click the links for buildings you want to see for access to the virtual tour.

https://app06.ottawa.ca/cgi-bin/doors/2021.pl?lang=en

[rocketphish]

Ottawa festivals applaud 'critical' funding from province
Ontario announced one-time investment of $50M for province's festivals this week

Sandra Abma · CBC News
Posted: Aug 05, 2021 12:00 PM ET | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

Ottawa's festival organizers say a cash infusion from the provincial government will pave the way for a revival of major musical and cultural events in the region.

The Ontario government promised $5.7 million in funding this week — more than five times the amount the province gave Ottawa festivals last year — that festivals say will help them restart safely, bring back artists, and build on virtual projects developed during the pandemic.

According to organizers, it may just turn around a long bleak spell that saw festival fields and concert halls fall silent.

Bluesfest and CityFolk director Mark Monahan says this "unprecedented investment" will jumpstart the recovery of Ottawa's festival season after more than a year of uncertainty and dashed plans.

Bluesfest, CityFolk and Monathan's newest venture, the immersive Beyond Van Gogh, each received $250,000.

"It's a critical amount of money that's going to go to all the events that allow us to keep people on and hire more people to come and revive the industry," said Monahan.

The funding was announced by local MP Lisa MacLeod, who is Ontario's Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, as part of a $50 million investment in Ontario's festivals and events.

MacLeod says this is part of a plan to accelerate the economic and "social recovery" by investing in local attractions where neighbours and arts lovers can once again gather.

"{The government is] supporting organizations that are finding new ways to safely engage and reconnect Ontarians with their local communities while creating local jobs." said MacLeod.

The money will help launch two new projects at Saunders Farms that will employ a wide range of local craftspeople and artists, according to its president Mark Saunders.

Plans are now underway for a revamped festival for "spooky" autumn nights and in December a charming country Christmas Village. Both projects received $97,000 each from the government.

"We're hiring artists and set designers and set dressers, and actors and performers ... a lot of people who were sort of left out in the last 18 months," said Saunders.

A number of festivals say they will be building on new projects they pioneered during the pandemic, including the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival that will invest in virtual concert production and online streaming.

Festival programming director Petr Cancura says his priority will be hiring more musicians, but some of the $214,950 received will be used for new ventures launched during the pandemic.

Ali Shafaee, director of the Escapade Music Festival, says he will continue operating a drive-in theatre and holiday drive-thru in Ottawa's west end.

"They've all been so successful in terms of community involvement," says Shafaee.

"It's enabled us to say, 'OK, this isn't just a one-time pandemic event,' and they're events that we'll continue to run for years to come because of the funding we've been able to receive."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...tawa-1.6129499

[rocketphish]

Cirque du Soleil's Kooza act bound for Zibi's big top in late August

Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen
Apr 19, 2022 • 40 minutes ago • 1 minute read

Kooza, the long-running touring Cirque du Soleil production that harkens back to circus acrobatics and the art of clowning, will touch down in Gatineau for a month starting in late August.
The production, which premiered in Montreal in 2007, will be presented from Aug. 25 to Sept. 25 under the big top at Zibi’s Place des Festivals.

A more traditional venture for Cirque du Soleil, the production will feature high wire acts, contortionists, trapeze and unicycle artists and clowns. Its plot depicts the voyage of self-discovery of a character called the Innocent and its title is inspired by the Sanskrit word for “box” or “treasure chest.”

For Club Cirque members, tickets went on sale Tuesday at clubcirque.com. General admission tickets will be available starting April 25 at cirquedusoleil.com/kooza.

https://ottawacitizen.com/entertainm...in-late-august

[J.OT13]

• Video Link

EDIT - Sutcliffe on TSN 1200 speaks about the IronMan after finishing off the convo about Sens arena and Lansdowne.

Tremblant had the event for 10 years in a row. In Ottawa, it's one time for now, but could potentially be extended.

Disappointed Gatineau and Gatineau Park are not included.

https://www.tsn.ca/radio/ottawa-1200...iffe-1.2105608

[ponyboycurtis]

Originally Posted by DTcrawler

The majority of residents (i.e. voters) who don't know any better. They love to listen to CFRA and blame politicians for endless "boondoggles" and "bankrupting the city" when in reality spineless councillors simply pursue whatever projects are going to get the least amount of backlash from their constituents and get them re-elected.

I swear if I was a councillor... I would make it my mission to artfully explain to these knuckleheads why they are wrong. Let's assume for a moment I have an actual degree in urban planning or traffic management or something to that effect. There is no education criteria to run for council is there?

I pass over the Airport parkway often at afternoon rush hour. Is it congested?sure. It is such a small amount of the day though and I have a hard time to justify the cost. I think a southbound exit at Walkley could help matters but I have a hard time to justify twinning it at this point in time. Sitting in traffic for 10/15 minutes on your private road with no egress? boohoo. Similarly, heading northbound in the morning, Bronson is already a mess. If nothing else the parkway congestion helps meter out the traffic before it just ends up as congestion down the way.

I dunno. That's just how I see it. Congested roads meter out congestion in a way.

[rocketphish]

City issues 852 parking tickets, four bylaw charges on Canada Day
Canada Day 2024 welcomed around 10,000 visitors during the daytime ceremony, with around 20,000 visitors attending the evening show.

Catherine Morrison, Ottawa Citizen
Published Jul 03, 2024 • Last updated 35 minutes ago • 3 minute read



Canada Day 2024 saw an increase in the number of parking tickets issued and arrests made across the city. There was also a spike in calls to the Ottawa Paramedic Service compared to last year, though officials say the number represented a “normal” call volume for the holiday.

Canadian Heritage hosted Canada Day events in the capital region. A daytime ceremony at LeBreton Flats featured performances and a flypast to mark the centennial of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The evening event was a free, two-hour concert, followed by a fireworks show.

Caroline Czajkowski, spokesperson for Canadian Heritage, said Canada Day 2024 welcomed around 10,000 visitors during the daytime ceremony, with around 20,000 visitors attending the evening show.

Czajkowski told this newspaper last year that around the same number of people attended the evening event in 2023. In 2022, the event was attended by approximately 33,000 people.

Around 60,000 visitors made their way to the LeBreton Flats Park grounds throughout the day on Monday, she said, with about 10,000 people visiting Parliament Hill. While downtown generally welcomes around 350,000 people on Canada Day, Czajkowski said exact numbers aren’t available for the past several years.

Marc-Antoine Deschamps, public information officer for the Ottawa Paramedic Service, said paramedics responded to 31 incidents related to Canada Day festivities this year, up from only three in 2023.

Three incidents were heat-related and none were life-threatening. It was sunny and 27 C in Ottawa on Canada Day.

Deschamps said there was a mix of medical and trauma-related calls, including interventions with people from the shelter community. One call was made after a member of the Canadian Armed Forces Parachute Team was injured upon landing during a performance.

Lt. Devon Gorman, the public affairs officer for the Skyhawks, said the military would not release the name of the injured soldier nor details of the person’s injuries.

“During our recent performance, one of our teammates was injured. On-site medical personnel responded immediately to aid the injured person. The safety of spectators and our team members are our top two priorities. The name, specific injuries, and treatment will not be released at this time as a matter of privacy. We will thoroughly review the circumstances of this incident, however, our immediate concern is the wellbeing of our injured teammate who is in hospital receiving care,” Gorman said in an email.

There were three calls made to paramedics in 2023.

“It’s more than last year but still well within our capacities with the staff dedicated to the event,” said Deschamps, who attributed the lower amount of calls to poor weather and a likely smaller crowd. Canadian Heritage suspended daytime activities last year due to severe weather. “It’s back to our normal call volume on Canada Day. It’s a typical Canada Day.”

There were no Canada Day festivities in the capital in 2020 or 2021 due to COVID-19, with 31 calls made in 2022. There were approximately 65 calls made in 2019, though Deschamps said the Canada Day venue was different at the time.

There was also a spike in parking tickets and arrests made this Canada Day, compared to last year.

According to Christine Hartig, acting director of By-law and Regulatory Services for the city, three charges were issued this year for discharging fireworks in a prohibited location, with one charge issued for a noise disturbance.

Last Canada Day, one charge was issued for discharging fireworks in a prohibited location, with three charges related to noise disturbances and one charge made against an unlicensed taxi.

Hartig said officers also issued 852 parking tickets, up from 704 last year. Several investigations are ongoing, Hartig said, with further charges to be issued “if warranted.”

The Ottawa Police Service said three arrests were made this Canada Day, with one person arrested for public intoxication and two for “breaching their conditions.”

In 2023, there was one arrest for public intoxication on Canada Day, though no charge was laid.

Traffic was heavy near the Champlain Bridge on Monday evening, though police said there was no collision or incident to highlight. Police said two calls were received for possible intoxicated driving in the area during the evening.

This Canada Day, there were 19 collisions reported in Ottawa, compared to 14 last year.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/city-...-on-canada-day

[zzptichka]

Thought this was some board game championship but turned out to be a comedy festival. Not as exciting.

[BlueJay]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

Thought this was some board game championship but turned out to be a comedy festival. Not as exciting.

It's actually very exciting. Everyone keeps saying Ottawa is boring. This comedy festival is a great thing for this City.

[zzptichka]

[zzptichka]

There is some new stage near the War Museum. Anyone know what festival is this?

The grass sure took the beating this summer.

[citydwlr]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

There is some new stage near the War Museum. Anyone know what festival is this?
[/url]

This is for Nostalgia Festival. It's basically a bunch of cover bands doing songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s.

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by citydwlr

This is for Nostalgia Festival. It's basically a bunch of cover bands doing songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s.

https://nostalgiafestival.ca/bands/dreamer/ Wow. A Supertramp cover band. I'm guessing that CHEZ 106 will be all over this.