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Gay Ottawa

Ottawa Tourism
Information for residents and visitors during COVID-19

Visit their page about Ottawa’s tourism community for more information on how businesses are adapting and helping our community during this challenging time.

ottawatourism.ca/en/covid-19-response
Ongoing monthly and special events
Ours Ottawa Bears Coffee + Gaymer Night - On Hold

Every Sunday 3-5pm coffee and treats at T's Pub, 323 Somerset St W. A nice afternoon of talking (and gossip) Sunday afternoons, then maybe supper aftrerwards, come on down and see us. Tuesdays Gaymer Night - weekly 6:30-9pm come join Bears and others at Swizzle Bar & Grill, 246 Queen St, as they play a different game each week. See more events at their website:

www.oursottawabears.ca
Weekly Youth Drop-In
CaféQ

Every Friday, 7-11pm, diverse/ dynamic youth group evening low-pressure hang-out w/ snacks, coffee, tea; board + video games, and couch lounging - open to youth 13-19. Peer counselling available by appointment. Supports from Etc.’s leadership team can provide participants with a confidential listening/ non-judgmental ear, to share experiences and coping strategies.

kindspace.ca/event/cafeq-weekly-youth-drop-in/all
Ottawa's Sassiest....
Saturday Night Drag Show

Friday & Saturdays from 10pm. It's all about feathers, glitter and drama... on stage that is! The Capital's famous drag show, featuring the most popular, beautiful and talented drag queens! DJ Kitty at 10pm; drag shows at 11:30pm and 12:30am. Dance the night away with great people, great music, high energy drag shows + weekend drink and shot specials.

www.thelookoutbar.com/Attractions/saturday
Safe social space for LGBTQIA+ people to share passion
Geek Out! Weekend Meetups - On Hold

First & Third weekends, 4pm-60pm at The Blurry Pixel. Lets Geek Out! Join in with a group of LGBTQIA+ geeks and nerds for some socializing, video games and maybe some board games - first and third weekend each month. Pay what you can, suggested donation of $5. For future dates, plus more details about the group and safer spaces policies. Next dates: TBA.

www.facebook.com/pg/GeekOutOttawa/events
OSPN - Ottawa Senior Pride Network
Monday Movies Online + Baby Boomers Coffee Club

May 17, 2021, 7pm Kast Monday online screening: Milk; May 24, 7pm, Connie and Carla. Also May 27, 7pm - Baby Boomers Coffee Club. See details and more dates at:

ospn-rfao.ca/en/events
14TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL:
Inside Out - Online - The Ottawa LGBT Film Festival 2021

May 27 - June 6, 2021. Films: A Distant Place; A Sexplanation; Being Thunder; Beyto; Bloodthirsty; Bloodthirsty; Can You Bring It; Alone Together; Dawn, Her Dad, The Tractor; Drag Invasion; Everything at Once; Fanny: The Right to Rock; Genderation; How to Fix Radios; I Carry You with Me; Instructions for Survival; Kapana; Knocking; Leading Ladies; Moffie; Mama Gloria; Poppy Field; +more:

insideout.ca/festival
Performances range from spoken word to Indigenous Hoop dance, music, and more
Ottawa Fringe Festival - Fringe At Home

June 17-27, 2021. Streaming events by Capital Pride, Ottawa Storytellers, Ottawa School of Theatre, TACTICS. The 25th annual celebration of the arts, Ottawa's largest theater festival; local, national and international artists showcase their original works. FB

ottawafringe.com/fringeathome
La fête de la nation
Canada Day in Ottawa

July 1, 2021, annual holiday celebrating the birth of Canada in 1867 with the British North America Act that established the Dominion of Canada. A giant patriotic party on the lawns of Parliament Hill, Major’s Hill Park, Jacques Cartier Park and closed downtown streets. Hundreds of thousands come to the capital city for concerts, street performances, picnics, and fireworks displays.

www.ottawatourism.ca/ottawa-insider/canada-day
2020 International
Ottawa Busker Festival

Early August, 2021, (TBC) four days at Sparks Street Mall. Clowns, jugglers, acrobats, fire-eaters, comedians, magicians, other street performers from around the world in North America's original pedestrian street mall. Lots to eat and drink too. FB

www.ottawabuskerfest.com
Celebrating 36 years together!
Capital Pride 2021 La Fierté dans la Capitale

August 22-29, 2021. A week of LGBT celebrations features both local and international talent. Festival favourites such as the official Flag Raising, Speaker Series, Capital Pride Pageant and the Parade from Bank and Gladstone with marching contingents, floats, live music, kings and queens. See updates at: FB

ottawacapitalpride.ca
North America's largest animation event!
The Ottawa International Animation Festival 2021

September - October, 2021 (TBC). Annual presentation: the world’s most cutting-edge and quirky animation attracts film and animation buffs, art lovers and filmmakers from around the globe with screenings, workshops, panels and parties at the ByTowne Cinema, National Gallery of Canada, Arts Court, Saint Brigid's Centre for the Arts, and the Chateau Laurier. Past year online.

oiaf2020.ca
Annual Music Festival of French Ontario for over 40 years running
Festival franco-ontarien 2021

September, 2021 (Not yet confirmed) at Parc Major's Hill. The annual three-day weekend festival of music of Francophone Ontario. Postponed from June until September. Get a taste with video clips on their website:

www.ffo.ca
An urban winter celebration in Canada's Capital Region
Winterlude | Bal de Neige Ottawa-Gatineau 2022

February 4-21, 2022. Winter pleasures such as tube sliding, skating on the Rideau Canal skateway, and admiring snow and ice sculptures share the spotlight with a cultural and culinary program. For complete information, see the website, the Capital information kiosk at 90 Wellington St, or kiosk at Snowflake Kingdom, Jacques-Cartier Park.

www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/winterlude.html
Presented by Kunstadt Sports
Snow Pride | Fierté des neiges

February, 2022 (TBC) at Mont Ste Marie Ski, 76 chemin de la montagne, Lac Sainte-Marie, Quebec. Annual LGBTQ2 pride festival at host mountain Mont Ste Marie Ski, Quebec - just an hour from downtown Ottawa/Gatineau, and under three hours from Montreal. An Outaouais mountain setting for an action-packed weekend! See the program at:

www.facebook.com/events/3282556455151699
Winter + Summer events
Ottawa Winter Jazz Fest + Ottawa Jazz Fest

Early March, 2022. WinterFest. Also June-July, annual summer festival at various venues. Among the National Capital Region’s most highly anticipated musical events of the year, bring jazz to downtown Ottawa, dynamic programming and innovations w/ the finest musicians from across Canada and around the world; all genres and inspirations of Jazz.

ottawajazzfestival.com
Celebrating Indigenous Arts In Algonquin Territory
Asinabka Film & Media Arts Festival

April, 2022 (TBC). Celebrating Indigenous Film and Media Arts in Algonquin Territory, Ottawa. Independent artists and film-makers share, present and disseminate their work. Space for Indiginous peoples to tell their own stories and see their own cultures reflected. Entertaining/ innovating at the heart of the unsurrendered land of the Algonquins of the Ottawa River Valley.

asinabkafestival.org
Electro-fied!
Ottawa Bluesfest

Mid-July, 2022, LeBreton Flats, 10-day fest, west of Parliament Hill. Among the largest annual international music events, 220+ musical acts perform on outdoor stages; over 300,000 fans each summer. Bike to the fest! Site is bordered by the Trans-Canada Trail, a tree-lined bike path through Ottawa, along the Ottawa River. Find secure bike parking beside the festival site.

ottawabluesfest.ca
International Gay Rugby (IGR) - The Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament
Bingham Cup 2022

August, 2022. The biennial world championships of gay and inclusive rugby hosted by the Ottawa Wolves in Ottawa in 2022 (postponed from 2020). Rugby players, supporters and staff from around the world come together every two years in a celebration of equality, inclusivity and sportsmanship. 74 teams from 20 countries participated in the most recent Bingham Cup in Amsterdam in June 2018.

www.binghamcup.com
Hot Air Balloon Festival
Festival de montgolfières de Gatineau

September, 2022 (TBC), normally five days of events in parc de la Baie, Gatineau: hot air balloons aloft; amusement park rides, shows, live entertainment, magic and circus acts on stage and around the site; over 200,000 people in attendance.

www.montgolfieresgatineau.com