Hello Ottawa

WEDNESDAY DRINKING AND DINING UPDATE

• 🇱🇧 Ottawa Lebanese Festival returns to St. Elias Antichian Orthodox Cathedral, running until Sunday (July 19). Entry costs a reasonable $3 per person (or $10 per 4-pack). There are multiple opportunities to sample the cuisine and you'll also find a market for shopping, a midway, a stage for entertainment, and tours of St. Elias Antichian Orthodox Cathedral. 

• 🍻 Take a road trip to Merrickville on Thursday July 23 for Gather Brewery and Glassworks’ Hazy Pale Spotlight event. You’ll compare beers from Flora Hall, Beyond the Pale, Whiprsnapr, Fine Balance, Bridgemasters, and the host brewery’s own Glassblower’s Assistant Pale Ale, all of which will be paired with food. 

• ⏲️ Bibi’s Middle Eastern Kitchen at 1155 Lola St is closing permanently on July 30. Until then, the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, and you can order through Uber Eats. (Overbrook) 

• 🍷 Stratus Vineyards is the guest star at Red Apron’s next Sip & Sample event on Thursday July 30. It's free to attend but you must book by emailing info@redapron.ca Centretown) 

• 🪔 Tickets to Aurelius’s Summer Flavour Tasting Experience are extremely limited. Choose from three neighbourhoods and three dates but book soon to avoid disappointment. 

• 🌭 In the Ottawa Citizen, Sofia Misenheimer has given her ‘9 affordable lunch picks just steps from Tunney's Pasture’. They are: gnocchi poutine from Parma Ravioli, shaobing wrap from Moo Shu Ice Cream & Kitchen, beef brisket suadero from Mi Amor Tacos, chicken hakka noodle from Namche Kitchen, Nashville hot OG sandwich from Nunna’s Hot Chicken, bulgogi hotteok from Korean Mother’s Meals, bagel sandwich from Ottawa Bagelshop, pork momos from The Momo Spot, and Bombay Masala toastie from Vylora Cafe. Plus a bonus meal of dulce de leche coffee and  sourdough toast cookie from Ahh!!! Coffee.

• 🥡 In Apartment 613’s Best Bites column, Kiersten Vuorimaki  ate at Pine Marten at Brigid’s Well (‘the food is next-level, fresh, and creative’), 50 Two Sandwiches (‘I’m just another Candied Club acolyte for life now’), and Coqueto (‘this was a next-level experience for me’).

STATISTICS OTTAWA

NUMBER

• $42.9 million

• The amount in parking fees that were collected by CHEO, Montfort Hospital, the Ottawa Hospital, and Queensway-Carleton Hospital last year.

• – Josh Pringle at CTV

OTTAWAN OF THE DAY

• Nico Gravel

• After 15 years of entertaining crowds in front of Bluefest, the bagpiper is packing up his instrument to play the festivals of Europe.

– Josh Pringle at CTV

QUOTE

“

• Through the negativity bias, we allocate more neural resources to negative events. Not letting ourselves get on this negative slippery slope requires positive thinking and is imperative to being mentally robust

–  400m hurdles champion David Moulongou on how working with a sports psychologist changed the mental side of his training.

– Cameron Ormond in Canadian Runner

PLEASE SUPPORT THE OTTAWAN

WHAT’S GOING ON AT CITY HALL

WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

THE DAILY POLL

Are you attending Bluesfest this year?

🔘 I go every year and love it

🔘 I went for the first time and loved it

🔘 I plan to go and have good vibes about it

🔘 I used to but I don’t go any longer

🔘 Never been, never wanted to

• 
  Previously in OTTAWAN polls:

• What do you think about the fireworks situation?

  • 30% Obviously, if a big show is rained out, the fireworks should be set off in secret later that week

  • 23% The same people approved Lansdowne 2.0, so ...

  • 13% The same people that approved the O Train project, so ...

  • 14% The same people approved construction in Byward Market in the middle of summer tourist season, so ...

  • 20% The Night Mayor should have been consulted

  • 
    Commentary

▪️ “We can only pick one but all of the above. This city is embarrassing sometimes. They forgot that people live downtown. That’s inconceivable and yet here we are.”

▪️ “Why would you set them off on a rainy week night at 11pm with no notice? They could have waited a day or two and notified people. They were also set off in such quick succession that it was so jarring for those of us who live nearby. So stupid and wasteful.”

▪️ “LOL, I forgot about The Night Mayor. Really killing it, that guy.”

▪️ “Sadly yet another city of Ottawa fiasco!!!!”

▪️ “Best possible solution, if the clock was ticking. But if it could have waited a few weeks then announce the fireworks show a week in advance and launch them some weekend night. Make it a tourist attraction and party for Ottawans.”

▪️ “We got a wicked view of them from our balcony sssooo. IDK ... screw the rest of the city that didn’t?”

▪️ “As a taxpayer I paid for those fireworks, I would have liked the opportunity to enjoy them.”

▪️ “I enjoy fireworks, but maybe not so much when there's already a warning about poor air quality. I really feel for humans and pets for whom unexpected loud bangs are a major trigger. This is grossly irresponsible on the part of the City.”

▪️ “It doesn't matter what you do, someone always complains. But in fairness, in this case, a notice should have been given out. Why so secret? Some people at City Hall still don't understand.”

▪️ “The fact that the city manager makes half a million dollars a year, and yet still this city is in shambles, tells me that my tax dollars are not well spent. The Prime Minister doesn't even make that much. Infuriating.”

▪️ “It sounded like gunshots being fired off at the beginning! I am sure this was frightening to those suffering from PTSD. I would also disagree that the fireworks went off at 10:53 pm. I was not impressed.”

▪️ “This time ‘all of the above’ should have been an option 😊”

HISTORIC OTTAWA LOGO T-SHIRTS

BNR T-Shirt Northern Electric was founded in Montréal in 1895, growing into one of the world’s largest and most important telecom companies. Nortel hung up the phone in 2013. It's campus on Carling Avenue became the new home of the Department of National Defence. Help support the ottawan by buying one of our historic logo t-shirts. Shop for t-shirts

THE ROLLING THREE DAY CALENDAR

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✳️ Means change from previous edition

WEDNESDAY

• Every evening at 5:15 pm in the non-winter months the cows at Canada Agriculture and Food Museum make their way from the barn to the pasture. During the 5/15 Farm Run humans will also be making their way along farm roads, but for a cause. While it’s too late to get a personalized running bib, and the kids’ 1K is sold out, adults can still register to run, and a portion of your running fee will be donated to The Good Companions.

• As new day dawns at Music and Beyond Festival, Lucy Landymore delivers a Masterclass in Percussion and Writing for Vibraphone, for percussion and composition students. Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre (Centretown). At 2:00 pm Cameron Crozman (cello) and Meagan Milatz (piano) play Enescu, Louie, Debussy, and Rachmaninoff at Church of St. Barnabas (Centretown) Russian pianist and composer Arsentiy Kharitonov plays a diverse program (Church of St. Barnabas (Centretown), and Paradora Tango Ensemble with Tangodeoro will announce their program from the stage at Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre (Centretown). 

• Ottawa Lebanese Festival returns to St. Elias Antichian Orthodox Cathedral, running until Sunday (July 19). Entry costs a reasonable $3 per person (or $10 per 4-pack), but you'll get in for free if you go before 5:00 pm. There are multiple opportunities to sample the cuisine and you'll also find a market for shopping, a midway for playing, a stage for entertainment, and tours of St. Elias Antichian Orthodox Cathedral.

• 🆓 Road Trip The Almonte 5 Wednesdays in July concert series is a chance to slow down and enjoy local music under the evening sky. It's free, but donations collected at the event support not only the festival but a citizen-led park. This week, Spencer Scharf takes to the stage at 6:00 pm, followed by Nick Straccini at 7:00 pm. 

• Natasha Bedingfield headlines Bluesfest. 

• The 2026 season of Summer Maze Days at Saunders Farm starts today. Families will want to check out the maze and other activities such as the puppet show, play structures, wagon rides, and splash pad. Other attractions, the zipline and the Bear Factory are available at an additional cost. 

Cinema

• ByTowne Cinema:  The Invite, Steal This Story, Please! 

• Mayfair Theatre: Maddie’s Secret, Pinocchio  

Gigs

• Steve Boudreau Trio. The Robo Lounge

• Jazz Jam (with the Beeched Wailers). Irene’s Pub

• Hip Hop Jam. Red Bird

• The Space Between, Bella Donna. House of TARG

THURSDAY

• ✳️ Road Trip: St Lawrence Shakespeare Festival is expanding in unexpected ways this season. R&J And Joni is a new musical interpretation of Shakespeare's tragic love story, set to the music of Joni Mitchell. As for the Scottish Play, this season you’ll walk around the Maitland Tower in the immersive production of Macbeth.  

• Beer and Bites brings pairings of beer from Brauwerk Hoffman (Rockland) and food from St-Estèphe to Vanier Sugar Shack.(Vanier) 

• Festival Parasol opens at Hôtel-Casino du Lac-Leamy for four days of themed entertainment. Today's theme is country; you'll move like a pro when you take the line-dancing class at 6:00 pm (Gatineau)   

• 🆓 At today’s Songs from the Shed on Sparks St., May Davis and Jim Ray McDonald perform from noon to 1:30 pm. (Downtown) 

• Today’s programming at Music and Beyond Festival begins with a recital by Lucy Landymore at noon (Centretown). At 2:00pm The Delinquent Monk: Paris through the eyes of Francis Poulenc explores the music of Paris between 1928 and 1945. (Church of St. Barnabas). Hear the big sounds of Hannaford Street Silver Band at Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre at 7:30pm. (Centretown). The Juno award-winning Pro Coro Canada choir performs at St. Matthews Anglican Church in the Glebe. 

• The Speed Puzzle Competition is no genteel evening at the card table; this is competitive puzzle solving that is helped along with beer, food, and teamwork. At the Royal Oak at Bank and Maclaren. 

• At Bluesfest, Lord Huron headlines. 

• The Goulbourn Museum is offering the chance to create your own 19th century top hat or fascinator at the Village Hat Shop, today through Sunday. 

• Ottawa Rapid plays Halifax Tides FC at TD Place. (The Glebe) 

• 🆓 This week Lansdowne Park Movie Nights is screening Night at the Museum. Be there round about sunset.(The Glebe)  

• 🆓 Next Door at Night’s Ottawa Mystic Market has vendors, readings, and, naturally, a mystical vibe. (Wellington West)

• Shop from the well chosen vendors at this week’s Hintonburg Night Market. 

Cinema

• ByTowne Cinema: Steal This Story, Please! The Invite, Gummo 

• Mayfair Theatre: The Sheep Detectives, 40 Years of Fuckin’ Up, The Furious 

Gigs

• The Burningtree, Emerg, The Son, Idioglossia. Avant-Garde Bar

• The Deserves. The Robo Lounge

• Sad Girl Café. GigSpace

• Irene’s Thursday Blues Sessions with Guest Host Terry Gillespie. Irene’s Pub

FRIDAY

• The Music and Beyond Festival Closing Gala program was selected by audience members, and will be performed by a who's who of festival performers including Thirteen Strings, Matthew Larkin, Caelis Academy Ensemble, Kellylee Evans, Lara Deutsch, Marc Djokic, Frédéric Lacroix.(Centretown)   

• Ella Langley headlines on the RBC stage at Bluesfest. (LeBreton Flats)   

• Toronto FC visits Atlético Ottawa (The Glebe)  

• Shop from local vendors at the Gloucester Night Market (Earl Armstrong Arena) 

• Orléans Unplugged brings live music to Centrum Town Centre every Friday night this summer.

• Get down to on the open air dance floor at Metcalfe Plaza: Amashowza launches with Dynamite, Just Jenneh, Waklexx. (Centretown) 

• A Company of Fools brings William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream to Beechwood Cemetery from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Donations gratefully accepted. (Vanier) 

• The St Lawrence Shakespeare Festival continues its 2026 season. 

Cinema

• ByTowne Cinema: The Invite, La Rêve Américain (The American Dream), Friday the 13th the Final Chapter 

• Mayfair Theatre: The Sheep Detectives, Michael, Sick Puppy 

Gigs

• The Undercovers. The Carleton Tavern

• Douses de Kizomba. Club SAW

• Steve Forbert. Red Bird

• Jacob Barber and Melody Machine. Motel Chelsea

• Jeremy Olander. City at Night

• Blue Standard. The Robo Lounge

JUST ANNOUNCED / NOW BOOKING

• We suspect that Wayward Improvised Theatre’s first show of the 2026-2027 season, Bonfire Improvised Tales of Terror, will have you jumping out of your chair. Saturdays from October 3 - November 21. (Downtown)

• Audition dates have been announced for the first production of Orpheus Musical Theatre’s 120th season. Members may audition for Frozen on Tuesday August 4, with the general public auditioning the following Tuesday August 11. (Hintonburg)  

DEALS OF THE DAY

Select items from the ‘Football’ collection of fits from Province of Canada are now discounted: The unisex Football Script Sweatshirt in Green, the Football Retro Sweatshirt in Natural, and the Football Helvetica Sweatshirt in Natural have all been reduced from $148 to $98.    Alphabet charms are 30% off at Melanie Auld.

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BUT, ONE MORE THING ...

Laura Paquet of Ottawa Road Trips has three good suggestions for daytrips to Lanark, the county next door. She suggests paddling in Perth, taking the train to Smiths Falls and visiting the train museum, and eating your way through the county.

RAPID RESPONSE QUALITY CONTROL

THE END

THE OTTAWAN is written and edited every working weekday by Martha and Darren. Is there something that Ottawa should know about? Email to us at hello@theottawan.com. We read every single comment.