This WEEKENDER is brought to you by the ByWard Market
City Folk – Marvest
Folk Fest to City Folk – the name change came with an added bonus: Marvest, a musical harvest. Part of CityFolk (Sept. 16 – 20), the free festival will run Thursday, Sept. 17 to Sunday, Sept. 20 and feature over 60 local bands and singers who will perform at Aberdeen Pavilion and along Bank St. at 13 local shops. Venues include: The Wild Oat, Metro Music, Octopus Books, Black Squirrel Books, House of Targ (the only paid show, minimal at $5), Kunstadt Sports, FarmTeam Cookhouse & Bar, David’s Tea, The Unrefined Olive, Original Burger Joint, Whole Foods, Local, and Irene’s.
“The focus of Marvest is to present Ottawa with a feast of locally produced music, food and drink – everything from within 100 miles of the region.”
In keeping with the local theme, nine bands from the area were chosen to release their new albums at Marvest. The performances will cater to a variety of audiences, with Saturday afternoon shows being more family focused. Check the schedule for more details.
The Glebe, cityfolkfestival.com/marvest.
Richmond Fair
As we gear up to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017, we must give an honourable mention to the Richmond fair which is celebrating a milestone of its own. Starting Thursday, Sept. 17 to Sunday, Sept. 20, join the fun for the 171st fair, the largest spectator event held annually within the surrounding areas.
The fair promotes agricultural awareness within the Ottawa (which has the largest agricultural land base and agricultural economy in Canada) and has a variety of activities. There will be a midway, lawn tractor pull, singers and bands, agricultural shows, demolition derby, dairy show, kids entertainment, arts, crafts, livestock, produce, and cowboy boots. In no particular order. Check the site for the schedule.
Thursday has free admission to the grounds, Friday to Sunday 13 years of age +: $10; 6 to 12: $5; and 5 and under are free.
Richmond Agricultural Society, P.O. Box 1210, Richmond, 613-838-3420, richmondfair.ca.
Kitchen Party
Café Nostalgica & CHUO 89.1 are hosting the fourth anniversary of the Kitchen Party. Not the typical Tupperware party – not Tupperware affiliated at all in fact. Friday, Sept. 18 from 9 p.m. – 2:00 a.m., prepare to party with DJs Hobo & Sweet Cheeks (Pawel Skorupski and Jose Palacios), founders of the monthly dance party that began in 2011. Continuing to lead Ottawa’s DJ scene and dance culture, you will find (and hear) a well curated spin list of funk, soul, disco, hip hop, electro, house, techno, and everything in between.
Toronto-based AA Wallace will also be on deck leading with original dance-floor beats. “Wallace channels the art of classic, dance-pop production in the funk-infused nu-disco burner, Harlequin, and the driving synth-pop anthem, VLT Girls (We Win Again).” Having performed at NXNE, Halifax Pop Explosion, Evolve, Great Escape UK, and has an upcoming spot at POP Montreal, he is not one to be missed.
Ottawa’s own, Memetic, is a DJ, producer, TIMEKODE’s resident man-on-the-mic, and according to Play De Record in Toronto, he is “one of Canada’s best beatmakers”. According to the Facebook page, his latest 2 LP opus, RIDEAU2RICHMOND features contagious musical ideas for headphones and dancefloors. After entering through the ear, infection is imminent.
$8 if you arrive before 11 p.m., and $10 after. For more info on the DJs and to stay up to speed, follow the Facebook page.
Café Nostalgica, 601 rue Cumberland St., 613-562-5800.
Nuit Blanche
Nuit Blanche, literally translated from French, means White Night. Originating in Nantes, France, the annual nighttime arts festival takes place in the summer when the sunset is late and the sun rise is early, keeping the night from every being in full darkness. Typically, museums, private and public art galleries, and other cultural institutions are open and free of charge, with the downtown core of the city being turned into a de facto art gallery itself, providing space for art installations, performances, themed social gatherings, and other activities. Similar festivals have sprouted all over the world taking their own spin.
Ottawa will celebrate its fourth Nuit Blanche festival this Saturday, Sept. 19, a bilingual event called HYPE-FRÉNÉSIE (Hyper-Frenzy) that will run from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. taking place across multiple venues and within the cityscape of Ottawa and Gatineau such as the ByWard Market and the Arts Court.
Approximately 160 artists took part in the inaugural event in September 2012, a part of a quartet of Nuit Blanche events that took place across Ontario, and were visited by nearly 30,000 people.
There will be over 70 projects to check out this year, such as artist Jonathan Hobin, a Canadian photo-based artist, and his series, Cry Babies, at City Hall. Saint Brigid’s Centre for the Arts will have an animation screening and massive dance party. More music, food and drink to be had over at the Orange Art Gallery, too.
See the website for the schedule of the night, as well as for the free shuttle bus route. You can also download their program, which includes maps and descriptions.
Ottawa + Gatinuea, nbog.ca.
Taste of Wellington West
What is Wellington West? It is home to Hintonburg, Wellington Village, over 500 businesses from the O-train line to Island Park Drive along Wellington St. W.
This Saturday, Sept. 19 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., head to the Village and visit some of those 500+ shops for Tastes of Wellington West – a free one day event to thank all those who shop in the neighbourhood, and invite everyone across the city to come and explore Hintonburg and Wellington Village.
Tastes of Wellington West has grown over the years to highlight shopping, arts, and of course food, that calls this area home. Sidewalk sales, demos, food samples, course registrations, music, kids play zone, Parkdale Market, and good cheer await!
Wellington St. W., wellingtonwest.ca/tastes-of-wellington-west-2015.
Ottawa Burlesque Festival
Corsets. G-strings. Feather boas. Glitter. Lots and lots of sass — and a healthy dollop of body positivity.
Sound like your idea of a good time? Then you’re in luck. The Ottawa Burlesque Festival is back for its second year with performers from Ottawa and around the world.
Headliners include Toronto’s burlesque school headmistress, Coco Framboise, as well as Montreal’s BonBon Bombay, veteran performer and activist Jo Weldon, and burlesque legend Judith Stein.
The festival begins on Thursday, Sept. 17 and continues until Sunday, Sept. 20. Performances are delivered in both English and French, and are entirely wheelchair accessible. Admission from $20. Venues vary. See website for schedule, venues, and ticket info.
ottawaburlesquefest.com.
Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco’s name is synonymous with more than just music — she’s also involved with numerous social causes, and for more than 20 years, she’s been penning folk-rock anthems about everything from feminism to income inequality to the horrors of war.
But recently, she’s taken a (slightly) mellower approach to her songwriting. She’s married now, and mother to two young children, and the songs on her latest album, Allergic to Water, reflect the ups and downs of personal life.
See her perform selections from her vast repertoire on Friday, Sept. 18 at the Algonquin Commons Theatre. Tickets are $43.
Algonquin Commons Theatre, Algonquin College, 1385 Woodroffe Ave., 613-727-4723 ext. 7711, algonquinsa.com.
Pinball and Gameroom Show
Despite the flashing lights and various bells and whistles associated with pinball, it’s a game that’s been around since the mid 1700s. The prototype was called “billard japonais” and it was first used in the French court of King Louis XIV. Although its design was rudimentary, its spring and plunger — the apparatus that allows the player to shoot the ball up the table — is still in use in machines today.
No longer limited to French royalty, you can purchase such an apparatus for yourself at the Ottawa Pinball and Gameroom Show on Saturday, Sept. 19. Purchase games, machines, and parts at the Playdium market, battle it out in the O-Town Throw-Down for the coveted title of Grand Wizard, and chow down on delicious perogies and hot dogs courtesy of House of Targ.
The fun and games continue until Sunday, Sept. 20. General admission is $10; $5 for children aged 12 and under.
Maker Space North, 250 City Centre Ave., ottawapinball.com.