From Fairmont Chateau Laurier Best Nearby Events (Events) (10 Overall Closest) Metro: Ottawa, ON Christmas Lights Across Canada (Events - Best of the City) Downtown, Ottawa  ON Distance: ~0 m         Description: All across the country, government buildings, museums and other public spaces get the twinkle light treatment for the month of December. Capital regions such as Ottawa take special pains to create glittering displays with hundreds of thousands of lights, making the holiday season extra festive. More than 300,000 lights add to the already beautiful city of Ottawa during the holiday season. Winterlude / Bal de neige (Events - Best of the City) 1001 Queen Elizabeth Driveway Rideau Canal & Dows Lake, Ottawa  ON  K1S 5K7 • 613-239-5000 • FAX: 613-239-5188 Distance: ~0 m         Description: This popular February event attracts more than 700,000 visitors. Activities include dog sledding, snowmobile races, ice carving, horse-drawn sleigh rides and snow golf. Enjoy ice-skating on the more than four-and-a-half miles of the world's largest naturally frozen ice rink, the Rideau Canal. Keskinada Loppet (Events - Best of the City) Gatineau Pkwy Gatineau Park, Chelsea  QC  J9B 1R5 Distance: ~0 m         Description: Thousands of cross-country skiers take part in Ottawa’s annual Keskinada Loppet, a competition involving races ranging from 2K to 53K. There are races for all skill levels, including a short route for kids. Fun for the whole family, whether you’re a participant or a spectator. Festival Canadien des Tulipes (Events - Best of the City) 1001 Queen Elizabeth Driveway Dows Lake Pavillion, Ottawa  ON Distance: ~0 m         Description: Known as the tulip capital of North America, Ottawa fittingly hosts the world's largest tulip festival. This is an 18-day May event showcasing more than three million tulips. The festival originated in 1945 after the city received 100,000 tulip bulbs from the Netherlands' Princess Juliana. There are various admission costs, depending on what you want to see and do. Ottawa International Children's Festival (Events - Best of the City) Lebreton Flats Park and the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa  ON • 613-241-0999 • FAX: 613-241-5774 Distance: ~0 m         Description: Rarely does an event come around that entertains both children and adults like the Ottawa International Children's Festival does. The five-day Ottawa festival includes a variety of performances and events aimed at entertaining and humoring children and adults alike. Great for the whole family, the festival takes place at various different venues in Ottawa. Entertainment includes circus performers, plays, musical acts and hands-on activities. Le Festival Franco-Ontarien (Events - Best of the City) ByWard Market and others, Ottawa  OT  K1N 9K1 • 613-321-0102 Distance: ~0 m         Description: Held each June, this lively festival celebrates the Ottawa-Hull region's French heritage. Events take place on both sides of the river, from busking and musical performances to pub crawls, parades, and special art exhibits. Special venues during this mid-summer's event include the ByWard Market, Times Square Building and most of the city's major parks. Westfest (Events - Best of the City) Richmond Rd Westboro Village, Ottawa  ON  K1Z 6X1 Distance: ~0 m         Description: Richmond Road, from Tweedsmuir Avenue to Golden Avenue, is the setting for Westboro Village’s annual Westfest. Some 50,000 people attend the arts festival, which features a huge variety of music, dance and theater performances, plus literary events and a curated visual art exhibit. There’s also a section just for kids, with activities and performances that will appeal to the younger set. Ottawa Fringe Festival (Events - Best of the City) Various venues, Ottawa  ON Distance: ~0 m         Description: Fringe theater festivals modeled on the successful Edinburgh, Scotland event have gained in popularity over the years, and Canada boasts some of the best. Ottawa’s August festival includes dozens of performances staged at some 15 venues, from auditoriums at the University of Ottawa to art galleries. You can catch avante-garde performance art, monologues, one-act plays and more traditional shows. Ottawa Dragon Boat Race Festival (Events - Best of the City) 2960 Riverside Dr Mooney's Bay, Ottawa  ON Distance: ~0 m         Description: In China during the Warring States Period (475 – 221 BC), there lived a much-admired poet and statesman named Qu Yuan. He was exiled, and when he heard that his mother country had been overthrown, he drowned himself in the river. Local fishermen raced to the spot to try to save him, tossing zongzi (little rice dumplings) and other foods into the water to keep the fish away from his body. Sadly, their efforts were to no avail, but ever since, people have honored Qu Yuan with exciting dragon boat races on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese calendar. Ottawa’s celebration features some 180 teams, plus a silent auction, music and dance, magic, and plenty of food. Festival international de jazz d'Ottawa (Events - Best of the City) Elgin St at Laurier Ave Confederation Park, Ottawa  ON  K1P 6H7 • 613-241-2633 Distance: ~0 m         Description: For more than 25 years, this June-July festival has been a summer favorite. The artist lineup features a variety of national and international performers in genres ranging from Dixieland to Fusion. Copyright ©2001 10Best Inc. All rights reserved.