Thursday, December 3
The Gallery’s enormous tree is being lit and we’re all invited.
#NGCTRee: Here’s a chance to take your family holiday snap. The National Gallery is lighting its enormous, natural Christmas Tree with over 12,000 lights today and all are invited to participate in the event — including music from Stellae Boreales of the Ottawa Suzuki Strings and hot chocolate to enjoy, while kids of all ages can colour drawings taken from a current exhibit, 5 to 8 p.m., 380 Sussex Dr. Admission: The gallery is free Thursday evening. gallery.ca
Over 50 racialized, immigrant women shared their stories in Canada — of triumph and courage, adversity and isolation, in the book Resilience and Triumph, covering 50 years of Canadian history and changing times, which will be launched at Octopus Books with host Adrian Harewood, 7 p.m., 251 Bank St. octopusbooks.ca
Bearded barbarians or kindly farmers? Bust the myths of the fabled Scandinavian Vikings at a brand new, interactive exhibit at the Canadian Museum of History, opening today with over 500 artifacts on loan from the Swedish History Museum, 10:30 a.m. historymuseum.ca
Speaking of history, there is over 8,000 years of our own to discover at the free, Archeology in the capital region talk; though it won’t all get covered, expert speakers will discuss conservation efforts alongside an Algonquin-Anishinabe perspective, with a Q&A opportunity, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Capital Urbanism Lab, 100 Sparks St. Reserve a seat at ncc-ccn.gc.ca.
The Annual Christmas Shopping Party at Re:purpose, Operation Come Home’s boutique storefront offering recycled materials and creations from young artisans,employing at-risk and homeless youths, is on 4 to 9 p.m., 150 Gloucester St. Items featured include these delightful Christmas ornaments, made during the BeadWorks programs which give youth a place to spend their afternoons, out of the cold.
Enjoy the music from A Charlie Brown’s Christmas live.
The holidays really don’t start before Charlie Brown’s Christmas gets screened, so tonight it begins as Jerry Granelli performs, with other musicians, the soundtrack live, 7 p.m., Dominion-Chalmers United Church, 355 Cooper St. Tickets: $41.50, $19.50/children 12 and under. ottawajazzfestival.com
The HUB Holiday Night Market has local vendors such as TUBEDJewelry, Oat & Mill, Fauxmagerie Zengarry, Culture Kombucha and Radical Homestead selling handmade wares, punctuated by beats from DJ JFun, 6 p.m., 71 Bank St. Admission: Free, but donations will be accepted for the Ottawa Food Bank.
Photos: What to do this week
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Friday, December 4
The new pedestrian/cycling crossing is opening today, linking Overbrook and Sandy Hill.
Get bundled up to take a stroll across the new Adàwe crossing, the new cycling and pedestrian bridge over the Rideau River linking Overbook and Sandy Hill, at two separate opening events today. The official opening ceremony starts at 1 p.m., including the Mayor and councillors, 25 Range Rd, followed by an informal, community evening gathering with lanterns at 7:30 p.m., beginning at the Riverside Memorial Park at the corner of Queen Mary and North River Road. (Weather appropriate attire and hot drinks are welcome at both.)
International experts will talk security, terrorism and what is to come in 2016 at Carleton University’s Canadian Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies Intelligence Outlook one-day conference, including nuclear proliferation, cyber security and the future of land warfare, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Canadian War Museum, 1 Vimy Pl. Tickets: $125. http://bit.ly/1Xm7ZlU
The Queers and Beers series is back, challenging the heteronormative culture that often surrounds the craft brew scene, while “dropping glitter bombs trails” and making new friends. This time, all are welcome to meet at Lowertown Brewery, from 6 p.m., 73 York St. All genders and sexualities welcome. Cover: $3, or PWYC. thequeermafia.com
Now for music:
The Pressgang Mutiny joins Ian Bell.
Make it yourself at the Come Sing Messiah participatory event — a much anticipated evening where hundreds of vocalists, skilled and not-so, sing Handel’s masterpiece, starting with rehearsal at 6 p.m., performance at 8 p.m., Dominion-Chalmers United Church, 355 Cooper St. Tickets: $10 singers, $25 audience. cammac.ca
It’s songs of the Great Lakes and salty seas at a shanty event featuring multiple-Canadian Folk Award nominee Ian Bell with Canada’s youngest shantymen, the Pressgang Mutiny, many on leave from the Lemon Bucket Orkestra (and who are busy recording their first album), 8 p.m., Rosemount Hall, 41 Rosemount Ave. There will be traditional ballads, sung a cappella with complex harmonies, while a plethora of instruments from concertinas to mandolins, fiddles to button accordions, will be used to pull out some jigs and hornpipes. Tickets: $20. www.ottawacontra.ca
Modern Baseball are a young indie-pop band from Maryland, not to be confused with Vancouver’s themed Punk Rock Baseball Club, who only sing songs about baseball. Modern Baseball do veer into other territories, and do so with a certain witty, grunge-light panache worth a listen; their sophomore studio album is due in the new year. See them with PUP, Jeff Rosenstock and Tiny Moving Parts, 7 p.m., Ritual. Tickets: $20. spectrasonic.com
Then go back in time as local musicians resurrect their I Can’t Believe It’s Not series to take on Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, the dream record, in an all-ages concert including Caylie Runciman (Boyhood), Rolf Klausener (The Acorn, among others), Martin Charbonneau (of Fevers), Mike Dubue and Passcal Delaquis (of the Hilotrons), and Jon Hynes, 8 p.m., St. Alban’s Church, 454 King Edward Ave. The show is all-ages, but there will be drinks on offer including beer from Beyond the Pale, starting during a pre-show screening of classic concert films — audience choice! Tickets: $10 in advance, $15 at the door. facebook.com
Saturday, December 5
Elves helped keep the City Hall Christmas event fun in 2013.
Santa and Mrs. Claus will join Mayor Jim Watson for an early Christmas celebration at City Hall, including skating on the Rink of Dreams, horse-drawn wagon rides, crafts in Santa’s workshop, hot chocolate, roasted marshmallows and other delicious treats, 2 to 6 p.m. Children 11 years and younger can ride free on all OC Transpo routes to and from City Hall when accompanied by a fare-paying adult, 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. Admission: A non-perishable food donation to the Ottawa Food Bank.
Ottawas Heart Meets Paper is one of the vendors at the Urban Craft Market.
The Cumberland Christmas Market is being held in three different locations today, with over 70 local producers participating, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., R.J. Kennedy Community Centre, 1115 Dunning Rd.l, Ahmadiyya Community Centre, 2620 Market St., and St.. Andrew’s United Church, 2557 Montreal Rd., Cumberland. facebook.com
The hip, modern and handmade Urban Craft Market Holiday Bash has indie, gourmet and unique makers from Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal selling their wares, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 175 Third Ave. www.urbancraftmarket.com
There are two ways to (legally) admire private homes fro the inside this weekend:
The 10th annual Heritage Perth Christmas House Tour includes eight private homes, some historic and some modern, 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. all weekend. Tickets: $30. (Also, Santa will be making an appearance in a nighttime parade starting at Wilson St.) cfuw-perth-district.com
The Carleton Place House Tour also has eight homes on its map, running 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. today, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow (meaning one could actually make both of them), and has the chance to win one of nine prizes, including club seats at a Sens game. Tickets: $25, with proceeds going to the Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital, at 613-257-9717 or christmasincarletonplace@gmail.com.
Eddie May’s winter show, Sherlock Holmes and the Curious Case of the Cryptic Compendium, opens this week.
Last year it was Game of Thrones; this season Eddie May Mysteries is tackling Sherlock Holmes and the Curious Case of the Cryptic Compendium, an original script set in Victorian England (just in time for the Cumberbatch special to be screened in December) that makes Holmes the suspect and victim and brings all the classic characters on stage: Watson, Irene Adler, Insp. Lestrade and, of course, Moriarty, 7 p.m., 62 York St. Tickets: $55-$75, includes three-course lunch or dinner, taxes and gratuities. Dinner and lunch show schedule to Dec. 31 at www.eddiemay.com.
Tone Cluster, “quite a queer choir,” is holding their annual holiday-themed concert with usual cheekiness, calling it “Upon a Midnight Queer,” with a programme honouring traditions from across the globe — Diwali to Sankta Lucia, 8 p.m., Centretown United Church, 507 Bank St. Tickets at www.tonecluster.ca.
The Glitter Ball is a black-tie, elegant evening with a gourmet four-course dinner, with music from neo-folk chamber group MuskOx, a silent auction and a late-night sweets table at the Fairmoty Château Laurier that also offers the pleasant knowledge you got dressed up to help others, this time for a new Hemodialysis machine for CHEO, 5:30 p.m. Tickets: $175 with charitable receipts offered from EcoMedia Event Management. www.glitterball.ca
It’s a Craig Cardiff weekend, the Arnprior-based, folk singer-songwriter whose uncontrived, soothing tone immediately makes the audience relax and smile, as he plays three shows at the Black Sheep Inn: a 2 p.m. all-ages show and another at 8:30 p.m. today, and then another all-ages matinée at 4 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets: $20 in advance, children under 12 half-price at the door at the matinées. theblacksheepinn.com
If dancing is what you’re seeking, infectious indie-pop band The Elwins, whose LP Play for Keeps has garnerd a lot of attention for its catchy, good-natured tunes (including my spring song of the year, So Down Low), are at House of Targ, 10 p.m. Tickets: $10 — and their prices won’t stay so reasonable for long. spectrasonic.com
Call it Halloween redux, Gallery 101 are having a Retro Pop Karaoke and art auction fundraiser where they will be handing out prizes for the best pop-star costume, 7:30 p.m., Gallery 101, 51B Young St. Tickets: $10 at the door., with proceeds helping the gallery maintain its services to artists and the community. g101.ca
Sunday, December 6
Help-Portrait events offers free holiday portraits by professional photographers today.
Photographers, make-up artists and hair stylists have donated their time to take free, high-quality, Holiday Portraits of the less-fortunate in our community — including families, singles, homeless or elderly; all welcome! No photos will be used on websites or portfolios and no appointments are necessary, just drop in, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Montgomery Legion, 330 Kent St. facebook.com / www.help-portrait.com
Then from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Breakfast with Santa gives little ones a chance to whisper their holiday wishes while enjoying a free pancake breakfast (for the first 150 guests), crafts, cookie decorating and face painting, Old Firehall, 260 Sunnyside Ave. Admission: Donations to the Ottawa Food Bank welcome.
Dozens gathered at the Women’s Monument in Minto Park for the 25th annual candlelight vigil on Dec. 6, 2014.
The holidays can be difficult for people who are bereaved and Tubman Funeral Homes is offering free help and suggestions for coping with loss during this season after a special remembrance service and candle-lighting ceremony, starting at 4 p.m., 403 Richmond Rd. All welcome. www.tubmanfuneralhomes.com
A commemorative vigil will be held for the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, on the anniversary of the 1989 Montreal Massacre, starting with a placing of lanterns at the Women’s Monument and reading of the names of women who have died at the hands of men, in Minto Park at 6 p.m., followed by an ecumenical gathering at 7:30 p.m. at First United All Saints Church, 347 Richmond Rd. www.wiseottawa.ca
Everything is $100 and Under at this Christmas Sale by the West Carleton Arts Society, featuring handmade art pieces and crafts by local artisans, noon to 4 p.m., St. Paul’s United Church, 3760 Carp Rd.
Ottawa’s red-hot blues/rock band MonkeyJunk is having a free, vinyl release concert today at The Record Centre from 3 to 4:30 p.m., which is good news because it means there are no tickets to sell out. (and they usually do, including their performance Friday at the Black Sheep Inn though, at last check, there were still some left for their show there on Saturday.) Also, this is the first chance to hear the LP live *and* get your copy signed.
It’s the last day of the Mirror Mountain Film Festival, showing the “very best independent, underground and alternative cinema,” starting with a panel guide to film festivals (1 p.m.), followed by a screen of short films from the Ottawa region (3 p.m.), short and medium length documentaries by Canadian and international filmmakers (5 p.m.), double-bill of Runaway (Germany, 2013) and Tashi and the Monk (India/Tibet/USA, 2014) ending with a closing party and awards ceremony (8:30 p.m., free), all at Club SAW, 67 Nicholas St. Tickets: $5/film, $20/pass. mirrormountainfilmfest.com
Continuing with the theme of the fascinating and different, Ariane Morin (on Sax) and Yoni Kaston (on accordion) perform as Ihtimanska, a Montreal duo exploring the link between traditional music of Bulgaria and Turkey, with captivating complexity and sensitivity, and infectious good humour, 8 p.m., Black Squirrel Books. Tickets: $10 voluntary contribution suggested.
Monday, December 7
Starting today, Santa Claus will be accepting letters from good girls and boys in the big red mailbox at 7 Hersey Dr., Smiths Falls, with the help of the Smiths Falls Police Service. Letters can be dropped off or emailed to santa@sfps.ca and will be answered (with the help of elves from the Air Cadets). A lucky few will be read live on 92.3 JACK FM every week day until Dec. 18 with a chance to win a prize. (Canada Post is also delivering mail to Santa, with promise of a reply if mailed to Santa Claus, North Pole, H0H H0H, Canada, before Dec. 16.)
Be transported this Monday by British early-music performers The Tallis Scholars, who will perform an ethereal program of sacred music in a Christmas concert for the Ottawa Chamberfest, including Tallis’ Gregorian chant, Puer natus est nobis, and works by Sheppard and Arvo Pärt, 7:30 p.m., Notre Dame Basilica, 385 Sussex Dr. Tickets: $35. www.chamberfest.com.
Ricky, Mr. Lahey and the rest of the Trailer Park Boys are at the NAC this Monday.
Being Monday, and possibly the best day for dialectic, we offer as foil The Trailer Park Boys who are in town on their Dear Santa Claus Tour, which comes with the almost-unnecessary disclaimer the show contains mature content and “may not be suitable for all audiences.” All the usual characters will be there — from Bubbles to Randy, in different stages of holiday cheer, 8 p.m., NAC. Tickets: From $55. nac-cna.ca
For all who know what a purl is, the War Museum is holding a Knitting Challenge alongside their World War Women exhibit, to try to match the over 50 million items Canadians created during the conflicts to help soldiers and each other. All are invited to knit anything — mitts, socks, sweaters, afghans, scarves, even tea cozies — and send them in to the museum where it will be all counted at the end of January and then donated by longstanding knitters, IODE of Canada, to groups in need. Only new items accepted. (The current exhibit, Knitting for War, might provide some inspiration.) warmuseum.ca
Get in the spirit with a free, two-movie marathon, starting at 3 p.m. with Will Ferrell’s slapstick comedy Elf, followed by Home Alone (the original) at 5 p.m., Algonquin Commons Theatre. Just show up and grab a seat. www.algonquinsa.com
It’s a lottery of a different kind, as would-be performers wait with bated breath for their names to be drawn for a spot in the Ottawa Fringe Festival schedule, the only way shows are chosen — with performers keeping 100 per cent of all their ticket sales. The lottery party begins at 7 p.m. at Arts Court and yes, there is a cash bar. (The deadline for the lottery was Dec. 1. People applying for the BYOV — Bring Your Own Venue — option have until Jan. to apply.) ottawafringe.com
Tuesday, December 8
No penguins were injured in the making of the Rag & Bone Puppet Theatre’s new show.
It’s the first day for Rag & Bone Puppet Theatre’s new multimedia children’s show, The Last Polar Bears, about a grandfather’s trip to the Arctic with his opinionated dog, Roo, cute knit penguins and scenes from Henry Larson’s famous expedition — alongside adorable Arctic animals, 5 p.m., Shenkman Arts Centre. Suggested for ages 4 to 11 years, on to Dec. 13. Tickets: $10. shenkmanarts.ca
Nuclear Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility, by Taryn Simon.
Nothing makes people funnier than bloodlust: Local comedians battle for the chance to perform alongside the iconic Mary Walsh (and $500) at February’s Cracking Up The Capital comedy festival in a three-night, hilarious competition across the city, including tonight at 6 p.m., Orchard View Event Centre, 6346 Deermeadow Dr., and tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Connor’s Pub, 2401 St. Joseph Blvd. Tickets: $10 each night. www.crackup.ca
American mixed media artist Taryn Simon, a Guggenheim Fellow and most recently exhibited at the Jeu de Paume in Paris, will talk about her conceptual projects, politics of representation and the power and structure of secrecy in the latest edition of the Canadian Art Foundation lecture series, 7:30 p.m., National Gallery of Canada, 380 Sussex Dr. Tickets: $20, open to all. (She will also speak in Toronto on Dec. 11.) canadianart.ca
Wednesday, December 9
Cast members of the Great Canadian Theatre Company’s production of Angel Square, from left, Robert Marinier, Kristina Watts, Bruce Spinney and Mary Ellis, at a media preview.
It’s only $20 for tickets to the three weekday matinées of Ottawa scribe Brian Doyle’s family play of cultural and playground tensions in 1945, Angel Square, during its run at the GCTC, including at noon today, Dec. 15 and 17, 1233 Wellington St. W. Tickets: $20, regular prices for other shows from $30.98 to $46.02 to Dec. 20. www.gctc.ca
Heritage Ottawa’s next free public lecture is a “call to arms” to preserve our important landscapes and public open spaces with award-winning landscape architect Ron Williams, professsor at the Université de Montréal, including a discussion about the original work to preserve public spaces in the new Canada, and what we need to do today, 7:00 p.m., main branch of the public library, 120 Metcalfe St. www.heritageottawa.org
Let it be said that this is a Cool Kids Craft Show Christmas Sale, which, inevitably, means no one I know is eligible to attend. However, for everyone else, the show has run out of vendor spaces, taken by the likes of Cloud Forest Coffee, Clay Pigeon pottery, metal work by Joshua Koss, art from Ian Lee and much more, 5 p.m. to midnight, House of Targ, 1077 Bank St. No cover. www.houseoftarg.com
Ladies Night is back at Salle Odyssée.
After selling out all over Quebec, Ladies Night, the award-winning French version of a New Zealand play about unemployed workers developing a strip show, is back for two nights, 8 p.m., at Salle Odyssée, 8 p.m. (If the story sounds familiar, the playwrights agreed and launched a lawsuit against the producers of the 1997 hit movie The Full Monty. More trivia: One of the authors of the original play wrote the screenplay for The Theory of Everything. ) Tickets: $51-$55. salleodyssee.ca
Thursday, December 10
Holiday-themed Sip’N’Scrawl at Flapjack’s
Go old school at the Sip ‘N ‘Scrawl holiday edition, where pens are put to actual paper (letterpress cards, at that) to send notes to friends and loved ones by actual snail mail, 6 to 11 p.m., Flapjack’s, 354A Preston St. Get a letterpress card and envelope, hot chocolate to sip, pen, stamps to decorate and postage — plus organizers will make sure the cards make it into the mail, for $10 cash at the door. Extra cards ($6/each), stacks of fluffy pancakes and adult beverages are also available on site. facebook.com
Adele Bloch-Bauer I by Gustav Klimt.
The final film of this year’s TIFF series at the National Gallery of Canada is Woman in Gold, starring Helen Mirren and Canadian Ryan Reynolds in the true story of Jewish refugee Maria Altmann’s struggle to recover artwork stolen from her family during the Nazi regime, including one of her aunt Adele by the famous painter, Klimt, 6:30 p.m. The evening will be augmented by the attendance of Peter Altmann, son of the movie’s main character, who will discuss his family’s quest. Tickets: $9-$12, including tapas $29-$32. www.gallery.ca
Cape Breton fiddler Natalie McMaster starts a three-night party of holiday spirits and jigs at the National Arts Centre, 8 p.m. Tickets: from $25. nac-cna.ca.
Award-winning Elvis tribute performer Pete Paquette will perform Presley’s greatest Christmas hits — such as Blue Christmas, The Wonderful World of Christmas and Here Comes Santa Claus — at a holiday-themed Elvis concert, 7:30 p.m., Centrepointe Theatres. Tickets: $49. centrepointetheatres.com
Friday, December 11
It’s Friday. Let’s get the party started.
Rant Maggie celebrates a Celtic Christmas with a concert honouring the seven nations, including music from Isle of Mann, Galicia, Brittany and even Canada’s east coast, 7:30 p.m., NAC Fourth Stage. Tickets: $29.nac-cna.ca
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