Cultural Events in Downtown - September 2026
View on Map54 events in Downtown during September 2026. Find cultural happenings near you.
BlokJam
BlokJam is a brand new hip-hop festival/block party coming to Ottawa at ByWard Market Square on September 5th 2026. DJ s…
The Great Gatsby
The party’s roaring in Ottawa! THE GREAT GATSBY is a “Broadway extravaganza that explodes with life and energy” (Enterta…
Indigenous Art Mini-Market
Join us on Friday September 11 from 6:30pm-9:00pm in the Fountain Lobby as we host Indigenous artists and artisans for t…
Cranium Festival Afterparty 2026
Black History Walking Tour with Tom Barber
**FREE WALKING TOUR** Join Tom Barber for a walking tour of downtown Ottawa to learn about Ottawa’s Black history! Tom i…
Powwow Life-Drawing
Come join us for this two-hour life-drawing session where you can capture the dynamic beauty of powwow dances and their…
Reign-Bow Queer Cinema!
Please join us for Reign-Bow Queer Cinema! Please join us for our first ever edition of Reign-Bow Queer Cinema! Each mon…
Studio Rat: Plasticscapes
An inflated structure built from foraged plastics fills St. Albans Church for Culture Days, open over six evenings with…
Inflating Waste: Plastic Crafting with Studio Rat
A free hands-on workshop with Studio Rat, turning foraged plastic into craft inside the Plasticscapes installation.
The Historical Society of Ottawa presents: "20th century Can…
Laurence Wall looks back at the great events of the last century that radio helped bring to life.Laurence is a retired C…
Alchemy Fest
Alchemy Fest returns to LabO on Saturday, September 19 for a third year of contemporary and fusion dance by Canadian art…
Drop-In Art Workshop
On September 23rd and 24th, from 10 AM – 3 PM explore the principles of caricature with a colorful character design acti…
Cayenne Carnaval
Free bilingual arts and film gathering at ICFO in the ByWard Market on Friday, September 25. Afternoon public recording…
Ottawa 200+ Bytown Together
The Bytown Museum is proud to help shape Ottawa’s bicentennial year in collaboration with the City of Ottawa and partner…
Ottawa 200 Day at the OAG
Join the OAG to celebrate Ottawa 200 Day for a weekend of free drop-in workshops, Art Markets, animations, and art event…
OAG Mini Market
The OAG Shop is thrilled to be hosting its next Mini Market, Anniversary Edition, on September 26th, from 1 PM to 8 PM.…
Creative Sundays
Join us in the Studio for Creative Sundays, a free drop in art activity suitable for all ages. Discover the current exhi…
An Evening with David Sedaris: Bestselling Author & Humorist…
David Sedaris is one of America’s pre-eminent humour writers. He is a master of satire and one of today’s most observant…
Beaded Orange Shirt Pin Workshop: with Stephanie Peltier
In this workshop you will learn how to make a beaded Orange Shirt pin for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Thi…
Beaded Strawberry Earring Workshop: with Kaylee Smoke
Throughout the workshop, participants will be guided through the techniques used to create raised beadwork while learnin…
Women, Truth & Reconciliation: With Rose LeMay and Tanya Tal…
What does meaningful reconciliation actually look like – and what role do women have to play in advancing it? Join The H…
EEPMON
Come to the Jackson Café to discover two large murals, featuring the digital artwork of Eric Chan (aka eepmon)! In Futur…
Qikiqtait ᕿᑭᖅᑕᐃᑦ
The Qikiqtait exhibition in the Polar Knowledge Canada Northern Voices Gallery celebrates Inuit knowledge and innovation…
Toddler Tuesdays at National Arts Centre
Interactive performing arts program for children aged 18 months - 5 years. Singing, dancing, games, story time and creat…
Sylvia Safdie: TERRA
Sylvia Safdie: TERRA examines the decades-long career of Montreal-based artist Sylvia Safdie through a selection of her…
Life onto Land: The Devonian
Find out how life took its first steps onto land. Discover Tiktaalik, an iconic fossil that helps us understand how fins…
Threshold
Created by Ottawa-based artist Jennifer Macklem with studio assistance from Faezeh Maleki, these three large dragonfly w…
Diatom Rose Window
In this work, Ottawa-based artist Jennifer Macklem draws inspiration from an enlarged image of a diatom – microscopic je…
What’s in a Frame? 200+ Years of Community Portraits
Our upcoming temporary exhibition, What’s in a Frame? 200+ Years of Community Portraits, officially launches on May 15th…
Flightpaths: Initiations
This interactive artwork encourages visitors to handle, move, and stack magnetic shapes – moths, butterflies and childre…
Contact Zones: Gerald McMaster and the Reshaping of Canadian…
An accomplished artist, author, curator and educator, Gerald McMaster has had a profound impact on how contemporary Indi…
Sàgàbigonì
This banner combines detailed images from artist Stephanie Tenasco’s beaded deer hide work Kìwàbandamogoban “he/she had…
Diego Rivera Meets Henry Moore
Diego Rivera Meets Henry Moore pairs an international loan with a work from the Gallery’s collection to tell new stories…
confinement (2024-2025)
This exhibition explores the artist’s experience under the shadows of the pandemic. During her almost daily walks, Roxan…
Capital Region Writers Group: Write-In
You’re invited to join the CRWG for a “Write-in”: dedicated work time where you can thrive in the camaraderie of working…
Knit & Knatter
Bring your knitting or crochet and meet fellow enthusiasts at the Sunnyside branch. Knitters of all abilities are welcom…
Vernon Book Club
Everyone is welcome to join Vernon’s book club!Visit with your friends and neighbours to discuss great books.First Thurs…
Helen McNicoll: An Impressionist Journey
Helen McNicoll: An Impressionist Journey invites audiences to rediscover the career of a pioneering Canadian artist, who…
Canada’s Unknown Soldier
Discover the history behind one of Canada’s most powerful symbols of remembrance. Marking 25 years since the repatriatio…
Winners of the National Youth Remembrance Contests 2025
Each year, students across the country submit artwork, poetry, essays and videos to the National Youth Remembrance Conte…
Wild Colour
Through nearly 200 specimens, audio stories, and immersive colour zones, Wild Colour reveals how living things use colou…
Storytelling Open Mic
Storytelling Open Mic is a perfect place for newcomers to discover oral storytelling in a warm and supportive atmosphere…
Club de lecture francophone de la Centrale
Joignez-vous nous pour des discussions conviviales propos de livres en français.Présentez-vous au bureau de consultati…
Close to Conflict – Canada and the American Civil War
Explore the ways that the American Civil War (1861-1865) shaped Canadian society, politics and military - and why its le…
Qillaniq
The artworks celebrated in "Qillaniq" are multi-vocal, multi-disciplinary and improvisational, inspired by Indigenous va…
Timescapes
In the context of Ottawa’s bicentennial anniversary, and the large-scale environmental transformation that has occured o…
Centre 507 Outreach Team | Équipe d’intervention du Centre 5…
An outreach team from Centre 507 will be at Main (1st floor) every Monday from 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM.Harm Reduction Suppor…
Rural Business Touchpoint
Chat with a City of Ottawa Rural Business Liaison to ask questions about your business ideas, plans and impediments.
Ottawa Miniature Gallery: Pride exhibition
The Ottawa Miniature Gallery (OMG) is a mobile gallery showcasing a diverse selection of miniature art from local artist…
ሀሌታ | Haleta: The Threshold of Being
Have you ever experienced a feeling so intensely, yet struggled to find the right word for it? The Amharic word Haleta o…
2026 Sobey Art Award Exhibition
In collaboration with the Sobey Art Foundation, the National Gallery of Canada is proud to present works by six artists…
Marion Wagschal: Cyclops and Other Tales
Spanning five decades, this exhibition highlights the enduring relevance of the figurative practice of Montreal-based ar…
Frame by Frame: Animation in Ottawa
Shaped by artists, filmmakers, researchers and studios, animation in Ottawa has evolved through a dynamic exchange of cr…
Ottawa 200 Biodiversity Tree
Hundreds of vibrant, whimsical, and spirited animals representing 200 species connected to Ottawa’s past and present joy…