Here are 12 of the best things to do in Ottawa in February.
1. Skate along the Rideau Canal
If you haven´t already – what have you been doing instead?! The world-famous Winterlude festival on the canal is one of our all-time favourite activities in February so it needs to be at the top of the list. Enjoy ice skating and live music along the canal, ice sculptures competitions, and plenty of games in the snow while you can!
2. Tune into the annual Ottawa Jazz Festival
We´ve been deprived of live music for too long but this will have to do! The Ottawa Winter Jazz Festival is on from February 4th until the 13th! There will be an awesome line up of jazz artists that you can stream whenever you want! Explore the world of jazz at this special premiere starting tomorrow.
3. Go snowshoeing in Gatineau Park
Who cares about the cold? We´re from Ontario! And what better way to enjoy the beautiful, clear days we´ve been getting than out in Gatineau Park. There are tons of stunning snow shoeing trails for you to spend hours in the forest – just dress warm!
4. Take a virtual cooking class
Looking for something new to make staying in at home more enjoyable? The Urban Element is an awesome local culinary studio that has been providing the highest quality online cooking classes on the market. They have live online cooking classes and recipe meal kits that come with all pre-scaled and whole ingredients, recipes, preparation and equipment lists, along with bonus tips and tricks from their Chefs and contributing collaborators. This is an awesome idea for a stay-at-home Valentine´s Day date too!
5. Stroll through one of the museums opening next week
After long closures due to covid, some of Ottawa´s favourite museums are opening back up next week! Take a walk through the beautiful exhibits at the National Gallery of Ottawa or one of the many other museums in the city. They could use your support and it´s also another fantastic way to learn something new and escape the cold!
6. Indulge at the famous La Poutine Festival
Canada´s guiltiest pleasure…La Poutine Fest is back in Ottawa for its 10th anniversary, two week festival event! Try one of 5 unique and delicious poutine flavours at some of the participating restaurants around the city and tell us which one is your favourite! Is there something that screams winter as much as a steaming bowl of fries, cheese and gravy?
7. Check out some of the Black History Month events
February is Black History Month and there are tons of events and important organizations around Ottawa that you can show your support. Educate yourself at one of Black History Ottawa´s different events like
- February 3rd 2022 Afro Caribbean Business Network: register online by Feb 1 to ensure a spot. The event will feature ACBN’s UBUNTU Virtual Reality Platform and showcase Francis Jeffers and The Canadian Multicultural Inventors Museum
- February 8th 2022 In Our Tongues Reading and Art Series: A virtual event featuring poetry, prose and musical performances at 7pm
- February 13th 2022 Children Stories in the Diaspora: Listen to readers from the Black community share children’s stories written by Black authors from the diaspora at 2pm on the Black History Month Ottawa Youtube page
- February 17th 2022 An evening with Perdita Felicien: Presented by the Canadian Museum of History at 7pm
Check out our list of other important ways you can celebrate Black History Month around the city too.
8. Celebrate the Lunar New Year in Ottawa´s Chinatown
Support the many incredible restaurants that make Ottawa´s Chinatown so special. There´s so much to see and do (and eat!) here so stop by and see some of the Lunar New Year deals at some of these restaurants in Ottawa.
9. Participate in a snow castle building competition
In Chelsea at the end of the month, you can participate in this family-friendly, snow castle building competition! What better way to enjoy the pretty, white snow than building some cool castles? Release your inner child and enjoy!
10. Go for a night skate at this outdoor ice maze
This looks sick! The beautiful Parc Nature Éco-Odyssée near Ottawa has created one of the the most picturesque ice mazes we’ve ever seen!Every evening, 1km of the skating trails are illuminated by twinkling lights (but you can continue your exploration further if you bring a headlamp!) On Thursdays, the illuminated trail also features the Parc’s themed-music nights.
11. Relax at a romantic concert by candlelight
The perfect Valentine´s Day gift! Relax and unwind to some classics. These picturesque candlelight concerts will take place at The First Baptist Church and feature Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Beethoven’s Best Works, and Chopin’s Best Works—all played by the most talented classical musicians. These look so romantic!
12. Go for a ski
What better plan do you need? Sometimes it´s simple. Our province has got plenty of beautiful ski resorts so take a weekend to enjoy this fun winter sport in our own backyard!