Arts and Culture

Spotlight - Your Guide to What's Happening

Ottawa is a great place to experience art, theatre and music. There are many options to choose from depending on your interests, age, or season.

Be sure you check out Spotlight, the City of Ottawa’s calendar for a complete listing of cultural events in and around town, including the wealth of cultural festivals that Ottawa hosts each year.

Visual Arts

Maman sculpture outside the National Gallery of Canada. Photo courtesy of Ottawa Tourism.

Check out the variety of visual arts exhibitions around the city, ranging from classical painting to contemporary media arts.

  • National Gallery of Canada – the largest visual arts museum in Canada with impressive collections of Canadian, Indigenous, European, American, Asian and contemporary art.
  • Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography – exhibitions of photographic art by Canadian artists
  • Ottawa Art Gallery – Ottawa’s public gallery for contemporary and 20th century art
  • SAW Gallery – contemporary artist-run centre exhibiting emerging and established artists
  • Gallery 101 – non-profit artist-run centre showing solo and group exhibitions of Canadian and international contemporary artists
  • Karsh-Masson Gallery – municipal professional gallery features the works of local, national and international artists located in the heart of the Byward Market
  • City Hall Art Gallery – municipal professional gallery in Ottawa City Hall featuring local, national and international artists

Theatre

Performer from LeGroupe Dance Lab. Photo courtesy of Lisa Hebert.

Ottawa has a dynamic theatre scene that includes theatre companies and festivals. There is something for everyone, from avant garde performances, to classic theatre, to family entertainment.

  • National Arts Centre (NAC) — offers English and French theatre programs, a dance season, and a variety of performances
  • Great Canadian Theatre Company — specializing in plays by Canadian emerging and established playwrights
  • Centrepointe Theatre — Ottawa’s second largest performing arts space, just 15 minutes from downtown
  • Shenkman Arts Centre — Ottawa's east end creative hub for bilingual multidisciplinary arts
  • Arts Court — Ottawa’s arts centre housing several performing arts groups including LeGroupe Dance Lab, Odyssey Theatre, Salamander Theatre and Third Wall Theatre Company
  • La Nouvelle Scène — local award-winning French-language theatre centre programming music, literature, poetry, dance and cinema.
  • Ottawa Little Theatre — offers amateur theatre for all ages and interests

Music

Close up of guitar player

If you are looking for a musical performance in Ottawa you can pick from popular acts at the Scotiabank Place, to classical music at the National Arts Centre. Or head to the pubs, bars or music halls in the Byward Market or Bank Street.

  • National Arts Centre – NAC Orchestra performances and special events by local groups such as Opera Lyra and the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra
  • Scotiabank Place – information about popular national and international acts and performances
  • Centrepointe Theatre – Ottawa’s second largest performing arts space, just 15 minutes from downtown
  • Lansdowne Stadium – multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue hosts a variety of musical performances.

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