Festivals near Ottawa

Set on the banks of the Ottawa River, facing Gatineau and rising beneath Parliament Hill, Ottawa carries a festival scene fit for a bilingual capital: generous, open-air, and proud of its roots. Every summer, Ottawa Bluesfest raises its stages on the lawns of LeBreton Flats and turns one of Canada's largest outdoor festivals into a wide-open mix — from electric blues to rock, pop and hip-hop headliners — while the Ottawa Jazz Festival sets up in Confederation Park, a step from the ByWard Market, for ten-odd days of standards, improvisation and discovery.

As summer stretches into autumn, CityFolk Festival takes over Lansdowne Park and revives the city's long folk and songwriter tradition, while the electronic scene pushes the tempo higher: the Bud Light Escapade Music Festival rolls out its big EDM stages, and niche club nights such as Xtsy* Live In Ottawa, powered by the Snoozefest collective, keep the after-dark flame alive. FestT computes your FestiScore — how closely a line-up matches your favourite artists — and keeps dates, headliners and ticketing up to date.