It’s easy to get into the season’s spirit with Christmas markets in Ottawa, Ontario. The nation’s capital welcomes the coming holidays and the area’s winter fun with a wide range of Christmas markets, including celebrations put on by local community groups and more ambitious, sponsored affairs.
At these pre-holiday events, visitors and family groups can prepare for the seasonal festivities. They can enjoy food and treats, sparkling lights and Christmas decorations and various local arts and crafts ideal for decorating homes and as gifts for lucky recipients.
If you want to experience 2023’s Christmas markets in Ottawa, we’ll give you the lowdown on what to expect this holiday season.
And if you live outside the National Capital Region (NCR), making arrangements to travel and stay there is easy.
Ottawa’s Christmas market scene
The Ottawa area has a vibrant Christmas market scene, with events scattered throughout the region, ranging from large markets in the city centre to smaller local ones in diverse regions throughout the NCR, including Nepean, Kanata, and Manotick.
At these markets — usually offering free or cheap admission — local artisans and small businesses put their best foot forward to get business during the crucial holiday selling period. Visitors to the holiday markets can get into the mood of the season and purchase gifts to put under the tree or in places of pride in living rooms.
Ottawa Christmas Market
When it launched in 2019 in Aberdeen Square, in Lansdowne, the Ottawa Christmas Market touted itself as a “European-style Christmas market,” albeit one with a distinctly Canadian flair.
In 2023, it opens on Nov. 24, with the lighting of a giant Christmas tree, surrounded by snow-capped heritage buildings and wooden chalets, and full of festive lights and sounds. The holiday fair runs for five weeks.
The hours of the first four weeks are: Fridays, 5 to 10 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. In the week leading up to Christmas, the hours are Wednesday to Friday, 5 p.m. to 10 a.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The Ottawa Christmas Fair includes a wide variety of enticing attractions, including live music, workshops, different food and drink stalls, many shopping opportunities and other treats.
Cozy in their winter jackets, parents can enjoy mulled wine while their kids drink hot chocolate and take in a live music show by a band, solo artist or DJ. Visitors can also skate at Lansdowne Rink, visit the Ottawa Farmers Market on weekends, browse light installations and take pictures with Santa.
Glebe Community Centre Craft Fair
For over 40 years, the Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group (GNAG) has run the Glebe Craft & Artisan Fair, which boasts “the highest quality, locally made merchandise.” Located in a neighbourhood known as The Glebe, south of downtown Ottawa, this year’s holiday fair runs on Saturday, November 25 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Sunday, November 26 (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
In 2022, local wares on display, created by talented artisans, included paintings, sculptures, clothing, handmade soaps and other bath products, embroidered paper, natural fabric alternatives to plastic and paper and much more. A variety of sweet and non-sweet treats were also on offer, including truffles, chocolates, dates, sugar-free and preservative-free salsa and more.
Visitors can feel good that some of the proceeds of the fair go to fund the worthwhile activities of the Glebe Community Centre. Their free admission tickets also provide a chance to win a raffle, with a prize donated by a local artisan.
Dickinson Square Christmas Market
Located south of Ottawa, the village of Manotick hosts a yearly Christmas market in Watson’s Mill and Dicksonian House. The 19th-century house and mill (a water-powered flour mill) from the historical centre of the village are the scene of the Dickinson Square Christmas Market.
In 2023, the market runs during the weekends of Nov. 18 to 19, 25 to 26 and Dec. 2 to 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. Admission is free with a suggested price of $2 per person. The working mill is part of the attraction to visitors and will house the vendors of local arts and crafts. But be aware, the mill isn’t heated, so warm clothing is strongly recommended.
The Manotick Brass Band will be on hand to play Christmas carols that everyone is invited to sing along with. Not only can you buy unique handmade gifts, but the Carriage Shed includes a used bookstore to satisfy the bookworms on your present list.
Orléans Holiday Arts Market
The Orléans Holiday Arts Market runs for two days (Dec. 2 and 3) in the Shenkman Arts Centre, found in the heart of Orléans, an eastern Ottawa suburb. Local vendors will display unique crafts in two spacious lobbies of the centre, which also houses two theatres, seven galleries and 17 studios.
Families and other visitors can enjoy the one-of-a-kind creations of local artists and artisans, listen to holiday music and engage in special art activities. The arts market helps Shenkman to fulfil its mandate as a place “where art comes to life.”
In 2022, the centre ran the Orléans Christmas Bazaar, which included painting demonstrations, live fiddle music, storytelling performances, a Merrickville Arts Guild exhibition and delicious food.
The Museum’s Christmas Market
The Canadian Museum of History provides a majestic location for its Christmas Market. From Nov. 23 to 26 (Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), the museum will host over 80 exhibitors in its Grand Hall, offering a range of handmade creations and mouthwatering treats.
Visitors can buy Christmas decorations, woodcraft, glass items, gourmet foods and flavours, artisanal spirits, handcrafted jewellery, fashion accessories and more with their free admission.
The Canadian Museum of History is the country’s most-visited museum, welcoming 1.2 million visitors every year.
Country Christmas Days
In Munster, southwest of Ottawa, Saunders Farm operates its Country Christmas Days, offering a charming rural appeal to all visitors, including city slickers. Running from Dec. 1 to 23, the holiday festivities include wagon rides, Santa and elf visits and hot beverages and snacks served in The CiderHouse,
In the evening, you can take a Holiday Light Stroll. The 15- to 20-minute walks are set at staggered times to keep crowds down, and participants can enjoy bonfires, treats and holiday shopping at the Night Market.
Other holiday events in Ottawa
There’s more to Ottawa Christmas fun than holiday craft markets. Special light shows, concerts, foodie events, musical entertainment and more are part of the mix.
A small sampling of holiday happenings includes:
- Scottish Tea and Christmas Bazaar. On Nov. 25 at St. Andrew’s Church, you can enjoy a Scottish tea and Christmas bazaar. Buy handcrafted holiday gifts, get a homemade Christmas pudding, make a bid at a silent auction and sip on some tea.
- Go skating. If the weather is right, enjoy a skate through a variety of outdoor settings, including forest paths, a frozen water maze, an apple orchard and elsewhere.
- Candlelight concert. A series of Ottawa candlelight concerts play tribute to themes that include the Nutcracker, Abba and A Charlie Brown Christmas.
- Scrooge’s Christmas. On Dec. 9, the Rideau Park United Church presents the one-hour comic opera “Scrooge’s Christmas” showing how everyone’s favourite curmudgeon tries to ruin Christmas but is dissuaded by the visits of ghosts.
Many of the Christmas activities in the NCR are designed for families with children, with many cheap and free options available. Whether you go to a play, musical performance, outdoor market or try your skills at skiing, skating or horseshoeing, it all depends on your family’s ages and aptitudes.
Tips for visiting Xmas markets in Ottawa
When visiting an Ottawa Christmas market, the first and best piece of advice is to bring warm clothing, including winter jackets, hats, handwear and insulated boots. Winter in Ottawa can be a cold, snowy experience and nothing will cut a family occasion shorter than cold toes, fingers and runny red noses.
Also, bring cash. While more and more vendors at Christmas markets accept cards and electronic payments, others are more low-tech and will take money only. You’ll be dealing with many local artisans and small businesses, so feel good about making one-of-the-kind purchases, helping to support real people.
If you’re just travelling around the city itself, you can get away with using the city’s public transit systems, as well as taxis and ride shares. If you’ll be spending a lot of time driving, especially to areas outside the city centre — like nearby Gatineau, Quebec — you might want to rent a car in Ottawa.
In the city, you can usually find parking, either paid street parking or in parking lots. The search for available spots can be more challenging in the crowded, popular sections of Ottawa.
Have a merry Christmas in Ottawa
When going to Ottawa to visit Christmas markets and enjoy the holiday spirit, you’ll be travelling during a peak period to a popular destination.
With a little bit of planning and help, you’ll find your visit to Christmas markets in Ottawa is the best possible present to give yourself and your family.
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