What to do on

Friday, April 25 2025

•  Irish Film Festival Ottawa screens seven 2024 releases today and tomorrow at Ottawa Art Gallery's Alma Duncan Salon. 

•  Orléans Poutinefest 2025 promises 75 kinds of the fries-curds-and-gravy food group. 

• The inaugural Ottawa Aerial Circus Festival is for performers and spectators, and features competitions, workshops, and entertainment for everyone. Tickets vary per event. Until Sunday at Arts Court.

• Today is the start of the Ottawa Indie Bookstore Crawl 2025,  a great excuse to show your love for the many fine independent bookstores in our region. Plus, it’s one of those fun passport situations. Have your special booklet stamped at each of the participating stores; get seven of eight stamps and you could be the winner of a prize. Visit Books on Beechwood, Mill Street Books (in Almonte), Octopus Books, Perfect Books, Singing Pebble Books, The Spaniel’s Tale Bookstore, Westboro Books, and World of Maps.

• 🆓 Out of the Box fibre artists present the 2025 Fibre Fling show and sale. Bring a donation for the Ottawa Food Bank.

• Tonight at Ottawa Grassroots Festival, Evangeline Gentle and Lynn Miles perform in Worship Hall.

• The Bearded Iris Botanical workshop for experienced watercolorists will leave participants with an authentic-looking print to take home.

• Heavy prog rockers Brass Camel visit Rainbow Bistro, all the way from Vancouver. With guests Escape Society and Angelica Jones. Caution: at the time of writing this show was looking to sell-out.

• The ByTown Sea Shanty Collective brings the East Coast kitchen party vibe back to Beyond The Pale (City Centre location).

• Keeping with the East Coast theme, you’ll be kissing the cod at Southside Tap and Grill’s Newfie Night.

• ByTowne Cinema: On Swift Horses, En fanfare (The Marching Band), The Shrouds, Detour: The French Connection

• Mayfair Theatre: The Penguin Lessons, The Way, My Way, The Rocky Horror Picture Show
   

Friday is a PA day and a number of Ottawa businesses have events to keep the kids busy:
 

We published an error yesterday: the Ottawa Art Gallery is not holding a PA Day Art Camp tomorrow. They did that last month. THE OTTAWAN is not responsible if you drop your kids off in front and speed away.
 

• The Zoo Crew’s hands-on animal PA Day Camp (9:00 am to 4:00 pm at Juian of Norwich Anglican Church, Nepean) $70

• The OPL Rosemount branch Lego Block Party is a drop-in activity starting at 1:00 pm. It’s followed at 2:00 pm with a French screening of La Reine des neiges (with English subtitles).

• Kids aged five and over will love the OPL Barrhaven branch’s Builder’s Club, which starts at 10:00 am.
   
• The OPL Cumberland branch Lego Block Party starts at 10:00 am, as does the same event at the Beaverbrook branch.
   
• Drop in to the OPL Nepean Centrepointe Play Day and find board games, building blocks, and books.
   
• The OPL Main branch has activities and areas in which kids can play and chat. Drop in from 10:30 am to noon.
   
• OPL Greenboro offers drop in games and crafts for kids aged six to 12.
   
• At 2:00 pm OPL Nepean Centrepointe will screen the kid-friendly Cars.