What's on in the Outaouais February 14-20
Romantic, artistic, historic, athletic—your week in the Outaouais will be full of variety! Here’s our list of suggested activities.
Events and activities
CARNAVAL DE MONTEBELLO
The charming village of Montebello will be a lively spot this weekend, with four days of winter carnival festivities. Enter the karaoke contest, watch the float parade, and go ice-dancing on the rink (yes yes, dancing on skates!).
Montebello
February 13 to 16
VALENTINE’S DAY
Here are a few places to spend Valentine’s Day in the area. The Chelsea Pub presents the romantic Damien Robitaille; at the Café des artistes de la Lièvre, there will be saxophone music; at Biscotti, Clément Courtois will perform romantic classics of French chanson; at the British, there will be a duelling piano show; and finally, you’re invited to a torchlight party at Lac Simon on Saturday night! Bring your steak (or your marinated tofu) and your drinks, the BBQ will be ready. Afterwards, head out on the trails for a romantic hike… Don’t forget your skates—there’s also an ice trail through the forest.
GATINEAU LOPPET
This is THE largest international cross-country ski event in Canada. Around the Cégep de l’Outaouais and in Gatineau Park, you may hear Norwegian, Finnish and even Japanese being spoken. There will be cross-country ski races, of course, but also snowshoe and snow bike races. It’s never too late to register—there’s a registration desk right on site!
École secondaire Mont-Bleu, 389 De la Cité-des-Jeunes Blvd., Gatineau
February 14 to 16
From $39 (until Feb. 12). From $49 on the day of the event. $10 for the mini-competitions for children.
All races start and finish at the École secondaire Mont-Bleu, and indoor activities will be held at the Gabrielle-Roy campus of the Cégep de l’Outaouais.
SALON DU PATRIMOINE DE L’OUTAOUAIS
If you want to know more about the region and its builders, we invite you to the Salon du Patrimoine heritage fair! Some 15 exhibitors will be there, there will be folk dancing performances and storytelling, and you can visit the exhibition Notable Women of Aylmer and the Gatineau Valley. It’s a good opportunity to reconnect with your roots.
Galeries Aylmer, 181 Principale Street, Gatineau
Saturday, February 15 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Free
FESTIVAL DUHAMEL EN RAQUETTES
Admire the beautiful scenery of the Petite Nation on an epic snowshoe hike among the wild deer! The municipality of Duhamel and Rando Québec join forces for the Festival Duhamel en raquettes (Duhamel Snowshoe Festival). The municipality may be small, but it has a big playground that offers over 100 km of hiking trails, two of which are part of the National Trail: the Iroquois Trail and the Route des Zingues. Discover them at your own pace.
1890 Principale Street, Duhamel
Saturday, February 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Free
A shuttle service is provided. Book ahead to get a seat on the bus!
FAMILY DAY
In Ontario, family is celebrated on Monday, February 17, and many museums and institutions organize special activities for the occasion. At the Royal Canadian Mint, you can view and take pictures with a million-dollar (!) coin.
At the National Gallery of Canada, there will be Inuit throat singing and a film that will immerse you in this culture. At the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, there will be magic tricks and parachute games!
Big Bang Festival
The National Arts Centre is transforming to welcome children aged 5 to 12. It’s the BIG BANG festival, a one-of-a-kind musical adventure festival. Follow the maze and discover sound installations and other surprises.
National Arts Centre, 1 Elgin St, Ottawa
February 16-17
Free
SNOWFLAKE KINGDOM
It’s the closing weekend of Winterlude and the Snowflake Kingdom!
Jacques-Cartier Park, 285 Laurier Street, Gatineau
Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Free
Looking for more ideas for winter fun? Check out our suggestions for indoor family activities, our bucket list for the best winter ever or our Facebook page!
