Every February, Canada's Capital Region is host to Winterlude, North America's greatest winter festival. Three fun-filled weekends of excitement and activity await the whole family! From spectacular ice carvings to an amazing playground made of snow, Winterlude is a great way to take in the best of our Canadian winter. Skate on the world's longest skating rink - right in the heart of Ottawa! Marvel at the glittering ice sculptures or take in a spectacular fire show. Our mascots, the Ice Hog Family, are waiting for you in Canada’s Capital Region.

Winterlude was created in 1979 by the NCC as a means of celebrating Canada’s unique northern climate and culture. Every February, Canada’s Capital Region is host to Winterlude, Canada's winter celebration. Three fun-filled weekends of excitement and activity await the whole family! From spectacular ice carvings to an amazing playground made of snow, Winterlude is a great way to take in the best of our Canadian winter.

Skate on the world’s largest skating rink — right in the heart of Ottawa! Marvel at majestic snow sculptures and glittering ice sculptures or groove to energetic rhythms at the American Express Snowbowl. Our mascots, the Ice Hog Family, are waiting for you in Canada’s Capital Region this February. The many Winterlude activity venues are accessible every day (except Sun Life Snowflake Kingdom in Jacques-Cartier Park in Gatineau, which is closed Mondays and Tuesdays); however, special activities take place over all three Winterlude weekends. Most Winterlude activities are free of charge, but registration and admission fees may apply to certain sporting events and shows.

Join the more than 3,000 skiers from across Canada and 20 different countries who participate in Canada’s biggest cross-country skiing event. The 34th edition, from February 17 to 29, 2012, will offer race events for all ability levels, from families to competitive skiers.

The Canadian Tulip Festival has grown from a gift of International Friendship given six decades ago into the largest Tulip Festival in the world. In the fall of 1945, Princess Juliana of the Netherlands presented Ottawa with 100,000 tulip bulbs. The gift was given in appreciation of the safe haven that members of Holland's exiled royal family received during the Second World War in Ottawa and in recognition of the role which Canadian troops played in the liberation of the Netherlands. The tulips have become an important symbol of international friendship and the beauty of spring. They also have special meaning to people of Canada's Capital Region.

The first Canadian Tulip Festival was held in 1953. The Ottawa Board of Trade, at the suggestion of world-renowned photographer Malak Karsh whose photographs have immortalized the tulip, formalized the Canadian Tulip Festival to coincide with the tulip's annual bloom. In the next 10 years the Festival grew in size, with a staggering display of over two million flowers. In 2007 saw the introduction of Celebridée - A Celebration of Ideas, with its inaugural event - The Power of Ideas – hosted at Rideau Hall by the Governor General of Canada. In 2008 it is the goal of Celebridée to transform the presentation of ideas the way the Cirque du Soleil TM has transformed live spectacles.

The Ottawa Race Weekend - Canada's premiere race festival - combines competition, participation and fundraising to make a distinctive contribution to the health of our community. Participants in the Race Weekend Challenge raise impressive levels ($508,500 in 2008) for The Ottawa Hospital. Their reasons for fundraising were to honour a loved one, to support a specific hospital department, to help the hospital buy a new piece of equipment, or to simply give something back to the community. All funds raised stay right here in Ottawa and are directed to where they are needed most at the Hospital, as well as specific areas that fundraisers chose to support. These include stroke research, the Intensive Care Unit, the emergency department, the bone marrow transplant unit, the Critical Care Wing, the Eye Institute, diabetes and cancer care, and many more.

It is woven with a rich tapestry of words, music and sounds to tell the story of Canada, a nation of communicators. The half-hour program runs summer evenings on Parliament Hill, an extraordinary place to watch a show. Everything that makes Canada spectacular, challenges us to find better ways to communicate. Our sweeping landscapes can make connecting between our communities an adventure. Living in a bilingual, multicultural country, we have become some of the best communicators in the world. Share the songs, poems, stories and visions that highlight many of our cultural and technological achievements. Come celebrate the spirit of a country.

From 1984 where sound and light show on Parliament Hill was first showcased to when AVHb2b Communications won a Canada-wide competition for a new sound and light show to be presented in 2005 which then launch an all-new bilingual show entitled Canada: The Spirit of a Country. The tradition continues.

A green celebration of our unesco world heritage. In June 2007, UNESCO designated the Rideau Canal a World Heritage Site, citing it as "the best preserved canal in North America from the great canal-building era of the early 19th century to remain operational along its original line with most of its original structures intact." The August long weekend outdoor Ottawa comes alive with the first-ever Rideau Canal Festival celebrating Ontario's only UNESCO World Heritage Site. Get out to the Canal, Dows Lake, Confederation Park and the Bytown Museum for four days of history and heritage, colorful flotillas, canoeing, and more - all in the spirit of UNESCO's commitment to the preservation of the environment. An eco-friendly event with activities open to everyone, completely free of charge! The Rideau Canal Festival is a midsummer celebration you will not want to miss!

Casino du Lac-Leamy, Sound of Light

The first two Wednesdays and first three Saturdays of August

The Casino du Lac-Leamy Sound of Light show ranks as one of the Ottawa area’s summer highlights. The Casino du Lac-Leamy —which by the way is one of the area’s top attractions—hosts a series of competitive fireworks displays between Russia, France, Italy and Spain. Visitors can watch free from afar or buy tickets to general viewing areas or special seating on the shore of Lac Leamy, a recreational area near downtown Gatineau.

Recognized as one of the top 100 events in North America (ABA), the Casino du Lac-Leamy Sound of Light invites you to come and experience fireworks as you never have before. Set against the breathtaking scenery of Leamy Lake in Gatineau, the event promises you 5 unforgettable evenings, as the very best fireworks experts compete for top honors in this explosive battle of light and sound. Watch in wonder as sounds shake the skies and brilliant colors light up the night at the Casino du Lac-Leamy Sound of Light.

The purpose of the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival, which emerged from the 1988 "Gatineau, on y croît" promotion campaign, is to provide the City of Gatineau with a major tourist and family event. The Festival has rapidly become the most important hot air balloon gathering in Canada, and the fifth largest in the world. It is also the most popular summer festival in the Outaouais region. It has attracted European and North American pilots to fly their regular and specially-shaped balloons over the National Capital Region.

In 1988, the first festival attracted 47 balloons, including one from France, and the Honorary President for the festivities was His Excellency Philippe Husson, the French Ambassador to Canada. Although the balloons were all ready to go, the weather did not cooperate. Nevertheless, in a single day of operation, the festival drew a crowd of 34,000 to see the first tethered flights and a concert by the group Nuance. Over the years, the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival has also become the second largest gathering of RVers in Quebec, after St-Tite.

Every year, the National Capital Commission invites you to experience the magical fall colours of Gatineau Park, located only 15 minutes from Parliament Hill. How to get the most from fall activities in Gatineau Park in a quiet and relaxed atmosphere?

• Visit mid-week to experience the autumn splendour at its tranquil best.
• Explore over 90 kilometres of trails by bicycle or on foot.
• Admire the fall colours at scenic Philippe Lake or Camp Fortune.
• Enjoy activities for the whole family at the Visitor Centre and learn about the hidden treasures in the Park.
• Discover the Luskville Falls sector. An interpretive path will take you to the Falls and then on to the top of the Eardley Escarpment, giving you a spectacular view of the Ottawa Valley.

Locals and newcomers alike are fascinated by these glimpses into the darker history and haunting of the Nation's Capital. All of our stories are thoroughly researched and will delight even the sceptics in the group!