Welcome to the first weekend of summer! It’s looking like it will be a good one, with sun, warm temperatures and lots of great activities. Here is my list of what’s going on for families around Ottawa for June 22-23.

Saturday:

• Teddy Bears Picnic – Rideau Hall, 8:00 am – 2:00 pm (A thank you event put on by CHEO, includes a free pancake breakfast, mascot parade, magic shows, Monkey Rock performance, Little Ray’s Reptiles and more entertainment. Kids can bring their stuffed animals to get them “fixed up” at the Bear Hospital)
• Tim Hortons Dragon Boat Festival – Mooney’s Bay, 8:00 am – 10:00 pm (watch the dragon boat races and enjoy entertainment and the family fun zone)
• Family Summer Kick Off Craft and Vendor Show – 50 Capilano Drive, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm (support CHEO at this free admission market with artisans and vendors as well as Face Painting, Children’s Spa, Bouncy Castle, Princess Appearances food, music, a special appearance from the CHEO Bear)
• Civil War Re-Enactment Weekend – Upper Canada Village, 9:30 am – 5:00 pm (re-enactors from Canada and the United States join together for a Civil War Re-Enactment – an important historical and heart-wrenching conflict during the 1860s)
• Summer Kickoff – Rideauview Community Centre, 9:30 am – 2:00 pm (bouncy castle, face painting, games and prizes, food truck)
• Party in the Park – Pioneer Park, Stittsville, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm (in support of the food bank, inflatables, family fun entertainment)
• Limoges Community Day – Rodolphe Latreille Park, 10:00 am – 10:00 pm (inflatables, vendors, face painting, carnival games, treasure hunt and more)
• Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival – Vincent Massey Park, 10:00 am – 10:00 pm (free family fun and entertainment, stage performances, arts and crafts, cultural workshops)
• Humanics Sanctuary and Sculpture Park Celebration – 3468 Old Montreal Road, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm (special entrance fees for the day, children under 12 are free, plus children’s activities, bouncy castle, cafe open for food, henna artists, yoga and meditation)
• Summer Carnival – Elizabeth Manley Park, 10:30 am – 1:00 pm (horse and carriage rides, wading pool, fun and games, bbq)
• Ottawa Ribfest – Sparks Street, 11:00 am – 10:00 pm (champion ribbers from all over North America compete and offer the best ribs around)
• Jo Jo’s Fun Fair – Jo-Jo’s Pizzeria, 1573 Stittsville Main Street, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm (free event open to all, free pizza, bouncy castles, princess, petting zoo, face painting, fire truck, ice cream and more)
• Market in the Park – Confederation Park, 1:00 pm – 9:00 pm (vintage pop up 613 is teaming up with the Jazz Festival to provide a vintage market shopping experience and live entertainment)
• Ottawa Champions Game – RCGT Park, 7:00 pm (the Champions play Quebec and enjoy fireworks after the game)

Sunday:

• NOKIA Sunday Bikedays – Sir John A MacDonald Parkway, Colonel By Drive, Sir George-Etienne Cartier Parkway, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm (enjoy car free cycling on Ottawa’s roadways)
• Tim Hortons Dragon Boat Festival – Mooney’s Bay, 8:00 am – 10:00 pm (watch the dragon boat races and enjoy entertainment and the family fun zone)
• Civil War Re-Enactment Weekend – Upper Canada Village, 9:30 am – 5:00 pm (re-enactors from Canada and the United States join together for a Civil War Re-Enactment – an important historical and heart-wrenching conflict during the 1860s)
• The Changing of the Guard – Parliament Hill, 10:00 am (opening day for this daily ceremony)
• Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival – Vincent Massey Park, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm (free family fun and entertainment, stage performances, arts and crafts, cultural workshops)
• Ottawa Ribfest – Sparks Street, 11:00 am – 10:00 pm (champion ribbers from all over North America compete and offer the best ribs around)
• All Aboard Sundays – Cumberland Heritage Village Museum, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm (Families are invited to explore the role of railways in the 1920s and 1930s, this Sunday’s theme is Consumerism and the Railway)
• Family Day at the Ottawa Champions – RCGT Park, 1:35 pm (the Champions play the Quebec Capitales, plus enjoy face painting, and rock climbing)
• Annual Strawberry Social – North Lanark Regional Museum, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm (afternoon full of strawberry shortcake, refreshments, and a lively performance by the Perth Citizens Band, tickets are $15)
• Zumba on the Hill – Parliament Hill, 4:00 pm (free zumba class open to all ages)