Ottawa has more than 79 events happening in and around the city this week, according to a roundup compiled by writer Laura Byrne Paquet for Ottawa Road Trips and published September 8, 2026, covering September 7 to 13.
Ottawa Comiccon takes over the Cohere Centre
The biggest ticket in the city this week is Ottawa Comiccon, running September 11 to 13 at the Cohere Centre (4899 Uplands Drive), the venue formerly known as the EY Centre. The dates and location are independently confirmed by Ottawa Tourism's own event calendar, which lists the show at the same address through the same three days.
Dragon boats in Carleton Place, fibre arts in Almonte
Just outside the city, the Carleton Place Dragon Boat Festival paddles off on Saturday, September 12. The same weekend, Fibrefest returns to Almonte for its two days, running September 12 and 13. Both are recurring regional draws that pull Ottawa-area visitors west along the Ottawa Valley.
Cirque du Soleil sets up at St. Laurent
For a longer-running option, Cirque du Soleil has pitched its big top in the parking lot of the St. Laurent Shopping Centre for its show Luzia, running from September 10 all the way to October 18. Anyone who misses opening week still has more than a month to catch it.
Beyond the city limits
The roundup also flags events further afield that Ottawa-area travellers sometimes build a weekend around. The Belleville Downtown Blues Festival runs September 11 to 13, and the Akwesasne Powwow takes place September 12 and 13. For those willing to make the drive to Toronto, the Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 10 to 20 and, as the roundup notes, effectively takes over the city for that stretch.
The Ottawa angle
With more than 79 events counted across the week, the sheer volume is the story here: this isn't a single headline show but a full calendar's worth of options stacked into seven days, from a comic and pop culture convention steps from the airport to dragon boats and fibre arts festivals a short drive west along Highway 7 and the Ottawa Valley corridor. For Ottawa residents deciding how to spend a September weekend, the range on offer means there's something whether the plan is a downtown convention hall, a small-town festival, or a circus tent in the east end.
Ottawa Comiccon in particular is worth circling on the calendar since it's happening within city limits at the Cohere Centre, easily reachable without a road trip. The Carleton Place and Almonte events, meanwhile, are classic weekend-drive territory for locals looking to get out of downtown, both roughly 30 to 45 minutes from the core.
What led here
This roundup lands the same week Ottawa's events calendar has been especially busy, including ottown's earlier report on 13 things to do around the city for the September 11 to 13 weekend specifically, and Xav Trudeau's packed uOttawa Welcome Week show, covered in ottown's earlier report.
For the full list of all 79-plus events with individual venues and times, the original Ottawa Road Trips roundup has the complete breakdown.
Sources: Ottawa Road Trips, Ottawa Tourism (official)
