Ottawa Tourism has awarded funding to 14 new and expanded visitor experiences as part of the city’s 2026 bicentennial, aiming to boost overnight stays, visitor spending, and private-sector investment during the year-long celebration.
The organization announced Tuesday that recipients of its 200th Tourism Animation Fund will receive grants of up to $20,000 per project, covering as much as 50% of eligible expenses. Funded initiatives will run between March 1 and Dec. 31, 2026, and are designed to create tourism-oriented programming that highlights Ottawa’s culture, history, and communities.
Ottawa Tourism said the program is intended to “catalyze the development of quality products and experiences by tourism businesses and organizations” as Ottawa marks its 200th anniversary as a partner of the City of Ottawa in developing programming for the destination.
“The diversity of the projects supported by the 200th Tourism Animation Fund showcases the creativity of Ottawa’s tourism community and will help make this anniversary a truly memorable experience for residents and visitors alike,” says Michael Crockatt, President and CEO of Ottawa Tourism. “We are excited to see these initiatives come to life across the city this year to help make Ottawa a can’t-miss destination in 2026.”
The projects span festivals, live performance, public art, immersive digital experiences, and Indigenous-led cultural programming, with activities planned across multiple neighbourhoods and venues—from the ByWard Market and Rideau Street to Arts Court and rural attractions.
Among the earliest programs is Deux Voix, Une Capitale, a monthly music series running from March through December at the Bronson Music Theatre. The nine-performance lineup will spotlight francophone headliners and local opening acts, positioning French music and Ottawa’s francophone heritage as a central theme throughout the bicentennial year.
Spring programming includes the new Saunders Cider TulipFest, launching May 1 at Saunders Farm. Organizers plan a three-week festival featuring nearly half a million tulips, photo installations, live entertainment, bilingual storytelling, and culinary experiences set within a six-acre orchard anchored by a 30-foot windmill.
Also beginning May 1, S.A.W. Gallery will present Requiems: Jim Logan, a retrospective of Métis artist Jim Logan that will bring together more than 40 artworks from across Canada. The exhibition will also extend into the public realm by wrapping the exterior of Arts Court with a 200-foot outdoor banner, supported by free public programming through June 27.
Mid-May will see the Bytown Museum launch Ottawa 200+: Portraits, Places, and People, an immersive outdoor gallery activating storefronts and public spaces along Rideau Street and the ByWard Market. The installation will feature large-scale archival images, animated projections, and bilingual storytelling focused on Ottawa’s communities.
Food and large-scale public programming will take centre stage on June 7 with Shawarma Fest 2026; World Record Attempt. Giza Entertainment plans a Guinness World Records™ attempt to build a 160-metre shawarma in the ByWard Market, alongside 60 vendors and live programming. Organizers said all portions will be donated afterward to local food security partners.
The Festival Franco-Ontarien’s 51st edition will add a new digital element with The Voices of Bytown from June 11 to 13 at Major’s Hill Park. The 360-degree immersive VR experience will guide visitors through two centuries of local history, following four musical voices representing an Algonquin figure, a French-Canadian canal worker, an Irish immigrant, and a contemporary Ottawa performer.
Arts Court will also be a focal point during Debaser – Pique on June 12 and 13, with Indigenous-led performances, projection mapping, and site-specific installations reflecting the building’s layered history as part of the bicentennial edition of the festival.
Indigenous cultural programming will continue throughout the year with The Chief Speaks (June to December), a touring Algonquin cultural installation operated by Indigenous Experiences. The project will feature a moveable wigwam and a hologram voiced by Elder Merv Sarazin, appearing at events across the city to share stories about Algonquin life past and present.
In July, Music and Beyond will present Bytown 200 – A Musical Journey through Ottawa’s History, a five-concert classical music series running from July 4 to 17. The program will explore different eras of Ottawa’s history through performance, bilingual narration, archival imagery, and new commissions.
Also in July, Qamaniq Records will stage A Night of Inuit Excellence on July 11 and again on Nov. 8, bringing together Inuit musicians, storytellers, and multidisciplinary artists from across the circumpolar Arctic to highlight Inuit musical culture and its influence in Ottawa.
Visual storytelling will feature prominently with Indigenous History in Motion (July to December), led by Kitigan Zibi Anishinābeg illustrator and animator Jay Odjig. The Ottawa Art Gallery project will create two short animations projected nightly on the OAG White Cube façade and the National Arts Centre Lantern, presenting Ottawa’s history through Indigenous perspectives.
Saunders Farm will add a second major attraction with the Ottawa 200 Corn Maze Festival from July 10 to Sept. 7, transforming a three-acre cornfield into an Ottawa 200-themed maze with bilingual interpretive installations, soundscapes, performers, and family programming.
Later in the summer, Capital Pride will host Happy 200th Birthday, Ottawa! on Aug. 29, a drag talent showcase featuring all six Ottawa queens from Canada’s Drag Race, alongside a birthday-themed main-stage takeover celebrating Ottawa’s history through queer and trans artistic expression in both English and French.
The year will wrap with O-Town Animated (Sept. 18 to Dec. 31), a free downtown Public Art Trail led by the Ottawa International Animation Festival. The project will feature three original animated short films created from archival Bytown photos and displayed on Rideau FX Poles for three months, connecting cultural sites through bilingual animation and digital storytelling.
Ottawa Tourism said the funding aligns with its broader mandate to strengthen Ottawa’s visitor economy and enhance the city’s appeal as a year-round destination. The organization estimates Canada’s capital welcomes about 10 million visitors annually, who spend $2.6 billion in the community.
