Ottawa is preparing to mark a major milestone in 2026, unveiling a sweeping, year-long program of cultural events and public installations to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Bytown’s founding.
The capital will celebrate the bicentennial of September 26, 1826 — the date that marked the establishment of the logging settlement that would eventually become Ottawa — with a calendar of festivals, exhibitions and performances running from March through December 2026. Organizers say the initiative will spotlight both the city’s historical roots and its contemporary creative economy under the theme “Celebrate Together.”
The program spans music, visual arts, Indigenous storytelling, culinary events and immersive digital installations, with activities distributed across downtown and surrounding neighbourhoods. The effort aims to drive tourism, support local cultural organizations and reinforce Ottawa’s identity as a bilingual and multicultural capital.
Among the centrepiece initiatives is Deux Voix, Une Capitale, a monthly music series produced by the Bronson Music Theatre. Running from March to December, the nine-performance series will showcase established francophone headliners alongside local opening acts, highlighting Ottawa’s French-language cultural heritage.
Spring programming will include the launch of the Saunders Cider TulipFest beginning May 1. Hosted at Saunders Farm, the new three-week festival will feature nearly half a million tulips alongside artistic photo installations, live entertainment, bilingual storytelling and culinary experiences. The event will take place in a six-acre circular orchard anchored by a 30-foot windmill, positioning itself as a new seasonal tourism draw.
Visual arts will play a prominent role in the bicentennial. From May 1 to June 27, S.A.W. Gallery will present Requiems: Jim Logan, a major retrospective of Métis artist Jim Logan. The exhibition will assemble more than 40 artworks from across Canada and extend beyond gallery walls, wrapping the exterior of Arts Court with a 200-foot outdoor banner. Free public programming will accompany the show.
Mid-May will see the launch of Ottawa 200+: Portraits, Places, and People, an immersive outdoor gallery led by the Bytown Museum. Storefronts and public spaces along Rideau Street and the ByWard Market will be transformed with large-scale archival images, animated projections and bilingual storytelling celebrating Ottawa’s communities.
Food and large-scale spectacle are also on the agenda. On June 7, Giza Entertainment will host Shawarma Fest 2026 in the ByWard Market, including a Guinness World Records™ attempt to build a 160-metre shawarma. Sixty vendors and live programming will accompany the event, with all portions donated to local food security partners following the record attempt.
Immersive technology and performance will feature prominently in June. The Voices of Bytown, scheduled for June 11–13 during the Festival Franco-Ontarien’s 51st edition in Major’s Hill Park, will offer a 360-degree virtual reality experience. Visitors will be guided through two centuries of local history by four musical voices: an Algonquin, a French-Canadian canal worker, an Irish immigrant and a contemporary Ottawa performer.
During the same weekend, Debaser’s bicentennial edition of Pique will animate Arts Court with Indigenous-led performances and site-specific installations, including projection mapping and artwork created specifically for the 200th anniversary.
Indigenous perspectives are woven throughout the program. From June to December, Indigenous Experiences will operate The Chief Speaks, a touring Algonquin cultural installation featuring a moveable wigwam and a hologram voiced by Elder Merv Sarazin, who will share stories about Algonquin life past and present at events across the city.
In July, Music and Beyond will present Bytown 200 – A Musical Journey through Ottawa’s History, a five-concert classical music series running July 4–17. The performances will explore different eras of Ottawa’s history through music, bilingual narration, archival imagery and newly commissioned works.
That month will also feature A Night of Inuit Excellence, presented by Qamaniq Records on July 11 and again on November 8. The concert series will bring together Inuit musicians, storytellers and multidisciplinary artists from across the circumpolar Arctic to celebrate Inuit musical culture and its influence in Ottawa.
From July through December, the Ottawa Art Gallery will project two short animations by Kitigan Zibi Anishinābeg illustrator and animator Jay Odjig onto the OAG White Cube façade and the National Arts Centre Lantern. The nightly projections will illuminate Ottawa’s history from Indigenous perspectives.
Family-focused programming will include the Ottawa 200 Corn Maze Festival at Saunders Farm from July 10 to September 7. A three-acre cornfield will be transformed into a themed maze with bilingual interpretive installations, soundscapes and performers exploring Ottawa’s past.
Late summer events will include Happy 200th Birthday, Ottawa! on August 29, a Capital Pride drag talent showcase featuring all six Ottawa queens from Canada’s Drag Race and a birthday-themed takeover of the festival’s main stage.
The year will culminate with O-Town Animated, running September 18 to December 31. Presented by the Ottawa International Animation Festival, the Public Art Trail will feature three original animated short films created from archival Bytown photos and displayed on Rideau FX Poles, connecting cultural sites through bilingual digital storytelling.
Collectively, the bicentennial program positions Ottawa 200 as both a commemoration and an economic catalyst, leveraging arts and culture to reinforce civic pride and attract visitors throughout 2026.