By Bryony Vander Wilp
The weather isn’t the only thing warming up this season. Ottawa is preparing to start its festival season.
In a city where winter can last six months it should come as no surprise that Ottawa hosts some of the major festivals of the spring and summer.
In a list of the top 50 festivals from around Ontario, Ottawa’s name appeared seven times — more often than any other city in the province.
Festivals and Events Ontario, a network organization that brings event organizers together, and the Canadian Automobile Association compiled the list.
The first of its kind in Canada, the list acknowledges festivals that were chosen based on various criteria including attendance and the promoters’ professionalism.
The festivals will be highlight of the tourist season in Ottawa but perhaps the city should roll with the idea all year long.
With the slumping tech sector, Ottawa could use this list as a starting point for reworking its image and its economy.
Just think about it for a moment. All we need is a catchy slogan.
The new one — “Ottawa: Technically Beautiful,” should really be “Technically Unemployed” if we’re going to be realistic.
Festivals could save this city’s economy.
We have a head start over other cities in the province in covering the warmer months.
For Ottawa, spring and summer events such as the Canadian Tulip Festival (May 11-21), the Franco-Ontarien Festival (June 21-24), the Cisco Systems Bluesfest (July 6 – 15), the Ottawa International Jazz Festival (July 13-22) and the Ottawa Folk festival (August 24-26) made the list.
The Bluesfest may need a new corporate sponsor but let’s
worry about that later. Festivals could be the new economy in Ottawa.
Winterlude, which also made the list, has February covered. That leaves just six months to schedule festivals and Ottawa becomes “the” place for week-long parties.
April is easy. Two words. Maple. Syrup.
Ottawa definitely has dibs on a maple syrup festival. There are already smaller events happening in the surrounding areas, such as maple syrup-making demonstrations and maple meals.
All that’s needed is a gentle push and bam! Maple Syrup Festival is born.
Waterloo has Octoberfest under its thumb so we’ll have to come up with something else until Ottawa has solidified its dominance in the festival circuit. Then Ottawa will give Waterloo are run for its bratwurst.
November is a little bit harder to cover because of the volatile weather.Sometimes you’re inside and sometimes you’re not.
But, we could hold a contest to think of festivals for the remaining months to help get everyone into the spirit of things.
The dream of a festival economy could become a reality.
We could use the emptying Nortel or JDS Uniphase buildings to house some of the winter events.
That way not only do we recycle but we make good on a not-so-good situation. Everybody wins.
Who doesn’t enjoy a good festival? The root word of festival is feast. Festus in Latin and festus means joy.
What’s not good about that? Year-around joy.
And the timing is perfect. Ottawa could become world leaders in the festival economy.
Look at our neighbours to the south. The United States. tech sector isn’t doing so hot either.
But in the United States, the entertainment industry and defense are tops. Unfortunately, Hollywood is gearing up for a crippling strike so it can’t bail them out.
But its defense sector might be a little more active if things don’t cool down between the U.S. and China.
Either way people are going to need to be entertained. Ottawa could become a haven for Americans while we save our own economy.
Yup. Festivals just might be the way to go.