OttawaStart's Weekly Event Round-Up: Lunch hour dance party, Pride parade, Back to the Future...

  ](http://www.flickr.com/photos/powershotpix/7785034896/)

Here are our contributors' picks for the best local events in Ottawa this week. This list is published every Wednesday night on our blog.  You can bookmark this link for easy access: http://ottawastart.com/weekly

** Thursday, August 23: Changing of the Guard **

This Thursday is the last day to enjoy the Changing of the Guard on Parliament Hill (10:00 a.m.) and the last day to see the Relief of the Sentries at the Governor General’s residence at Rideau Hall (hourly from 9:00am-5:00pm).

– _ Sara-Lynne Levine, Ottawa Capital Region Macaroni Kid _

**

** ** Thursday, August 23: Fundraising BBQ at City Hall for Caldwell Family Centre **

Have lunch Thursday at Ottawa City Hall. There’s a BBQ from 11am to 2pm with local celebs serving, to benefit the Caldwell Family Centre .  It serves more than 2,000 people a month, in addition to a breakfast program. This is an opportunity to help people in a low income neighbourhood help themselves!

_

Max Keeping _

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** ** Thursday, August 23: Dance Dance (Office) Revolution **

Want to do something fun on your lunch break? How ‘bout dancing? Eating popsicles? DJ Jason Pelletier of Spins and Needles will be spinning for an hour at lunch on Sparks Street, beginning at noon, in front of CBC. Awesome Ottawa chose this event for their June award. There will be free popsicles, music to make you dance and people out having fun!

_

Marilou from Twenty York Street _

**

** ** Thursday, August 23: Wakefest ** [

](http://wakefest.org/)

The 2012 Wakefest Arts Festival is taking place from August 23 to August 26 at various locations in Wakefield, Quebec and includes music, film, theatre, dance, visual arts and literature. Wakefest, which celebrates local artists, has for objective to inspire and engage creativity within the community. For those who live on the Ontario side, it’s a great opportunity to cross over the river and discover something different happening around the Outaouais region.

_

Eliane Laberge , blogger _

**

** ** Thursday, August 23: Concert 4 Carp **

A big party in Carp from 3pm until 11pm, featuring a BBQ, talent show, kids games, 80’s cover band SpandX, and more. Money raised goes to support Carp farmers who are struggling due to this summer’s drought.

_

Glen Gower , Editor/Owner of OttawaStart.com _

**

** ** August 24-26: Third annual Art in the City show **

Let’s support local artists! Head to Confederation Park to check out local artisans’ work, from paintings to pottery, jewelry to glass art, home decor to food.

_

Juliette Giannesini , aka Zhu, photographer _

**

** ** Saturday, August 25: Race The Runway

** The Smiths Falls airport is hosting this cool event where exotic cars (Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini etc) and muscle cars (Corvette, Viper, Mustangs etc) race each other at high speeds down the closed airport runway. Surrounded by some cool airplanes on display, this event combines the awesome elements of cars and planes that will provide some high octane entertainment.

_

Andrew King , artist _

**

** ** Saturday, August 25: ** Plan 99 North Readings w/ David O’Meara ** **

David O’Meara takes his Plan 99 literary series out of the Manx Pub and heads to Wakefield as part of Wakefest, an arts festival that runs from August 23-26. Three amazing writers we don’t get to hear from often in the National Capital Region will read poetry and prose. Former Cornwall boy Ken Babstock won this year’s Griffin Poetry Prize for “Methodist Hatchet”, former Wakefield resident Linda Besner’s debut poetry collection is “the Id Kid” and Kingston poet and fiction writer Stephen Heighton has a new book of short stories out called “The Dead Are More Visible.” Starts at 2:00pm at Kaffee 1970, 715 Riverside Drive; Wakefield, Quebec _

_ _

Amanda Earl , poet & publisher _

**

** ** Saturday, August 25: Centretown Movies presents Back to the Future ** The final night for Centretown Movies features Back to the Future. Show starts at 8:45pm in Dundonald Park, Somerset @ Lyon/Kent.

_

Glen Gower , Editor/Owner of OttawaStart.com _

**

** ** Saturday, August 25: Choice: A Birth and Baby Film Festival **

A look at one year in the life of four babies from around the world, from Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo.

_

Laura Nicol _

**

** ** Sunday, August 26: Pride Parade **

This most colourful parade in Ottawa. It starts at 1:00pm at the Garden of the Provinces (Wellington at Bay), travels east down Wellington to Bank, then Bank to Laurier, then down Laurier to Marion Dewar Plaza at Ottawa City Hall. One of many events happening as part of Pride Week .

_

Glen Gower , Editor/Owner of OttawaStart.com _

**

** ** Sunday, August 26: Summer Photo Walk **

Attention: all photogs. I am hosting a summer photo walk this Sunday, starting at 2:00 pm. The walk starts on the north side of the Mackenzie King Bridge, just outside the Rideau Centre and toward the canal. We will head to Sparks Street and will wander through the downtown core before heading towards the Ottawa River. The walk ends at 5:00 in front of the Mill Street Brew Pub. The event is free, but you must sign up

. So grab your camera and come on out!

** Sunday, August 26: Mill Street Tweetup **

If you participated in the Summer Photo Walk, why not reward yourself after all that walking with some refreshments and conversation? This is the fourth tweetup at the Mill Street Brew Pub and just may be the biggest one. The event starts at 5:00 and is free, but there is limited seating and you must sign up to attend.

_

Ross Brown , blogger/writer/author/photog _

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** Sunday, August 26: Urban Agriculture Bike Tour **

Just Food is inviting people to join them for their annual cycling tour to see some of Ottawa’s community gardens. The ride, from 1-5 p.m., is a leisurely 12 km through several downtown neighbourhoods, starting at St. Paul’s University parking lot. It’s free, with a suggested $5 donation to the Ottawa Food Bank. There’s mention of locally grown snacks as well.

_

Denise Deby , Green Living Ottawa _

**

** ** Monday, August 27: Open Stage Comedy night at The Chateau Lafayette **

Why not kick off the last week of summer on a high note? Lots of Laffs ;) Starts at 9 pm. Free cover.

_

Laura Nicol _

**

** ** Tuesday, August 28: Nathan Cepelinski and Roddy Ellias at the Brookstreet Hotel Options Jazz Lounge **

Alto saxophonist and composer Nathan Cepelinski won a full scholarship to the Berklee jazz school a few years ago: no surprise to the jazz fans who had been charting his talent and his steadily increasing musical fluency in the Ottawa jazz scene. He graduated in 2011 and has spent most of his time since in the U.S., but occasionally comes back to Ottawa. His shows at Brookstreet in Kanata, together with guitar master Roddy Ellias, should allow him to show off what he’s learned and some new compositions.

_ – Alayne McGregor, OttawaJazzScene.ca _

**

** ** Until August 30: World Press Photo 2012 at the Canadian War Museum **

This year’s exhibition contains over 160 photographs selected from more than 124 countries, including photographs captured during recent or ongoing conflicts. The exhibition builds upon the Museum’s display of post-Cold War conflict and underlines how events continue to shape our world.

– _ Jean Labelle , photographer _

** See also: ** Ottawa Events Guide

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