Ottawa comes to life for a weekend of festivals
The summer festival season in Ottawa kicked off this weekend with thousands gathering for events across the city.
Many in attendance are looking to get back to a sense of normal, not seen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
At Ottawa’s Jazz Festival, people were taking a minute to dance and celebrate the return of the event to Confederation Park.
"It’s really nice to get back out there and see that Ottawa can be a vibrant city and just get into it," said Kabir Bhatia, who was enjoying the event on Saturday afternoon.
For Bhatia, life is starting to feel like it did pre-pandemic.
"I’m concerned about COVID, but I’m triple vaccinated," said Bhatia. "At the end of the day, I’m looking to live my life to the fullest so I’m excited to be here, but I’m obviously taking my precautions."
At Mooney’s Bay Beach, the Ottawa Dragon Boat Race Festival was back for the first time in years.
"It’s nice to see all the energy and meet people who are finally back out paddling," said Joan Barrett, who was at the event on Saturday.
A jubilant atmosphere of paddlers who were ramping up for the first race in years.
"It’s nice to be able to have a dragon boat festival in person again," said William Sagle, who was watching his friend compete. "I think it’s important for the racers to be able to come out and race some of the best competitors in their field."
Meanwhile, the electronic music festival Escapade brought in people from all over the province and Quebec.
The three-day concert is being held at Lansdowne Park and TD Place in the Glebe.
On Bank Street, artists gathered for the Cranium Festival.
"It’s an opportunity to network and have conversations about producing and what’s going on in the music industry right now," said Naledi Sunstrum, who is an artist.
The group showing support for each other, but not without acknowledging the challenges the pandemic brought the industry.
"It’s almost like we are learning again how to communicate with each other after two years of lockdowns and two years of isolation," said Sunstrum.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.