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Arts & Culture

Social studies & history, browse tours.

Whether you plan the annual 8th grade trip to DC or you're studying the birth of democracy in Athens, our Social Studies and History tours make the textbook pages come alive.

Band & Orchestra

Give your concert and jazz band, marching band, or orchestra the chance to train with world-famous artists and discover cities rich with culture and history.

As a preferred travel provider, we have over a decade of experience planning custom TRIO tours for programs across the country. We handle all the details — including college visits, admissions presentations, and must-see cultural attractions — so you can have a stress-free, inspiring travel experience.

Bands, orchestras, choirs, and theatre ensembles can meet peers from across the country, participate in clinics and competitions led by renowned professionals, and perform on national stages during one of our signature festivals.

Disney Performing Arts

Make magic happen when you connect your performance group to Disney artists. Participate in a Disney Performing Arts workshop, perform for resort visitors from around the world, and enjoy free time in the parks!

Inspire curiosity with a hands-on, custom-built STEM tour, featuring experiential learning opportunities at renowned institutions and global destinations.

Show your young performers that theater can take them far beyond the auditorium walls. Take in a hit show, participate in clinics with master artists, and perform in world-renowned destinations.

Sing your hearts out when you take the stage in iconic venues, participate in performance exchanges with local students, and learn from master artists.

Move to the beat on an inspiring dance tour! Build your skills during a workshop with a professional artist and enjoy critically-acclaimed performances while visiting a major arts & culture capital.

International

Show your students the world with a global excursion. From art in Paris to history in Rome to volcanology in Iceland, our tours introduce your students to vibrant new cultures and customs while exploring diverse subjects.

Disney Youth Education Series

Inspire magic and wonder when you connect your students to Disney YES workshops, combining thought-provoking lessons, hands-on experiences, and parks rides to help students learn while having fun.

Journey to cultural capitals that inspire your students to see the world from a new perspective as they experience the works of master artists and icons.

Foreign Language

Immerse your language students in living classrooms at home and abroad! French, German, Italian, or Spanish students can absorb another culture and hone their skills by living like a local.

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Taking the Stage in Magical Places

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Why Brightspark?

For over 50 years, Brightspark has been helping educators and directors take their students on customized, personalized tours across the world. From exploring the history of Washington, D.C., to performing in Europe's culture capitals, our student tours are all about getting an interactive, hands-on experience — all while having tons of fun!

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The Brightspark team has planned inspiring tours for tens of thousands of student groups over the last five decades, developing strong relationships in each of our destinations.

Surprises can disrupt even the best-laid travel plans. Our RGP plan for domestic tours returns every penny spent on trip payments when a tour is cancelled.

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10 free things to do in Ottawa this weekend: June 7 to 9

I t's an age-old question: What should I do this weekend without spending myself into an indebted oblivion? Well, come in a little bit closer my broke friend, because you're going to want to hear this.

There are plenty of things to do in Ottawa that won't cause you to blow a hole in your pocket and force you to declare bankruptcy.

You could take up a career as a pirate and sail the rivers of the capital, indulge in some fantastic locally made art, climb up a mountain, pull up a lawn chair and enjoy music performed by local artists, or even just embrace the nice weather!

There's a lot to do and a lot to see this weekend in Ottawa, so grab your sunscreen (and maybe an umbrella, just in case) and get out there!

Here are 10 free things to do in Ottawa this weekend .

Enjoy live music

www.instagram.com

Price: Free

When: June 8, 2024, from 10 a.m.

Address: Osgoode Village, Ottawa, ON

Why You Need To Go: PorchFest is an annual community grassroots music festival where neighbours generously give up their porches to act as stages for talented local musicians. Walk the otherwise quiet streets of Osgoode Village and hear all kinds of genres of music from all sorts of artists.

This one-of-a-kind music festival is an absolute must-visit as there's truly nothing else like it in the city. It'll be starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday and will continue for the entire day. It's perfect for a romantic and intimate date or just hanging out with your music-loving pals.

Accessibility: Accessibility varies around Osgoode Village

Osgoode Porchfest webpage

Hike the tallest mountain in the Laurentians

When: 7 days a week

Address: Mont-Tremblant, QC

Why You Need To Go: If you're an explorer at heart, consider going for a scenic two-hour drive over to Mont-Tremblant this weekend and hiking up one of the tallest mountains in the Laurentians.

Start your hike in a picturesque ski village and make your way up one of the many Mont-Tremblant hiking trails. Once you get to the top, if you don't feel like hiking back down, there is a panoramic gondola that runs until 4 p.m.

Make sure to wear the proper footwear and pack plenty of water, sunscreen and bug spray before you set off.

Mont-Tremblant website

Witness the creation of a giant mural

Price: Free admission

When: June 8 to 9, 2024

Address: Alexandria Bridge, Ottawa, ON

Why You Need To Go: The Urban Art Collective and the NCC present the Disrupt Urban Art Fest & Market, where a group of Ottawa-based artists will be creating a massive 400 ft mural in the shadow of the National Art Gallery.

The mural is only one part of the festival, though. Come hither to the Alexandria Bridge and see a celebration of street art in Ottawa, watch artists do their thing, and browse through an art market.

Accessibility: This event is wheelchair accessible

Urban Art Collective website

Leave it all behind and pursue a career in piracy

When: June 8th, 2024, 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Address: 588 Hog's Back Rd, Ottawa, ON

Why You Need To Go: Yo-ho-ho! Tired of that nine-to-five? Trade in that white collar for a wooden leg and be ready to sail the seven seas.

Pirate Life, Ottawa's very own pirate theatre, presents the first-ever Pirate Fest in Ottawa. Head over and take up arms with your pool noodle sword and there's no need to lose your doubloons! During the day there'll be plenty of family-friendly events for your little scallywag, but make sure to come back after 5:30 p.m. for a comedy show, an improv show and plenty of sea shanty singing.

Pirate Life website

Embrace your inner connoisseur at 'Art in the Park'

When: June 8 to 9, 2024, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where: Central Park, Ottawa, ON

Why You Need To Go: Calling all art connoisseurs! If you love looking at art but are getting tired of the National Art Gallery, head on over to Central Park this weekend.

The Glebe's Art in the Park is Ottawa's largest grassroots art festival, with over 150 Ottawa-based artists showing off their art all weekend. Painters, photographers, collage artists, clothiers, jewellers -- all kinds of artists will be there, and all art will be available for purchase in case anything really strikes your fancy.

There will also be plenty of food vendors, plus live entertainment. You cannot miss this!

Accessibility: This event is not wheelchair accessible.

Art in the Park website

Attend a 'no yard' yard sale

When: June 8, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Address: Minto Park, 102 Lewis St, Ottawa, ON

Why You Need To Go: The Minto Park Sale is a community tradition when neighbours put together their odds and ends in hopes that they can pass them on to another neighbour.

Imagine a big yard sale but instead of being in a yard, it's in a park. While browsing through all sorts of "odds and sods," you can enjoy live entertainment as this event is also a part of the " City Sounds Live " program.

Accessibility: This is an accessible event

Minto Park Sale 2024 webpage

Peruse one of Ottawa's largest pop-up flea markets

When: June 8, 2024, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Address: Aberdeen Pavilion, Landsdowne Park, Ottawa, ON

Why You Need To Go: Who doesn't love a flea market? 613flea is a biweekly pop-up flea market with over 150 vendors selling everything from clothing, antiques, handmade goods and delicious food to plenty of eclectic goods, too!

It's an ever-changing market, so each time you go it's going to be different. It's a great way to spend your late morning or early afternoon on Saturday, and once you're done perusing through the vast selection of goods, walk through the beautiful Landsdowne Park and maybe even take a stroll down the canal.

Accessibility: The Aberdeen Pavilion is an accessible venue

613flea website

Beat the heat at the NCC River House

When: Open every day, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: 501 Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway, Ottawa, ON

Why You Need To Go: Do you feel the sweat dripping off your brow? Are you looking for a nice refreshing way to beat that Ottawa Valley heat? The NCC Riverhouse is a refreshing and beautiful refuge from that soupy humidity.

The NCC Riverhouse recently re-opened its enclosed swimming area, complete with floating platforms and plenty of pier to sit back and bathe in the sun. If you get hungry during your swim, feel free to help yourself to some tasty food at the NCC Cafe & Bistro.

Accessibility: The NCC River House is a fully accessible venue

NCC website

Stroll through a pop-up art gallery

When: June 7, 2024, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and June 8, 2024, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Address: 181 Glebe Ave, Ottawa, ON

Why You Need To Go: SOCIAL SPACE is a pop-up art gallery that promises to "blend art, socializing, and philanthropy into one vibrant package."

Here, you can browse through art made by the very talented Gordon Leverton. All art is available for purchase and proceeds will be partially donated to the Ottawa Food Bank.

Accessibility: 181 Glebe Ave is not a wheelchair-accessible venue

SOCIAL SPACE website

Get ready for Eid al-Adha with a bazaar

When: June 9, 2024, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Ave, Ottawa, ON

Why You Need To Go: Eid al-Adha is right around the corner and in preparation you can attend a special celebration at the Multicultural Eid Bazaar at the Nepean Sportsplex this Sunday, where over 60 vendors will be offering all kinds of products.

The Nepean Sportsplex is an accessible venue

Multicultural Eid Bazaar Facebook event page

Have plenty of fun and stay safe, Ottawa!

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Québec City, Montréal & Ottawa:

Canada's history student tour, request a quote.

Take your students on a grand tour of Canadian history, culture, and politics on this 7-Day student trip to Québec City, Montreal and Ottawa. Absorb the European ambiance of Québec's Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Enjoy a traditional sugar shack meal at a cabane à sucre and discover the nineteenth century Citadelle that was home to the Royal 22e Régiment. Travel on to Montréal to learn about local history and culture with visits to an archeology museum, tours of iconic buildings like Notre Dame Basilica and the unique experience of a space camp training simulator. This school trip then heads to Canada’s capital and Parliament Hill. Learn more about Canada's story at the Canadian War Museum and the Canadian Museum of History and then try a slightly different take on local history with a haunted tour of Ottawa. Your class will experience the unique cultures of these three Canadian cities, and will be inspired to travel!

Tour Highlights

• Érablière du Lac Beauport
• Musée du Fort
• Notre Dame Basilica
• Montreal Science Centre
• Canadian War Museum
• National Gallery of Canada

 Why Brightspark? 

Top 3 Things for Students to Do in Ottawa: Tour Leader Approved

3 Great Spots to Eat at on Your Quebec City Student Tour!

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