Summer is officially here, and with it the outdoor festivals begin. Ottawa Jazz Festival rolls into town for 10 days starting Thursday June 22nd and running until July 2nd. The headliners include Feist, Joss Stone, and the legendary Kenny Rogers’ Final World Tour: “The Gambler’s Last Deal”, Mavis Staples, The Legendary Downchild Blues Band, and Igor Butman and The Moscow Jazz Orchestra as well as great funk, soul and blues on multiple stages at the NAC and Confederation Park. Its nice to see so many Canadian and local artists this year, can’t wait for Serena Ryder and Feist!

Another great bet this weekend is close to my heart. The Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival returns to Mooney’s Bay. I had the opportunity to be a part of it back in 2013, so much fun, team building and excitement. Not just the competition aspect but also raising money for charity. The Dragon Boat Foundation http://odbf.ca has been designed to support exceptional charities by your generous donations to this foundation. Many of the Boat Teams raised tens of thousands of dollars for various charities and had a lot of fun doing it. After the races enjoy more live music with some up and coming local acts and fantastic headliners like The Sheepdogs, Said The Whale, The Elwins, Dear Rouge, The Zolas, Kalle Mattson, Half Moon Run, Darcys, Kasador, and Twin Flames. Amazing line up! I hope you have a great weekend no matter what you do! Happy Summer! 🙂