Valentine’s Day in Ottawa-Gatineau: From Madeon and Wu Block to Uncorked and Darude

It’s already Valentine’s Day, which means it’s already mid-February, which also means that it’s your last chance to check out Winterlude as it heads into its final week of wintery celebrations.

If you’re into Valentine’s Day, or simply wanting to support a good cause at one of the many fundraisers that happen around town this time of year, there are several events taking place this coming week that are noteworthy.

Perhaps you’re single and just looking for something new? In that case, maybe Speed Dating is the thing for you. Two Guys With Beards invite you to sign up to meet 20 singles between the ages of 35 and 50 at Levante Bistro this Monday, February 11 from 8pm to 11pm. The women spots are sold out, but there is still room for the men. For more info or to sign up, click on the poster below.

On Tuesday, February 12, Madeon will be doing a live set at Barrymore’s Music Hall. The French producer known for his “electro-pop-house-whatever” style, will be accompanied by openers BZRK and Greeze. For all the details on this event, just click on the poster below.

As for Valentine’s Day, Retro Joad and Helvetica Bold Present Heroes and Villains Valentine featuring Nerd Girl Burlesque of Toronto. The event will include performances by Browncoats Burlesque and Crystal Basement Improv, Jolie Stripes and more. Grab all the info you need, by clicking on the event poster below.

For fans of hip hop, what better way to spend Valentine’s Day than by checking out Wu Block live at Ritual Nightclub?! Ghostface Killah of Wu Tang and Sheek Louch of D-Block will be performing live as part of the My City is On Fire Tour. The two rappers will be supported by special guests Trinity Chris, Charron, and Jon Deck. Find out more by clicking on the event poster.

If you’re a wine lover, you’ll be happy to know that this Friday, February 15, the Canadian Museum of Civilization presents Uncorked! a series of wine tasting evenings highliting wines from different regions and countries of the world. This first edition will highlight French wines and following evenings will focus on Canadian wines, Old World and New World Wines. This first edition is sold out, so hurry and get tickets for future Uncorked evenings if this is something that you’d like to take part in. Click below for all the info.

  

On the Quebec-side, les vendredis complètement malades present Get Your Heart On this Friday, February 15 at the Petit Chicago. DJs Manalogue, Sylv9st9r and Grumpy B will make you dance your heart out while VJ Sacha V take cares of visual projections. Money raised throughout the night will go to the Fondation des maladies du coeur et de l’AVC. Plus, cheap drinks before 11pm! Details available if you click below.

Also this Friday, February 15, Supafunk Records presents Mad Funk at Mercury Lounge, a unique night that combines sound, video, and analog reel-to-reel recording with Phil Motion and The Easy Lo-Fi. For details, click on the event poster below.

This year marks the 35th edition of the Gatineau Loppet, the biggest cross-country ski gathering in Canada. The various ski events start and finish at the Mont-Bleu High School in the Hull sector of Gatineau and take place on February 15, 16 and 17. The deadline to register online at a discounted rate is this Wednesday, February 13, otherwise you can pay full price on the day of the challenge. Grab everything you need to know by clicking below.

On Saturday, February 16, Spectrasonic and punkottawa.com present Montreal indie rock band Plants and Animals live at Ritual Nightclub. The trio will be performing in Ottawa alongside Montreal folk group The Loodies. To get more info, simply click on the image below.

Venus Envy turns 12 and invites you to celebrate the store’s Dirty Dozen this Saturday, February 16 at Babylon Nightclub. The birthday party will include performances by Lana Lovecakes, Mystic Myron, Mighty Afrodite, and Rhapsody Blue among others. For details, click on the poster below.

This week’s edition of Privé takes place this Saturday, February 16 at Era with none other than Darude. The Finnish trance DJ known for the popular hit single Sandstorm, will be doing a live set alongside openers Jamie C and Illusions – daylight – arrival 2000. For details and ticket information, just click the poster below.

May Long Weekend in the National Capital Region: From Maya to Madeon

If you’re sticking around Ottawa this week for the long weekend ahead, here are some ideas if you’re looking for fun events to attend in the upcoming days.

The Canadian Tulip Festival is on for the third and final weekend so be sure to check out the flowers and activities if you haven’t already done so. You can get all the details on the festival’s official website here.

This Wednesday, May 16 as well as each Wednesday for the next little while, the Ottawa Jail Hostel will be hosting its weekly open mic for those with musical talent who wish to showcase their stuff or simply for those who want to encourage local artists, singer-songwriters and musicians while enjoying a few drinks. The open mic takes place inside Mugshots,  the Ottawa Jail Hostel bar. For more info, check out the Facebook event here.

The following evening, Thursday, May 17, the Canadian Museum of Civilization invites the public to partake in the official opening of MAYA: Secrets of Their Ancient World, the newest special exhibition launched by the Museum for the summer season. This is sure to be an extremely interesting exhibition for those who have an interest in world civilizations and particularly in the Maya history and culture. The inauguration takes place  at 6:00 pm after which guests will be invited to visit the exhibition should they wish to do so. Details are available in French and English on the below images.

Also this Thursday, May 17, Overkill Bar, in the basement of the Mercury Lounge, presents the weekly edition of Double Barrel, starting at 10pm. DJ Magnificent will be throwing an all-vinyl set and is looking forward to making you dance with another night of funk, soul and Motown hits that are sure to get you moving. You can grab more details on the Facebook event page here.

Another event happening this Thursday is the Collectif III vernissage taking place at Le Temporaire, an artistic production and exhibition space in Vieux-Hull, Gatineau, which encourages local artists to present their work in order to get noticed and promote their work on the Outaouais artistic scene. The exhibition launch starts at 5pm and all details can be found on the event’s Facebook page here.

If you’re into slam poetry, head out to Mercury Lounge this Saturday, May 19 for VERSEOttawa Women’s Slam. Last January, VERSEOttawa held the city’s first ever Women’s Slam Championship. It was the first and certainly not the last. Throughout the year, VERSeOttawa will be hosting a series of women’s slams that will culminate in the Women’s Slam Championship. You can find a breakdown of the event details here.

In Flux, a new concept night combining the best bands & DJs in the National Capital will debut at Babylon on Saturday, May 19 as of 10pm.  For the first edition of In Flux, the people of Droppin Science, Bass Machines & Antique Skateshop present Jon Deck, Birthday Girls, and the Big Muffs. Tickets are $7 and more info is available on the poster below.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Ritual will host the Atherton Album Release Party starting at 9pm. The local hip-hop artist will deliver his third studio album and first solo project entitled “No Threat” alongside guests Homebased, Babble Goons, The Joynt and DJ So Nice. Atherton will also be releasing his video for album track “Lights Out” at the party. There’s more info if you click on the poster below.

To celebrate the long weekend, BYDEK, THEKNWLDG, Soundsation, and 1X1Love present Madeon at Mansion on Sunday, May 20. Hugo Leclercq, aka Madeon, is a self-proclaimed “electro-pop-house-whatever” producer from France. Recently back from a huge performance at Coachella, Madeon is set to perform live in Ottawa and if you love electronic dance music, don’t miss this as this kid is bound to blow-up big sooner than later. You can get more details on the Facebook event page by clicking on the below poster.

Also, don’t forget about Elage’s gig at the Petit Chicago and Rakim at Ritual: two worthwhile shows taking place this Thursday and Friday as mentioned in my last post! Enjoy the May long weekend and be sure to check out one of the many events taking place in the coming days in the National Capital Region!!