Skating, skiing, dated shows and games, and the cold to plan around, with every date checked on 2026-10-29.
January events in Ottawa: the recurring ones
January in Ottawa is deep winter, so most of the good options are built around the cold. Skate the Rideau Canal Skateway once the NCC opens it, ski or snowshoe in Gatineau Park, catch a Senators game or a National Arts Centre show, and spend the coldest afternoons in museums and cafes. Winterlude 2027 opens on January 29. This page covers the recurring January events, the dated listings already announced for January 2027 and the weather to plan around. Every fact was checked on 2026-10-29.
Recurring events: Winterlude opens January 29, 2027, which is officially announced. The Skateway usually opens in January but has no date yet. For any other January event, confirm the date with the organiser before you plan around it.
Winter things to do in January: skating, skiing and snowshoeing
The Rideau Canal Skateway is 7.8 km long. When it is open, it is free and open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The NCC says the season "typically runs from January to early March, but it is weather-dependent." The 2026-27 opening date is not announced. It opens when the ice is ready, so check the NCC ice conditions page before you go. The NCC history page gives an average season of 50 days and a record of 90 days in 1971-72. In the five seasons from 2017-18 to 2021-22, opening day fell between December 30 and January 28. In 2024-25 it opened on January 11.
Gatineau Park has over 200 km of classic, skate and back-country ski trails from 15 parking lots. P1, P2, P17 and P19 can be reached by transit. A 2026-27 adult day pass for skiing, snowshoeing and snow biking costs $21.40 before tax, and a snowshoe and snow bike pass costs $12.48. Library card holders can borrow a free daily pass from the Ottawa Public Library, the Ville de Gatineau library, the Reseau Biblio de l'Outaouais and several other libraries in the region.
The refrigerated rink at Rideau Hall opened on November 22, 2025. Its 2026-27 dates are still to be confirmed.
Concerts and shows in Ottawa in January
The National Arts Centre has a full January 2027 calendar. Dated shows: The Sound of Music (December 29 to January 3); Dancing Queen: The Best of ABBA with the NAC Orchestra (January 7 to 9); The Diviners (January 12 to 23); Yoann Bourgeois and Patrick Watson (January 14 and 15); Toronto Comedy All Stars (January 16); Mozart's Flights of Fancy, a family concert (January 17).
Later in the month: Storgards, Beethoven and Tetzlaff (January 20 and 21); Ottawa Jazz Orchestra: Grit N' Groove (January 20 and 21); WolfGANG Sessions #30 (January 23); Storgards and Hewitt (January 27 and 28); Tout ça (January 28 to 30); Beverly Glenn-Copeland with Owen Pallett (January 30); and Classic Albums Live: Fleetwood Mac Rumours (January 30).
This January: dated sports listings for 2027
The Ottawa Senators play six home games at Canadian Tire Centre in January 2027: Winnipeg on Thursday, January 14 at 7 p.m.; Toronto on Wednesday, January 20 at 7:30 p.m.; Columbus on Saturday, January 23 at 3:30 p.m.; Carolina on Monday, January 25 at 7:30 p.m.; Boston on Thursday, January 28 at 7 p.m.; and the New York Rangers on Saturday, January 30 at 7 p.m. The team's bye week runs from January 31 to February 8.
We did not find confirmed January home dates for the Ottawa Charge or the Ottawa 67's on an official source, so they are not listed here.
Fun indoor things to do and top-rated warm-up spots
Museums are the main cold-day fallback. Our museum ranking covers 22 qualifying places. The top five are the Canadian War Museum (4.8 from 10,896 reviews), the Canadian Museum of Nature (4.7, 15,227), the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau (4.7, 14,938), the National Gallery of Canada (4.7, 10,964) and the Canada Aviation and Space Museum (4.7, 8,046).
To warm up after the canal, our coffee shop ranking lists 135 places. The top five are Café Raphaël (4.9, 1,577 reviews; Google lists it as a sandwich shop), Melaku Ethiopian Coffee Shop (4.9, 1,069), Opulence Coffee (4.9, 841), Orange Turtle Bakery (5.0, 284) and Vylora Café (5.0, 268).
Ratings and review counts are public Google Maps data pulled 2026-10-29 and ranked by our published formula. Our attractions ranking covers 86 more places across Ottawa and Gatineau.
Ottawa weather in January
January is Ottawa's coldest month. Environment Canada's 1981-2010 normals for Ottawa airport give a mean daily high of -5.8 C and a mean daily low of -14.8 C. On average, 23.7 days stay at or below 0 C, 8.6 nights drop below -20 C, and wind chill is below -20 on 17.4 days.
Expect about 53.9 cm of snow across 16.1 snowy days, with an average snow depth of 24.4 cm. Freezing rain or drizzle falls on about 3.7 days. Dress in layers, cover your face and hands, and wear boots with grip.
Getting ready for Winterlude
Winterlude 2027 is the 49th edition and runs from January 29 to February 15, 2027. Ottawa Tourism names Crystal Garden at Confederation Park, with ice sculptures, live shows and the new Lantern Grove, and Snowflake Kingdom at Jacques-Cartier Park North in Gatineau, with snow slides and a Ferris wheel.
The 2027 programme has not been released. The 2026 programme came out on January 14, 2026, so mid-January is a fair guess but not an announcement. The 2026 edition also had a sugar shack village, a Nordic race, a free illuminated Ferris wheel and a free weekend Sno-Bus shuttle. Opening day, January 29, 2027, is a Friday, so plan the last weekend of January around it.
Questions and answers
What to do in Ottawa in January?
Skate the Rideau Canal Skateway once it opens, ski or snowshoe in Gatineau Park, see a Senators game or a National Arts Centre show, and visit the museums. Winterlude 2027 starts January 29.
What festivals are in Ottawa in January?
Winterlude 2027 runs January 29 to February 15, 2027. It was the only January festival with officially announced 2027 dates that we found on 2026-10-29.
What concerts are in Ottawa in January?
The NAC has dated January 2027 concerts, including Dancing Queen: The Best of ABBA (January 7 to 9), Ottawa Jazz Orchestra: Grit N' Groove (January 20 and 21), Beverly Glenn-Copeland (January 30) and Classic Albums Live: Fleetwood Mac Rumours (January 30).
What fun things are there to do in Ottawa in January?
Skating, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing outdoors, then museums, cafes, NAC shows and six Senators home games indoors. Winterlude opens on January 29, 2027.
When does the Rideau Canal Skateway open?
The 2026-27 date is not announced. The NCC says the season typically runs from January to early March, depending on weather. From 2017-18 to 2021-22 it opened between December 30 and January 28, and in 2024-25 it opened on January 11.
How cold is Ottawa in January?
Environment Canada's 1981-2010 normals give a mean daily high of -5.8 C and a low of -14.8 C, with about 53.9 cm of snow over the month.
Sources
- Winterlude (Canadian Heritage). Checked .
- Winterlude 2026 programming unveiled (Canadian Heritage). Checked .
- Winterlude (Ottawa Tourism). Checked .
- Rideau Canal Skateway (NCC). Checked .
- History of the Rideau Canal Skateway (NCC). Checked .
- Cross-country skiing in Gatineau Park (NCC). Checked .
- Gatineau Park winter passes (NCC). Checked .
- Rideau Hall rink (Governor General of Canada). Checked .
- Ottawa Senators 2026-27 regular season schedule (NHL). Checked .
- National Arts Centre calendar, January 2027. Checked .
- Climate normals 1981-2010, Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier Int'l A, January (Environment Canada). Checked .
- Climate normals 1981-2010, Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier Int'l A, all months (Environment Canada). Checked .