On weekends in February, it's Winterlude (tel. 613/239-5000; www.capcan.ca/winterlude), with parades, an ice-sculpture competition, fireworks, speed skating, snowshoe races, ice boating, curling, and more. One offbeat contest is the bed race on the frozen canal, while the most exciting event may be the harness racing on ice.

Ottawa's biggest event is the Canadian Tulip Festival (tel. 888/465-1867; http://tulipfestival.ca) for about 2 weeks in mid-May, when the city is ablaze with 200 varieties of tulips enlivening public buildings, monuments, embassies, homes, and driveways. (Among the best viewing points is Dow's Lake.) The festival began in 1945, when the Netherlands sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canada in appreciation of the role Canadian troops played in liberating Holland. Festival events include fireworks, concerts, parades, and a flotilla on the canal.

At the end of May the R.C.M.P. Musical Ride Sunset Ceremony (tel. 613/993-3751) takes place, with outdoor evening performances of music and horsemanship, including jumping and dressage, as well the ride itself. In early June, the Canadian Museum of Nature holds a Children's Festival (tel. 613/728-5863), an extravaganza of dance, mime, puppetry, and music. Late June brings the Festival Franco-Ontarien (tel. 613/741-1225; www.ffo.ca), a 5-day celebration of Francophone Canada, featuring classical and other musical concerts, fashion shows, street performers, games and competitions, crafts, and French cuisine.

On July 1, Canadians flock to the city to celebrate Canada Day (tel. 800/465-1867; www.capcan.ca/canadaday), with many kinds of entertainment, including fireworks. For 10 days in mid-July, the city is filled with the sounds of the Ottawa International Jazz Festival (tel. 613/241-2633; www.ottawajazzfestival.com). Local, national, and international artists give more than 125 performances at more than 20 venues. That event is followed by the 2-week Ottawa Chamber Music Festival (tel. 613/234-8008; www.chamberfest.com), North America's largest, with 74 concerts in the city's churches.

On Labour Day weekend, scores of brilliantly colored balloons fill the skies over Ottawa, while on the ground, people flock to musical events and midway rides during the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival (tel. 819/243-2330; www.balloongatineau.com). Other major events include the National Capital Air Show in late May (tel. 613/526-1030), the National Capital Dragon Boat Race Festival in late June (tel. 613/238-7711; www.dragonboat.net), and the 10-day Central Canada Exhibition (tel. 613/237-7222; www.the-ex.com) in mid- to late August.