Wondering what to do in Ottawa this week? Halal Ribfest and lots of music. Our picks for Aug. 10 to 16

Published Aug 09, 2023 • Last updated 33 minutes ago • 2 minute read

WINDSOR, JULY 22, 2023 — Zeshan Khalid holds son Eesa Zeshan, 18 months, with his wife Sannia Aslam at the Halal Ribfest at the Riverfront Festival Plaza July 22, 2023. (BRIAN MACLEOD/WINDSOR STAR) jpg

BLUES

Veteran Canadian bluesman David Gogo, who opened for Otis Rush at the 1991 Montreux Jazz Festival more than half his life ago when he was prodigious up-and-comer, plays the Rainbow Bistro Saturday night. The fiery guitarist and multiple award-winner has released 16 full-length albums, including 2021’s Silver Cup, an acoustic outing that he recorded at his home outside of Nanaimo, B.C., with his long-time friend Steve Marriner. The music starts at 8:30 p.m. and tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

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Nanaimo, B.C.-based bluesman David Gogo plays Saturday, Aug. 12/23 at the Rainbow Bistro. Photo by Andrew Dodd

BLUEGRASS

The South Grenville Bluegrass Festival kicks off Thursday morning and ends Sunday in the early afternoon, packing the days in between with music, instrumental workshops and other activities at the Spencerville Fair Grounds, about 70 kilometres south of Ottawa. Among the acts performing are the Kevin Prater Band from Kentucky, Carson Peters and Iron Mountain from Tennessee and Larry Efaw and the Bluegrass Mountaineers from Ohio. Day passes range in price from $15 to $30, and a full festival pass is $100 per person (children 16 and under are admitted free), with access to camping included. For more information go to southgrenvillebluegrassfestival.ca.

FOOD

As synonymous as pulled pork and pork ribs may be with barbecue, you can still have great barbecue feasts without them. At the three-day Halal Ribfest that’s to take place at Lansdowne Park Friday through Sunday, expect massive beef ribs, short ribs, brisket and more. The event will also include family-friendly entertainment, shopping, buskers, street food, activities and more. All food will be prepared “with the highest standards of halal certification,” organizers say. The event’s hours are Friday from 4 to 10 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Passes are available at eventbrite.ca (search for “Halal Ribfest Ottawa”), where day passes for Friday for adults are $10.94, while day passes for Saturday and Sunday for adults are $15.94. Passes for children seven to 12 years old and for seniors 65 and older are $9.93, and family passes and multi-day passes are also available.

WORLD MUSIC

It doesn’t get more diverse that the music made by the Toronto-based band Al Qahwa, whose output draws upon the sounds of North Africa, Greece, the Middle East, jazz, folk and more. The group, which includes vocalist Maryem Tollar, percussionists Waleed Abdulhamid and Naghmeh Farahmand, oud player Demetri Petsalakis, and woodwind player Ernie Tollar, plays free concerts Tuesday and Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. on the rooftop Wood Terrace at the National Arts Centre. Bring your own chair.

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JAZZ

Were it not for the fact that alto saxophonist Samuel Cousineau spends most of the year in Toronto working on his doctorate, the Internet Celebrities would be making a bigger splash on the jazz scene in Ottawa and beyond. The quartet, which also includes guitarist Sam Westcott, bassist Chris Pond, and drummer José García, blends indie rock, pop and dance with its jazz, with Cousineau, who is back in Ottawa for the summer, as its fiery frontman. The band plays Art House Cafe, a homey haunt in Centretown beloved by Ottawa’s bohemians, Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 at thearthousecafe.ca or at the door.