Summer nights along the Ottawa River are still glowing. Les Grands Feux du Casino Lac-Leamy kicked off its 29th edition with a glamorous opening night, and five more evenings of world-class fireworks and synchronized soundtracks are still ahead, running through August 15.
A Journey Around the World, One Night at a Time Each show sends a different country’s pyrotechnic team up against the backdrop of Parliament Hill, with fireworks launched from a barge on the Ottawa River. Organizers describe the festival as a nightly trip to the four corners of the world, and here’s what’s left on the calendar:
- Saturday, August 1 – Canada, represented by Orion Fireworks, kicks things off with “Odyssey of the Cosmos,” inspired by planets, stars, and celestial phenomena.
- Wednesday, August 5 – France, represented by Pyragric Fireworks, celebrates the country’s electronic music legacy with a “French Touch” show set to tracks from Daft Punk, David Guetta, and Bob Sinclair.
- Saturday, August 8 – Brazil, represented by Vision Show, brings the energy of Rio Carnaval to the river with “Emotion in Every Moment.”
- Wednesday, August 12 – China, represented by Dancing Fireworks, draws on Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons to bring the changing seasons to life.
- Saturday, August 15 – The Grand Finale, presented by Royal Pyrotechnie, closes out the festival with a tribute to heroes, from superheroes to everyday people who make a difference.
Each performance runs roughly 25 minutes and begins at 9:15 p.m.
More Than Just Fireworks The main festival site sits on the grounds of the Canadian Museum of History, where visitors will also find the Magical Forest, a family-friendly area for kids, the Promutuel Plaza with food trucks and live music, and a brand-new addition this year: the Enchanted Haven, an immersive space packed with interactive activities for younger festivalgoers. Tickets are required to enter the site and are available online in advance. For those who’d rather skip the crowds, the fireworks are also visible and audible from a number of spots around the city, with Kiweki Point and Major’s Hill Park among the most popular unofficial viewing locations.
What to Know Before You Go With five more nights of fireworks comes five more nights of road closures, so it’s worth planning ahead if you’re heading downtown on a show night. The Alexandra Bridge will be closed to all vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists during each performance, with vehicle traffic shut down from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. and pedestrian access closed from 8:30 to 10 p.m. The boardwalk reopens to pedestrians at 10 p.m., with the road following at 10:30 p.m., and there’s a window between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. where pedestrians and cyclists can still cross via the centre lane. Streets surrounding the museum will also see temporary closures from 8:45 to 10:30 p.m., including sections of Laurier Street, Victoria Street, Papineau Street, Élisabeth-Bruyère Street, Des Allumettières Boulevard, and Notre-Dame-de-l’Île Street. The Voyageurs Recreational Trail between the Portage and Alexandra bridges will be closed from 5 to 10 p.m. on show nights, and Gatineau police will be on-site to manage traffic throughout the evening. STO buses will continue running on their normal schedule. With five chances left to catch the show before August 15, there’s still plenty of time to make it one of your summer nights out.