Canada Day 2025 is just around the corner, and if you're in Ottawa, it's time to start planning for the holiday on Tuesday.
Whether you're hosting a BBQ, trying to catch the fireworks or just enjoying a well-earned day off, knowing what's open and closed on Canada Day can save you from scrambling for last-minute groceries or realizing the liquor store's closed too late.
Canada Day is a federal and statutory holiday in Ontario, so expect widespread closures across the nation's capital on July 1 — but also lots of celebratory events.
If you're sticking around town, there are tons of events celebrating Canada Day 2025 in Ottawa, from Canadian Heritage festivities and national fireworks displays to smaller community events in your area if you'd rather avoid the downtown crowds.
Most major stores and services will shut down for the holiday, but not everything. Some grocery stores open on Canada Day — including a few Loblaws, Metro and Farm Boy locations — will still be there for those last-minute runs.
We've rounded up everything you need to know about what's open on Canada Day, including which shopping malls are staying open, what city services will be affected and where you can go if you're looking for something fun to do.
Here's your guide to what's open and closed on Canada Day in Ottawa, so you can plan ahead and avoid any last-minute surprises.
Grocery stores
OPEN:
- Farm Boy Rideau — 50 Rideau St. (inside the Rideau Centre), open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Loblaws Isabella — 64 Isabella St., open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Loblaws Rideau — 363 Rideau St., open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Metro Glebe — 754 Bank St., open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Metro Rideau — 255 Rideau St., open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- T&T Supermarket Kanata — 300 Eagleson Rd., open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- T&T Supermarket Ottawa — 224 Hunt Club Rd., open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Whole Foods — 951 Bank St., open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Aisle 24 — All locations of this cashierless grocery chain are open 24/7, all year round. You'll just need to download the app and create a profile in order to unlock the door.
CLOSED:
- All other Farm Boy, Loblaws and Metro locations not listed above
- Costco
- FreshCo
- No Frills
- Produce Depot
- Real Canadian Superstore
- Sobeys
- Walmart
- Your Independent Grocer
Liquor stores
OPEN:
- Select Beer Store locations, open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.:
- 1860 Bank St.
- 1984 Baseline Rd.
- 548 Montreal Rd.
- 515 Somerset St. W.
- 3500 Fallowfield Rd. (Nepean)
- 2018 Ogilvie Rd. (Gloucester)
- 2276 Tenth Line Rd., Unit B1 (Orleans)
- 499 Terry Fox Dr., Unit #5 (Kanata)
- Wine Rack Rideau — 363 Rideau St. (inside Loblaws), open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Wine Rack Wellington — 1320 Wellington St. W., open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Select SAQ locations in Gatineau:
- SAQ — 141 prom. du Portage, open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- SAQ Express — 425 boul. Saint-Joseph, open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- SAQ Express — 25 ch. de la Savane, open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- SAQ Sélection — 175 rue Principale, open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
CLOSED:
- All other Beer Store, Wine Rack and SAQ locations not listed above
- LCBO
Shopping malls
Most major malls in Ottawa — including Bayshore, St. Laurent, Carlingwood and Place D'Orleans — will be closed for the holiday, with the following exceptions:
- Rideau Centre — open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Tanger Outlets — open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Services
- 3-1-1 will be open for urgent matters only.
- Curbside trash collection is cancelled on Canada Day. Tuesday's pickup will be pushed to Wednesday, and collection will be delayed by one day for the rest of next week.
- All Ottawa Public Library branches and City-operated museums will be closed (see a list of open museums below).
- Most other city services and offices — including municipal child care centres, Employment and Social Services offices, Ottawa Public Health clinics and more — will be closed.
OC Transpo: Ottawa's city buses and trains are transitioning to summer service on Sunday, June 29, and they will be operating on a special schedule with extra service for Canada Day:
- Service on all buses, trains and Para Transpo will be free all day.
- O-Train Line 1 will run from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Lines 2 and 4 will run from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m.
- Rural Shopper Route 302 will not run.
- Para Transpo service will run until 3 a.m. Regular or recurring trips on July 1 will be automatically cancelled, but customers can use the My Para Transpo app or reservation phone line (between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.) to book a trip.
- The Rideau Centre customer service centre will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the St. Laurent lost and found will be closed.
Canada Post: Canada Post is closed on national, provincial and territorial holidays. That means there is no collection or delivery of mail happening on Canada Day. However, some post offices operated by private businesses may be open if their host businesses are.
Banks: All banks will be closed.
Service Canada: All offices are closed on Canada Day.
ServiceOntario: All locations will be closed. However, some ServiceOntario services have moved online, so you can still renew your driver's license, licence plate, health card and more.
Road closures & traffic
Various road closures will be in effect in downtown Ottawa on Canada Day.
Heading downtown for Canada Day 2025? Expect major road closures and parking restrictions around Parliament Hill, LeBreton Flats and the Supreme Court of Canada from early morning on Tuesday, July 1, until past midnight. Plan ahead and leave extra time if you're travelling into the core — especially if you're hoping to catch the fireworks.
Road closures
The following roads will be closed to vehicles all day, from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.:
- Wellington Street (between Booth and Elgin)
- Sparks Street
- Queen Street
- Metcalfe, O'Connor, Bank, Kent, Lyon, Bay, Commissioner and Booth streets and Bronson Avenue (between Wellington and Albert)
- Kichi Zībī Mīkan (between Onigam and Booth)
- Fleet, Lloyd and Lett streets
- Onigam and Slidell streets
Plus, the following will be closed in the evening from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.:
- Albert Street
- Slater Street
Bridges
- Alexandra Bridge: Southbound lane closed 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.; open to pedestrians and northbound vehicles
- Chaudière Crossing: Fully closed to vehicles and pedestrians from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.
- Portage Bridge: Closed to vehicles in both directions from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.; open to pedestrians
- Chief William Commanda Bridge: Closed from June 30 at 8 p.m. to July 2 at 2 a.m.
For real-time updates, you can check the City of Ottawa's interactive traffic map.
Museums & attractions
Cinemas: Most movie theatres in Ottawa — including Cineplex, Landmark Cinemas, Ciné-Starz, the Mayfair Theatre and the Bytowne Cinema — are open.
Museums: The following museums are open with free admission on Canada Day:
- Canada Agriculture and Food Museum — open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Canada Aviation and Space Museum — open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Canada Science and Technology Museum — open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Canadian Museum of History — open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Canadian Museum of Nature — open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Canadian War Museum — open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- National Gallery of Canada — open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Canada Day events
Canadian Heritage will be putting on free events all day at a number of official sites across the capital, including on Parliament Hill, in front of the Supreme Court of Canada, in Old Hull and at LeBreton Flats Park, where the main events are taking place:
- National Noon Ceremony — 12 to 1:15 p.m.
Featuring performances from Amanda Marshall, Garou, Alli Walker and more. - National Evening Show — 8 to 10 p.m.
Featuring performances from Sarah McLachlan, Cœur de Pirate, Josh Ross, TALK and more. - Tim Hortons Canada Day Fireworks — 10 to 10:15 p.m.
If you're trying to avoid the downtown crowds, many communities across the city are also hosting smaller celebrations, including:
- Barrhaven: Starting on Tuesday, June 24, and continuing to Sunday, July 6, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on most days (except for July 1 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.), there will be festivities in Clarke Field Park (93 Houlahan St.).
- Beacon Hill: Fireworks will be displayed at Loyola Park (956 Loyola Ave.) on Tuesday, July 1 from 7:30 to 9:30.
- ByWard Market: Canada day celebrations in the ByWard Market will take place from 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. York Street will be closed from Sussex to Dalhousie.
- Greely: Festivities will be held from 12 to 10:30 p.m. at the Greely Community Centre / Andy Shields Park (1448 Meadow Dr.). Partial road closures for set-up and parking restrictions will be in place on Meadow Drive from Parkway to Bank.
- Kanata: Canada Day in Kanata will take place from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. in Walter Baker Park (100 Charlie Rogers Pl.). Charlie Rogers Place will be closed from Ron Maslin to the Tony Graham Recreation Complex.
- Kanata: Otto's Canada Day Road Race will take place from 8 to 11 a.m. in Sandwell Green Park (60 Leacock Dr.) and associated roadways. The Parkway will be closed between Reaney / Leacock and Teron.
- Orleans: Canada Day Orleans celebrations will take place from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. in Petrie Island Park (795 Trim Rd.).
- Riverside South: Canada Day festivities in Riverside South will be held in Claudette Cain Park (660 River Rd.) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by fireworks from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Stittsville: Canada Day in Stittsville will take place from 6 to 11 p.m. at the CARDELREC Recreation Complex (1500 Shea Rd.) and the sports fields at Sacred Heart High School (5870 Abbott St.).
- Stittsville: The Stittsville Legion Canada Day Promenade will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Stittsville Royal Canadian Legion (1481 Stittsville Main St.).
Have a tip about a store or event that's open on holidays in Ottawa? We want to hear about it! Send an email to avery.friedlander@narcity.com.