Here's what's open (and closed) on Christmas & Boxing Day in Ottawa
If you're trying to figure out what's open — and what's not — around Christmas in Ottawa, you've come to the right place.
Stat holiday hours in Ottawa can vary widely by store and by day, which can make it hard to quickly find nearby stores that are actually open.
To make your holiday planning a little more stress-free, we've done all the digging for you, rounding up what's open on Christmas Day in Ottawa — including grocery stores, liquor stores, shopping malls and essential services — plus all the holiday hours on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day you should know about.
What's open on Christmas Day in Ottawa
December 25 is the quietest shopping day of the year in Ottawa, with most major retailers and services shut down. That said, there are still a handful of options that remain open on Christmas Day — most with reduced hours — if you find yourself in a pinch.
Grocery stores
All major grocery chains in Ottawa — including all locations of Loblaws, Metro, Sobeys and their affiliates, as well as Costco and Walmart — will be closed on December 25. However, there are still a few options if you're in a bind.
Aisle 24 is a cashierless grocery chain that carries a small selection of groceries, including fresh produce. Both Ottawa locations — at 105 Champagne Ave. S. and 770 Brookfield Rd. — are open to the public 24/7, all year round, including Christmas Day. You'll just need to download the app and create a profile in order to unlock the door.
Many Shoppers Drug Mart stores will also be open, selling basic grocery staples and even fresh produce at some locations. The Shoppers at Westgate Shopping Centre will be open 24 hours on Christmas Day, and various other locations will be open either 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Not all locations will be open, but you can find your local store's holiday hours on the Shoppers website.
Liquor stores
All LCBO, Beer Store and Wine Rack locations in Ottawa, as well as all SAQ locations in Gatineau, will be closed on December 25, 2025.
However, convenience stores in Ontario can now sell beer, wine, cider and other ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages, and many will be open (albeit potentially with limited hours) on Christmas Day. You may want to call your local store before heading out, as few of them post holiday hours online.
Shopping malls
All major shopping malls in Ottawa — including the Rideau Centre, Tanger Outlets, Bayshore and more — will be closed on December 25.
What's open on Christmas Eve in Ottawa
December 24 may be your last chance to make that final grocery or liquor run or pick up any last-minute gifts, and most stores in Ottawa will be open on Christmas Eve — though many close earlier than usual.
If you're heading out on Wednesday, it's a good idea to plan ahead and keep early closures in mind, especially in the evening. Here are the Christmas Eve holiday hours for major grocery stores, liquor stores and shopping malls in Ottawa.
Grocery stores
- Costco: All regular warehouses open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Gloucester Business Centre will be open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Farm Boy: All locations open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for the one in the Rideau Centre, which is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Foodland: Both locations (Greely and Osgoode) open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- FreshCo: All locations open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Loblaws: All locations open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Metro: All locations open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- No Frills: All locations open from either 7 or 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Produce Depot: Both locations open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Real Canadian Superstore: All locations open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Sobeys: All locations open from either 6 or 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- T&T: Both locations open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Walmart: All locations open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Whole Foods: The store at Lansdowne will be open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Your Independent Grocer: All locations open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., except for McDonough's in Manotick (open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), and Massine's in Centretown (open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
Liquor stores
- LCBO: All locations open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., except for the ones in the Rideau Centre (open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Billings Bridge (open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
- The Beer Store: All locations open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Wine Rack: All locations open. Hours vary, but they all close at either 5 or 6 p.m.
Shopping malls
- Rideau Centre: Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Bayshore Shopping Centre: Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- St. Laurent Centre: Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Tanger Outlets: Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Place D'Orleans: Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
What's open on Boxing Day in Ottawa
December 26 is a major shopping day in Ottawa, with many grocery stores, liquor stores and shopping malls reopening — often with either reduced or extended hours, depending on the business. While Boxing Day is a statutory holiday in Ontario, it isn't listed under the province's Retail Business Holidays Act, which means more stores are allowed to open compared to most other stat holidays.
Here's a breakdown of Boxing Day holiday hours for major grocery stores, liquor stores and shopping malls in Ottawa, including which locations are open, which are closed and what their modified hours look like on December 26.
Grocery stores
- Costco: All regular warehouses open 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The Gloucester Business Centre will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Farm Boy: The Rideau Centre location will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the following locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.: Blossom Park, Greenbank, Kanata (Terry Fox Dr.), Metcalfe, Nepean (Merivale Rd.), Signature Centre, Stittsville, Tenth Line, Train Yards, Westboro.
- Foodland: Both locations open from 9 a.m. until either 5 (Osgoode) or 6 p.m. (Greely).
- FreshCo: All locations open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Loblaws: All locations open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Metro: Most locations open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., except for Island Park, Glebe, McCarthy and Blackburn Shoppes, which will be closed.
- No Frills: All locations open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Real Canadian Superstore: All locations open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Sobeys: All locations open from either 7 or 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- T&T: Both locations open 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- Walmart: All locations open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Whole Foods: The store at Lansdowne will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Your Independent Grocer: All locations open; hours vary. Most are open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., although Bierley's and Marsha's are opening at 8 a.m., Massine's opens at 10 a.m., and Hess' closes earlier at 5 p.m.
CLOSED:
- Farm Boy locations at Barrhaven (Woodroffe Ave.), Blue Heron, Britannia, Hillside (Montreal Rd.) and Orleans (St. Joseph Blvd.)
- Metro locations at Island Park, Glebe, McCarthy and Blackburn Shoppes
- Produce Depot (both locations)
Liquor stores
- LCBO: The following locations will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.:
- Bank & Riverside (Billings Bridge)
- Rideau & King Edward
- Bank & Walkley
- Carling & Woodroffe
- Hunt Club & Merivale
- Strandherd & Greenbank
- Blair & Ogilvie
- Innes & Tenth Line (Orleans)
- Terry Fox & Campeau (Kanata)
- The Beer Store: The following locations will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.:
- 515 Somerset St. W.
- 1860 Bank St.
- 548 Montreal Rd.
- College Square
- Blair Place
- 2276 Tenth Line Rd. (Orleans)
- Signature Centre (Kanata)
- Wine Rack: All locations open. Hours vary, with the earliest opening at 9:30 a.m. (inside Marsha's Your Independent Grocer Orleans) and the latest closings at 9 p.m. (224 Hunt Club Rd. and 1320 Wellington St. W.)
Shopping malls
- Rideau Centre: Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Bayshore Shopping Centre: Open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- St. Laurent Centre: Open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Tanger Outlets: Open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Place D'Orleans: Open 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Service hours & holiday disruptions in Ottawa over Christmas 2025
City of Ottawa services:
- 3-1-1 will be open for urgent matters only on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
- Curbside trash collection is cancelled on Christmas Day only. Thursday's pickup will be pushed to Friday, and Friday's will be on Saturday. Christmas trees can be put out on your regular collection day.
- Most other City services — including ServiceOttawa offices and phone lines, Provincial Offences counters, public health clinics, Employment and Social Services offices, municipal child care centres, public libraries and City-run archives, galleries and museums — will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and may also be closed for extra days around the holidays. You can find more information here.
- Most City gyms, arenas and pools will run on a modified schedule throughout the holidays. You can check the hours for your local facility here.
OC Transpo: Ottawa's city buses and trains will be operating on a holiday schedule from December 22 to January 2. On December 25 (Christmas Day), it will be operating a Sunday schedule, and on December 26 (Boxing Day), it'll run on a Saturday schedule. You can find more information on the OC Transpo's Service Changes page.
Canada Post: Canada Post is closed on all statutory holidays. That means there is no collection or delivery of mail happening on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. However, post offices operated by private businesses may be open if their host business is.
Banks: Banks are closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Service Canada: Closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
ServiceOntario: Locations are closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but some ServiceOntario services are available online, so you can still renew your driver's license, licence plate, health card and more.
Have a tip about a store or attraction that's open on holidays in Ottawa? We want to hear about it! Send an email to avery.friedlander@narcity.com.
