Good Friday is a stat holiday in Ontario, so most things will be closed on April 18 in Ottawa — including schools, government offices, banks and a bunch of major stores.
Easter Monday, on the other hand, isn't a provincial holiday. That means most people will be back at work, and many stores will reopen. But it's still recognized at the federal and municipal levels, so many services like Canada Post, Ottawa Public Library and other municipal and federal offices will stay closed on April 21, and Ottawa's major school boards will also be closed.
To make things even more complicated, many businesses may also shut down — or run on reduced hours — on other days of the weekend, like Easter Sunday, even if it's not required.
To help you plan your long weekend, we've done the digging for you and rounded up the opening hours for some of Ottawa's most popular spots all weekend long — including where to go for groceries or liquor on Good Friday, in case you need to grab something last minute.
Here's what's open and closed in Ottawa for Easter 2025, from grocery stores and malls to city services and Easter events around town.
Grocery stores
Good Friday (April 18):
- 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.
- Costco: All Costco warehouses in Ottawa will be closed, but the Gatineau location will be open.
- Farm Boy: All Ottawa locations will be closed.
- Loblaws & affiliates: All Loblaws, Your Independent Grocer, No Frills and Real Canadian Superstore locations in Ottawa will be closed. However, Maxi locations in Gatineau will be open.
- Metro & affiliates: All Metro and Food Basics locations in Ottawa will be closed, but the Metro Plus and Super C locations in Gatineau will be open.
- Walmart: All locations in Ottawa proper will be closed. However, the four Walmart stores in Gatineau will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and if you're located in the southwestern outskirts of the city, the Smiths Falls location will also be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Whole Foods: In a break from tradition, the Whole Foods store at Lansdowne will be closed.
Saturday, April 19: Most major stores across the city will be open for their regular hours.
Easter Sunday (April 20):
- Aisle 24: All locations of this cashierless grocery chain are open 24/7 all year, including on holidays.
- Costco: All Costco warehouses in Ottawa and Gatineau will be closed.
- Farm Boy: All Ottawa locations will be closed.
- Loblaws & affiliates: All Loblaws, Your Independent Grocer, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore and Maxi locations in both Ottawa and Gatineau will be closed.
- Metro & affiliates: All Metro, Food Basics and Super C locations in Ottawa and Gatineau will be closed.
- Walmart: All locations in Ottawa and Gatineau will be closed.
- Whole Foods: The Ottawa location at Lansdowne will be closed.
Easter Monday (April 21): Most major stores across Ottawa will be open for usual hours.
Sobeys did not respond to Narcity's request for information on the holiday hours at Sobeys, FreshCo, Foodland and IGA, and their websites do not have holiday hours posted as of the time of publishing. You may want to call your local store to confirm their hours before heading out.
Liquor stores
Good Friday (April 18):
- LCBO: All locations will be closed.
- The Beer Store: All locations are closed.
- Wine Rack: The location at 1320 Wellington St. W. will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- SAQ: On the Gatineau side, all SAQ stores will be open.
Saturday, April 19: LCBO and Beer Store locations across Ottawa will be open with regular hours.
Easter Sunday (April 20):
- LCBO: All locations will be closed.
- The Beer Store: All locations are closed.
- Wine Rack: The location at 1320 Wellington St. W. will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- SAQ: In Gatineau, the Galeries Aylmer and Montée-Paiement SAQ locations will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the SAQ Express stores at La Porte de Gatineau and St-Joseph/St-Raymond will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Easter Monday (April 21):
- The Beer Store: All locations will be open for regular hours.
- LCBO: Many locations will remain closed, although a handful of stores will be open, including Rideau & King Edward, Metcalfe & Isabella, Bank & Walkley, Carling & Woodroffe and about 15 others. You can find your local store's hours on the LCBO website.
Shopping malls
Good Friday (April 18): Ottawa's major shopping centres — including the Rideau Centre, Bayshore, St. Laurent and Tanger Outlets — will be closed. If you want to do some shopping on the holiday, Les Promenades Gatineau and Galeries de Hull on the Quebec side will be open.
Saturday, April 19: Malls are open with regular hours.
Easter Sunday (April 20): All major malls in Ottawa and Gatineau will be closed.
Easter Monday (April 21): Malls are open with regular hours.
Services
City of Ottawa services:
- 3-1-1 will be open for urgent matters only.
- Curbside and multi-residential trash collection are cancelled on Good Friday and Easter Monday. Friday's pickup will take place on Saturday, and Monday's will be delayed to Tuesday (April 22). For everyone else, collection will be delayed by one day for the rest of next week.
- All Ottawa Public Library branches will be closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday.
- 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 on Good Friday and Easter Monday.
OC Transpo: Ottawa's city buses and trains will be operating on a Sunday schedule on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and on a reduced schedule on Easter Monday. You can find more information on the OC Transpo's Easter service page.
Canada Post: Canada Post is closed on national, provincial and territorial holidays. That means there is no collection or delivery of mail happening on Good Friday or Easter Monday, as they are both observed at the federal level. However, post offices operated by private businesses may be open if their host businesses are.
Banks: All banks are closed on Good Friday. Some may be open on Easter Monday, despite it being a national holiday — it's best to call your local branch to make sure before heading out.
Service Canada: Closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday.
ServiceOntario: Locations are closed on Good Friday but open Easter Monday. Some ServiceOntario services are available online, so you can still renew your driver's license, licence plate, health card and more.
Things to do
If you have a few days off and are looking for things to do in Ottawa for Easter weekend, the following attractions are open.
Easter events:
- Metcalfe Farmers' Market is holding a special Easter Market on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- The Diefenbunker is hosting an Easter at the Bunker event on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
- There will be an Easter Artisans' Market at the ByWard Market from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
- Billings Estate National Historic Site is hosting a special Easter at the Estate event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Advance registration is required.
- The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and hosting an Easter at the Farm event on all four days. Advance registration is required.
- Valleyview Little Animal Farm is hosting its annual Easter egg hunt on all four days, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. Reservations are required.
Museums & attractions:
- Canada Aviation and Space Museum: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. all four days.
- Canada Science and Technology Museum: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. all four days.
- Canadian Museum of History: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. all four days.
- Canadian Museum of Nature: Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. all four days.
- Canadian War Museum: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. all four days.
- Diefenbunker: Open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Good Friday only.
- National Gallery of Canada: Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. all four days.
- Cinemas: Most movie theatres in Ottawa — including Cineplex, Landmark Cinemas, Ciné-Starz, the Mayfair Theatre and the Bytowne Cinema — are open all weekend.
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.
Farm Boy Caramel Crème CruffiesCourtesy of Farm Boy
Farm Boy Triple Chocolate Easter Cake LoafCourtesy of Farm Boy
Farm Boy Classic Carrot LoafCourtesy of Farm Boy
A roast turkey dinner. Courtesy of Farm Boy