New Year's is just around the corner, and with it comes all the closures and holiday hours that could shake up your plans in Ottawa.
Whether you're wrapping up errands on New Year's Eve, searching for what's open on New Year's Day in Ottawa for essentials or looking for fun ways to ring in 2025, having the details sorted out ahead of time is a must.
New Year's Day — January 1, 2025 — is a Wednesday this year and a federal and statutory holiday in Canada, meaning most places in Ottawa will be closed. But don't stress! A handful of grocery stores, shops and attractions will remain open if you need them, and we've got all the details for you.
Meanwhile, New Year's Eve isn't a stat holiday, but many businesses across Ottawa will close early. To make sure you're not caught off guard while preparing for your holiday shindig, we've tracked down all the reduced hours you need to know.
From grocery and liquor stores to malls, public transit, government services and attractions, here's everything you need to know about what's open and closed — or closing early — in Ottawa on December 31, 2024, and January 1, 2025, including details on the LCBO, Farm Boy, Loblaws, OC Transpo, ServiceOntario and more.
Grocery stores
December 31 (New Year's Eve):
- Costco: All locations will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Farm Boy: All locations will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., except for Metcalfe and Trainyards, which will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Rideau, which will be open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Loblaws, No Frills & Superstore: All Loblaws locations in Ottawa will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. All No Frills stores will be open until 6 p.m., while Real Canadian Superstore locations will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Metro & Food Basics: All Metro locations in Ottawa will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the exception of the Glebe, which will be open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. All Food Basics locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Sobeys & FreshCo: All Sobeys locations in Ottawa will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and all FreshCo locations will be open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Walmart: Most locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., although a few will be open as late as 10 p.m., including South Keys and Trainyards. You can check the Walmart website for your local store's hours.
- Whole Foods (Lansdowne): Open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
January 1 (New Year's Day): Most major grocery chains will be closed on New Year's Day. However, here are a few places you can go if you need something on the holiday:
- Loblaws: The locations on Rideau and Isabella streets will both be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Metro Rideau: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Shoppers Drug Mart: Many locations will be open with varying hours. We recommend calling your local store before heading out as the hours on the website have not been amended to holiday hours as of the time of publishing.
- Whole Foods (Lansdowne): Open 10 a.m. to 9 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.
Liquor stores
December 31 (New Year's Eve):
- LCBO: Most locations close at 6 p.m. You can visit the LCBO website for specific store hours.
- The Beer Store: All locations will close early at 5 p.m.
- Wine Rack: A spokesperson told Narcity that "most stores should be operating on regular hours" on non-stat holidays like New Year's Eve, but as the website doesn't show holiday hours as of the time of posting, you may want to call your local store to check before heading out.
January 1 (New Year's Day): All LCBO and The Beer Store locations will be closed on New Year's Day. The following Wine Rack stores in Ottawa will be open:
- Rideau & Nelson (inside Loblaws): 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Hunt Club: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Wellington Street West: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Shopping malls
Shopping centres and malls will be closed on January 1 for New Year's Day. Many will have reduced hours on December 31, including:
- CF Rideau Centre: Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Bayshore Shopping Centre: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- St. Laurent Shopping Centre: Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Tanger Outlets: Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Services
OC Transpo: Ottawa's city buses and trains will be operating on a modified schedule from December 23 to January 3. On December 31 (New Year's Eve), many routes will be extended later than usual, and rides are free after 6 p.m. On January 1 (New Year's Day), it'll run on a Sunday schedule. You can find more information on the OC Transpo's Service Changes 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 New Year's Day. However, post offices operated by private businesses may be open if their host businesses are.
Banks: All banks are closed on New Year's Day.
Service Canada: Closed on New Year's Day.
ServiceOntario: Locations are closed on New Year's Day, but some ServiceOntario services are available online, so you can still renew your driver's license, licence plate, health card and more.
Things to do
December 31 (New Year's Eve):
- Candian Museum of Nature: Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Canadian War Museum: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Canadian Museum of History: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Canada Science and Technology Museum: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Canada Agriculture and Food Museum: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- National Gallery of Canada: Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Cineplex: Theatres are open.
- Ottawa Christmas Market (Lansdowne): Open 2 p.m. to midnight.
- Skating rinks and sledding hills: The city's sledding hills and refrigerated rinks (including the Rink of Dreams, Ben Franklin Place, Jim Tubman Chevrolet Rink and Lansdown Park) should all be open, weather permitting. Check the daily alerts section on the city's website to be sure before heading out.
January 1 (New Year's Day):
- Canadian War Museum: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Canadian Museum of History: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Canada Science and Technology Museum: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- 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.
- National Gallery of Canada: Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Cineplex: Theatres are open throughout the holidays, including on New Year's Day.
- Ottawa Christmas Market (Lansdowne): Open 12 to 5 p.m.
- Skating rinks and sledding hills: The city's sledding hills and refrigerated rinks (including the Rink of Dreams, Ben Franklin Place, Jim Tubman Chevrolet Rink and Lansdown Park) should all be open, weather permitting. Check the daily alerts section on the city's website to be sure before heading out.
Happy New Year, Ottawa!
