Construction at Ottawa City Hall forces Capital RibFest to cancel August event

A popular summer event at Ottawa City Hall has been cancelled in August due to construction. CTV”s Shaun Vardon reports.

Capital RibFest has been part of the summer in the capital for over a decade; it brings tens of thousands of visitors on the August long weekend to the plaza at Ottawa City Hall.

On Monday organizers announced RibFest been cancelled for 2025 due to construction at Marion Dewar Plaza this summer. The city says the interlock paving blocks at Marion Dewar Plaza are scheduled for lifecycle replacement, with the work happening from mid-July to September.

Organizers say they found out about the city’s plans in January but were not given the exact dates for construction for weeks after and were unable to find another location in time for this year’s event.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, Ottawa’s director of Facility Operations Dan Brisebois said in part, “Due to safety and accessibility concerns, the area will unfortunately not be made available for festivals during the construction period.”

Les Gagne, who heads up Ribfest, says the city’s decision is disappointing and sends the wrong message to those wanting to add a little life to the city.

“This just seems to be another of those things that’s adding to the coffin, if you will. You know, nobody wants to go downtown anymore,” Gagne said. “If the city wants this to remain a festival plaza and location, then commit to that. It’s certainly discouraging for us to have something like the changing of pavers to interrupt something that has been really a key piece of Ottawa’s tourism puzzle.”

Rideau Vanier councillor Stéphanie Plante, who sits on the community and social services committee, says she wants to see more events like this for the city and hopes Capital Ribfest returns next year.

“We talk a lot about having these third spaces these places where people can go, they can meet up and have fun, they can have a new experience so I would say it’s very important for the city, especially during the summer when they want to enjoy the nice weather,” Plante said.

“They could always reach out to me, I’m happy to put them on York Street in the ByWard Market if they would like to move their location.”

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App