Ottawa launches new downtown arts, culture and entertainment district

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Ottawa launches new “ACE” district

Launch of Arts, Culture & Entertainment District

The City of Ottawa launched the city’s first Arts, Culture and Entertainment (ACE) district on Wednesday, as part of continued efforts to revitalize the city’s downtown core.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and the Ottawa Art Gallery officially marked the launch of the new district in front of the Ottawa sign in the ByWard Market on Wednesday.

The ACE District encompasses several of the busiest parts of downtown Ottawa, including the ByWard Market, Rideau Street, Sparks Street, Centretown, LeBreton Flats, Bank Street and Elgin Street.

The city says the new district represents a new “shared vision” to connect Ottawa’s cultural and entertainment assets and experiences while attracting residents, visitors and new businesses downtown.

“It creates a distinct identity that connects the world-class institutions, popular festivals, and diverse local creators and businesses that call downtown Ottawa home,” the city said in a news release.

The new entertainment district is part of an $18.5 million allocation for the downtown revitalization plan announced in a deal with the City of Ottawa and the Ontario government last year. The city will be supporting the new district with $600,000 in funding to the Ottawa Art Gallery.

“Our artists, venues, festivals, and cultural institutions are among the reasons why Ottawa has the best quality of life in Canada. The ACE district is a wonderful new way to celebrate our culture and show it off to visitors and residents,” Sutcliffe said.

“I’m very excited to see the district launched and grateful to our partners who made it happen.”

The city unveiled its new branding for the district, including a new website and presence on social media platforms.

Some of the noticeable aspects of the new district can already be seen this summer, including the construction of two murals on York Street West and ByWard Market Square.

A six-week “SoundScape Festival” will take place this summer under the Plaza Bridge at Elgin and Rideau streets, turning the area in “an immersive, lively performance venue.”

A new “curated art route” is being built to connect the Ottawa Art Gallery, the National Arts Centre and the National Gallery of Canada.

The city says residents can expect to see more cultural and event programming as the ACE district evolves in the coming years.

Wednesday’s launch kicked off a series of events planned for the summer that lead up to Ottawa’s 200th birthday celebration in September.

“Ottawa has come of age. It’s a time to celebrate that we have the national institutions here, as well as really important local institutions,” said Alexandra Badzak, CEO of the Ottawa Art Gallery.

“Those things are equal and wonderful, and we’ve got a story to tell. We are not the town that fun forgot, we’re not the stop between Montreal and Toronto. We’ve got something here. We’ve got a story to tell.

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