Ottawa’s ByWard Market sees spike in visitors in May and June

We look at some new numbers that suggest the future looks good for the ByWard Market.

The ByWard Market saw a spike in visitors this spring, with the highest number of recorded visits to the Ottawa tourist area in more than two years.

Statistics available on the City of Ottawa’s website show there were 2.81 million visits to the ByWard Market in May and 2.58 million visits in June, up from 1.59 million visits in May 2024 and 1.84 million visits in June of last year.

The 2.58 million visits in June and 2.81 million visits in May were the highest monthly visits to the market area since the city began posting statistics in January 2023.

The ByWard Market saw 2.04 million visits in April, up from 1.5 million visits in April 2024.

According to the city of Ottawa, the data is foot traffic recorded in the ByWard Market using cellphone data.

“Footfall is useful to measure visitation to the area and can help guide downtown revitalization efforts,” the city said on its website. “Foot traffic in the ByWard Market is an important indicator of the health of Ottawa’s downtown economy.”

Canada Day

There were 116,000 visits to the ByWard Market on Canada Day, as thousands of people celebrated Canada’s birthday on July 1.

The ByWard Market District Authority says nearly 50,000 people visited the market area during official programming hours.

Between June 27 and July 1, 495,177 visits were recorded in the ByWard Market area, including 152,716 visits on June 30.

“It’s a strong signal that this is a district on the rise. People are coming back to rediscover the soul of Ottawa,” Zachary Dayler, executive director of the ByWard Market District Authority, said ina statement.

“It’s a vibrant, community driven space that’s dynamic and welcoming throughout the day, shaped by the people who live, work, and gather here.

The increase in visitors to the ByWard Market comes as the City of Ottawa looks to revitalize the destination, including the redesign of William Street and ByWard Market Square. The plan includes redesigning William Street as a promenade with space for street activations, extended outdoor commercial areas and infrastructure to support events.

New Night Ambassadors have also been deployed on Fridays and Saturdays from 9:30 p.m. to 4 a.m. to “provide additional eyes on the street” and work with late night vendors.

The City of Ottawa is also introducing paid on-street evening parking until 7:30 p.m. on weeknights and on Saturdays to a bid to encourage vehicle turnover in the ByWard Market area.

The ByWard Market will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2027.