Things to do in Ottawa on Christmas Day

A photo of Ottawa's ByWard Market during the holiday season. Nov. 27, 2025. (CTV News)

While many businesses and services will closed on Christmas Day in Ottawa, there are still plenty of fun activities to found in the capital on the holiday.

CTV News Ottawa looks at things to do in Ottawa on Christmas Day.

Movies

Cineplex locations in Ottawa are open on Christmas Day. Showtimes can be found at cineplex.com.

Landmark Cinemas in Orléans and Kanata will also be open on Dec. 25. Visit https://www.landmarkcinemas.com/ for more information.

Some of the films that can be seen in theatres include Avatar: Fire and Ash, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, The Housemaid, Anaconda, Song Sung Blue, Marty Supreme and Zootopia 2.

Outdoor skating rinks

Weather permitting, the following public outdoor skating rinks will also be up and running on Christmas Day.

• City Hall’s Rink of Dreams at 110 Laurier Avenue (9 a.m. to 11 p.m.)
• Ben Franklin Place rink at 101 Centrepointe Drive (9 a.m. to 11 p.m.)
• Lansdowne Park skating rink at 1525 Princess Patricia Way (8 a.m. to 11 p.m.)

Restaurants

Reservation platform OpenTable lists 13 Ottawa restaurants as open on Christmas Day, including Cocotte Bistro, D’Arcy McGees on Sparks Street and Banco Bistro at Casino du Lac Leamy.

Other food options on Christmas Day include:

• The Moulin de Provence at 55 ByWard Market Square (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
• Kettleman’s Bagels locations in Ottawa (24 hours)
• Elgin Street Diner at 374 Elgin Street (24 hours)

Lights

The ByWard Market does multiple themed light shows each day. The Daily Light Show on George Street runs twice per day, once at 5:30 p.m. and once at 7:30 p.m. The Daily Aurora Light Show on York Street runs everyday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. More information can be found here.

The Magic of Lights at Wesley Clover Parks will also be open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Christmas Day. Tickets and information can be found here.

Several buildings and parks are illuminated for the holidays as part of the Winter Lights Across Canada program. More information on the lights, including a full guide map, can be found here.

Outdoor trails

A list of public multi-use trails in the National Capital Region meant for cross country skiing, snowshoeing and more can be found at ncc-ccn.gc.ca. The National Capital Region also features many groomed dedicated cross country ski trails.

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