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🃆🇹 Italian Week Ottawa
📅 June 11 – 21, 2026
📍 Little Italy, Preston St, Ottawa
🅾 Free street festival
👶 Family-Friendly
Italian Week Ottawa 2026 — Benvenuti a tutti!
For eleven days every June, Preston Street stops being just Preston Street and starts being a slice of Italy. Italian Week Ottawa runs June 11 to 21, 2026, with more than 15 events that wind their way through Little Italy — from quiet gallery tours and intimate cooking classes to a 90s discoteca, a pizza crawl, and a full-on street party finale that closes out the week.
It’s the kind of festival you can dip into for one night or live in for the whole eleven days. The headline weekend — June 19, 20, 21 — turns Preston into a free outdoor festival, and the masterclasses earlier in the week are where the food obsessives quietly book their tickets months in advance.
🍕 Pizza crawl
🍸 Cocktail masterclass
🍲 Gnocchi from scratch
🏁 Preston Street Criterium
⛪ Feast of St. Anthony
🎵 90s Italian dance party
🎨 Gallery tours
💡 A bunch of events are completely free — the Flag Raising, the Feast of St. Anthony Mass and Procession, and the whole Grand Finale street party. The masterclasses, the pizza crawl, and the bike race sell tickets, and the popular ones go fast.
✨ Why This Festival Is Worth Your Time
There are a few different versions of Italian Week Ottawa depending on how you approach it. If you’re a foodie, it’s the masterclasses and the pizza crawl. If you’re into community and tradition, it’s the Flag Raising and the Feast of St. Anthony procession. If you just want a great night out, it’s the 90s discoteca and the Grand Finale street party.
What makes the festival work is that it’s deeply rooted in the neighbourhood. Preston Street has been Ottawa’s Little Italy for generations, and Italian Week leans into that rather than performing it — the procession is the actual parish procession, the masterclasses are taught by local chefs and mixologists, the heritage night spotlights real regional traditions.
And the Grand Finale weekend, run by the Preston Street BIA, is genuinely one of Ottawa’s great free summer events. Three days, full street closure, live music, food, family activities. You don’t need to plan anything — just show up.
📅 What’s On: The 2026 Schedule
Eleven days, 15+ events, a little something for every kind of Italian Week-er.
Thu · June 11
🅾 Flag Raising Ceremony — City Hall — 11:00am
The official kickoff. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe issues the formal proclamation for Italian Week and the festival flag goes up at City Hall. Free, short, and a nice way to mark the start.
Italian Highlights from the National Gallery of Canada — 5:30pm / 6:15pm / 7:00pm
Three back-to-back 30-minute guided tours through the NGC’s Italian masterpieces — one in Italian, one in English, one in French. A genuinely lovely, low-key way to kick off the week.
Fri · June 12
🍸 Meet Me in Little Italy Masterclass: Italian Cocktails — 7:00pm
Sisters Erica & Hailey Martin of Bevi Bar Co. walk you through three summer-inspired Italian cocktails and mocktails. Hands-on, a little buzzy, perfect Friday night out.
Sat · June 13
Discoteca: 90s Italian Dance Party — 7:00–11:00pm
Raid Nonna’s closet. This is exactly what it sounds like — four hours of the cheesiest, most danceable 90s Italian disco you can imagine. Easily one of the most-talked-about nights of the week.
Sun · June 14
🏁 Preston Street Criterium — 9:00am–6:30pm
Bike Race Ottawa takes over Preston Street for a full day of cycling. Kids’ races in the morning, elite riders flying through tight corners in the afternoon. Free to watch.
🅾 Feast of St. Anthony Mass and Procession — 10:30am
The annual outdoor Mass on the steps of St. Anthony’s Church, followed by a traditional procession through the neighbourhood (around 11:30am). One of the most authentic moments of the whole festival.
🍕 Little Italy Pizza Crawl — 3:00–5:00pm
Four pizzerias, two hours, one guided walk. You learn a bit about the neighbourhood’s history between slices. Books up fast every year.
Mon · June 15
Masterclass: Gourmet Dinner Experience with Chef Cristian Lepore — 7:00–9:00pm
An intimate four-course dinner curated by Chef Cristian Lepore with locally and Italian-sourced ingredients. Interactive, story-driven, and the kind of evening that turns into a long, slow conversation.
Tue · June 16
🍲 Masterclass: Gnocchi Cooking Class — 7:00–8:30pm
Chef Cristian Lepore (again, deservedly) shows you how to make gnocchi from scratch. Beginner-friendly, hands-on, and you actually get to eat what you make.
Wed · June 17
Books and Biscotti — 5:00–6:00pm
Rapid-fire readings in English, French, Italian and dialect from the Association of Italian-Canadian Writers, with Accenti Magazine and Bread By Us. Followed by refreshments and a chance to actually talk to the writers.
🏳️🌈 Queer Italian Voices: Italian-Canadian Writers Today — 7:00–8:30pm
An evening with award-winning poet and spoken-word artist Liana Cusmano. Storytelling, fireside chat, and a celebration of LGBTQ+ Italian-Canadian voices during Italian Heritage Month and Pride.
Thu · June 18
Heritage Event — Spotlight on Emilia-Romagna — 7:00–9:00pm
Sapori dell’Emilia-Romagna. A walk-about wine and food tasting transporting you to one of Italy’s most beloved culinary regions — think Parmigiano, prosciutto di Parma, Lambrusco, the lot.
Fri–Sun · June 19–21
🅾 GRAND FINALE WEEKEND — Preston Street Festival
The Ottawa Italian Festival street party, organized by the Preston Street BIA. Three full days of music, food, family activities, and the whole neighbourhood out on the street. Free, all weekend, the biggest part of the festival.
🍽️ The Nonna-Approved Masterclasses
Three small-format, ticketed evenings that quietly book out every year. If you’re going to spend money on Italian Week, this is where to put it.
🍸 Italian Cocktails
June 12, 7:00–8:30pm. Hands-on cocktail-making with sisters Erica & Hailey Martin of Bevi Bar Co. Three drinks (cocktails & mocktails).
🍽️ Gourmet Dinner
June 15, 7:00–9:00pm. Four-course dinner curated by Chef Cristian Lepore, with locally and Italian-sourced ingredients. Intimate format.
🍲 Gnocchi from Scratch
June 16, 7:00–8:30pm. Chef Cristian Lepore teaches gnocchi-making, start to finish. Suitable for beginners.
Tickets are sold separately through the official festival site — book your masterclass →
🎉 The Grand Finale — June 19, 20 & 21
Run by the Preston Street BIA, this is the moment Preston Street becomes a full-on outdoor festival. Three days, street closures, live music, food vendors, family activities, and the sights, sounds, and smells of Italy spilling out of every restaurant on the strip. Completely free to attend.
Grand Finale Details →
📍 The Essentials
Festival Dates
June 11 – 21, 2026
11 days across the neighbourhood
11 days across the neighbourhood
Main Location
Preston Street & surrounding Little Italy, Ottawa · with select events at City Hall, the National Gallery and St. Anthony’s Church
Tickets
Free and ticketed events. Book at italianweekottawa.ca. The Grand Finale weekend is free.
Highlights
Grand Finale street party · 3 Masterclasses · Pizza Crawl · 90s Discoteca · Feast of St. Anthony
Kids & Families
The Grand Finale weekend, the Criterium bike races, and the Feast of St. Anthony procession are all great with kids.
Best For
Foodies · families · Italian-Canadian community · date nights · culture lovers
🚗 Getting There
Preston Street — Ottawa’s Little Italy — runs just west of downtown. Easy to reach by transit, walking, or rideshare, and well served by parking on side streets and in nearby lots.
Preston Street, Little Italy
301 Preston St (festival hub), Ottawa, ON
During the Grand Finale weekend, Preston Street is closed to traffic — transit, walking, or rideshare are by far the easiest. The festival’s own Festival Information page has detailed parking, drop-off, and accessibility info.
💡 A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go
🎫 Book masterclasses early. The cocktails, gourmet dinner and gnocchi classes are small-format and they sell out. If you want one, don’t wait until June.
🅾 Build your week around the Grand Finale. If you can only do one part of Italian Week, make it June 19–21. Free, festive, family-friendly, and the heart of the whole thing.
🍕 Pre-game the pizza crawl. The Sunday-afternoon Pizza Crawl is two hours of walking and eating. Wear comfortable shoes and don’t skip breakfast — you’ll regret showing up too full.
🚗 Skip the car for the finale. Preston Street is closed to traffic during the Grand Finale weekend. OC Transpo, walking from downtown, or rideshare are the easiest options.
👶 Coming with kids? The Saturday Criterium bike races, the Feast of St. Anthony procession, and the Grand Finale weekend are all very kid-friendly — especially in the daytime hours.
🎤 Save the dance party for date night. The 90s Discoteca on June 13 is a vibe, not a kids’ event. Dress up, lean in, have fun.
❓ Common Questions
Details may change — always confirm on the official Italian Week Ottawa website before heading out.
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