Fake blood, Day of the Dead & a playoff semi

Morning, Ottawa. Halloween lands on a Saturday, which means the whole city gets a four-day run at it. This week: a horror musical that hoses down its front rows, two very different ways to mark Day of the Dead, an Atlético playoff semi at Lansdowne and three smash burgers worth unwrapping. Costume optional, appetite mandatory.

Thursday night, still on: a few picks from last week's Book ahead, all tonight, Thu Oct 29.
- CBC Massey Lectures: "Housing Inc.": 7:30 PM, Babs Asper Theatre, NAC. Ottawa's own Leilani Farha, former UN Special Rapporteur on housing, gives the fifth and final lecture of the 2026 series, hosted with Nahlah Ayed. About 2 hours, no intermission. From $35, final sale. NAC
- Passarim: 8 PM, Fourth Stage, NAC. A Brazilian ensemble's Jobim tribute, with singer Tika's Canadian debut. $25. NAC
- Stravinsky Stories: Royal Winnipeg Ballet with the NAC Orchestra: opens 8 PM, Southam Hall (also Fri Oct 30, 8 PM and Sat Oct 31, 2 PM). Ratmansky's The Fairy's Kiss plus a new Firebird by Houston Thomas, with live orchestra. $33 to $115. NAC
- Michel Barrette, "Drôle depuis 1957": 8 PM, Salle Odyssée, Maison de la culture de Gatineau (855 boul. de la Gappe). In French. $51, fees and taxes included. Ovation
- El-Funoun, "Ya Saheb Al Tair": 6:30 PM (doors 6 PM), Algonquin Commons Theatre, 1385 Woodroffe Ave. The Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe brings its Canada tour to the west end. $85 to $150 plus fees; Algonquin students get $10 off. Algonquin SA

🩸 Evil Dead: The Musical: Thu Oct 29 & Fri Oct 30, 7:30 PM; Sat Oct 31, 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM
Richcraft Theatre, Shenkman Arts Centre, 245 Centrum Blvd, Orléans. Horror-movie camp, set to music. The first five rows are the "Splatter Zone," where fake blood is part of the ticket, so dress like you don't love your outfit. Campy, loud and 18+. $30.99 to $60.99.
Shenkman Arts Centre

💀 Day of the Dead at the NAC: Fri Oct 30, 6 PM (about 2 hours)
Peter A. Herrndorf Place, National Arts Centre. For the first time, the NAC is putting up a monumental Day of the Dead altar, presented with the Embassy of Mexico. Expect a guided tour of the altar, a crafts marketplace and an all-ages workshop. Stay on for The Cabaret of Death by Ballet Mexicain de Montréal at 8 PM, also listed free on the NAC calendar. The altar stays up as a free exhibition on Sat Oct 31 and Sun Nov 1, listed all day both days. A lovely, free counterweight to the jump scares. Free.
NAC · Altar exhibition

🌼 Day of the Dead Festival, ByWard Market: Sat Oct 31 & Sun Nov 1
ByWard Market, around Gallery 55. Two days of Mexican culture, with food, exhibitions and entertainment. It's a separate event from the NAC altar night, so you can easily do both. The festival is free. Saturday runs about 11:30 AM to 8:30 PM and Sunday about 11:30 AM to 6 PM at York Street Plaza (Ottawa sign), with exhibitions also at Gallery 55. There's an optional after-party Saturday at 8:30 PM at JoseSanDance Studio (105 Murray St), ticketed through Eventbrite.
Festival · Schedule · After-party

🧟 Disney Descendants, ZOMBIES & Camp Rock: Worlds Collide: Fri Oct 30, 7 PM
Canadian Tire Centre, 1000 Palladium Dr, Kanata. A big family arena show for the kids who already have the costume and would like a reason to wear it a day early. Costume-friendly, zero haunted houses. Tickets via Ticketmaster.
CTC · Ticketmaster

🤠 Tyler Braden, Days of Gold Tour: Fri Oct 30, doors 7 PM
The Bronson Music Theatre, 211 Bronson Ave, Centretown. Country with a pop streak, plus support from Steven Lee Olsen. A good Friday plan if your idea of Halloween weekend involves boots rather than a cape. All ages, licensed. From $40 plus fees.
The Bronson

🎺 Afro-Andean Funk, Todo Migra Tour: Fri Oct 30, 7:30 PM
Babs Asper Theatre, NAC. A two-time Latin Grammy–nominated ensemble mixing Andean and Afro-Peruvian sounds with funk. Pairs nicely with the free Day of the Dead night in the same building earlier that evening. Tickets at the link below.
NAC

🎻 The Irish Descendants: Tribute to Stan Rogers: Sat Oct 31, 7:30 PM
Babs Asper Theatre, NAC. The Newfoundland folk act takes on the Stan Rogers songbook. For anyone who'd rather spend Halloween night on a folk singalong than handing out mini chocolate bars. Tickets at the link below.
NAC

🕯️ Jane Eyre at Ottawa Little Theatre: Opens Wed Oct 28 and runs to Nov 14; Wed to Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 2:30 PM
Ottawa Little Theatre, 400 King Edward Ave. Erin Shields's adaptation of the Brontë novel: a gothic romance, which is about as Halloween as a period drama gets. Tickets at the link below.
Ottawa Little Theatre

Also Sunday: The Wrecks bring their Finally: Outside Tour to The Bronson on Sun Nov 1 (doors 5:30 PM), with worryclub and Kid Sistr. From $37.50 plus fees. The Bronson

Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, so Friday and Saturday are packed. We've already published a full Ottawa Halloween guide with free trick-or-treating, family days, real scares and grown-up nights, every date checked on the organizers' own pages. Use it to plan the weekend.
Read the Halloween guide

🎸 The Stampeders, One More Time: Mon Nov 2, 7:30 PM (lobby and bar 6:30 PM; doors 7 PM)
Algonquin Commons Theatre, 1385 Woodroffe Ave. One night of classic Canadian rock, "Sweet City Woman" very much included. Heads up: the show moved here from Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe after the July 1 flood, and old Centrepointe tickets are not valid. $98.75 plus fees.
Algonquin SA

🎼 Storgårds, Beethoven & Dvořák: Wed Nov 4 & Thu Nov 5, 8 PM (about 2 hrs 20 min, with intermission)
Southam Hall, NAC. John Storgårds's first program as the NAC Orchestra's music director, so this one's a bit of an occasion. Québécois pianist Élisabeth Pion, 2025 Honens gold medallist, plays Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, alongside Ives, Coulthard and Dvořák's Symphony No. 3. There's a post-concert reception in the Canal Lobby after the Nov 4 show. Tickets at the link below.
NAC

🏒 Olympiques de Gatineau vs Halifax Mooseheads: Thu Oct 29, 7 PM
Centre Slush Puppie, 500 boul. de la Cité, Gatineau. A Thursday-night QMJHL fix across the river. Tickets at the link below.
Tickets

🏒 Ottawa 67's vs Brantford Bulldogs: Fri Oct 30, 7 PM (doors 6 PM)
The Arena at TD Place, Lansdowne. Junior hockey the night before Halloween; costumes in the stands are your call. Tickets via Ticketmaster.
TD Place

⚽ Atlético Ottawa, CPL Semi-Final (Leg 1): Sun Nov 1, 2 PM (doors 1 PM)
The Stadium at TD Place, Lansdowne. Playoff soccer at Lansdowne. Atlético opens its title defence against Forge FC, a rematch of last year's semi. Leg 2 is Sat Nov 7 in Hamilton. Tickets via Ticketmaster.
TD Place · CPL · Ticketmaster

🏀 Gee-Gees women's basketball: Fri Oct 30, 6 PM (vs Queen's); Sat Oct 31, 6 PM (vs Algoma)
Montpetit Hall, University of Ottawa. Back-to-back home games, early enough to make it to whatever you've got planned after. Tickets at the link below.
Gee-Gees · Tickets

Sens watch: The Senators are on the road all week (LA Oct 29, San Jose Oct 31, Anaheim Nov 1, Buffalo Nov 4), so no home games until after this window. Sens schedule

🍽️ Le Petit Chef: Oct 29 to Nov 1 and Nov 4 to 8
Tulip Restaurant and Bar, Hilton Garden Inn, 361 Queen St. An immersive dinner show, if you'd like your Halloween-week dinner to come with a performance. Classic or vegetarian menu $129, Deluxe $169, kids 6 to 12 $69, each plus 20% service and 13% tax. Advance purchase required.
Le Petit Chef · Ottawa Tourism

Pressed thin on a screaming-hot griddle until the edges go lacy and crisp, then stacked with cheese that melts on contact. After two weeks of soup, it's time for something you eat with both hands. Three spots, one south, one east, one in Sandy Hill. It's not a ranking. All three appeared in the Ottawa Citizen's smash burger roundup (June 2026), and the prices below are the ones the Citizen reported; menus change, so double-check before you go.

One goodbye this week, and no confirmed new openings.

FROM THE 613 WEEKLY

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That's the weekend, 613. Wear the costume, eat the burger, say goodbye to the tea room. 🎃
The 613 Weekly

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Details checked Mon Oct 26, 2026. Plans change, so confirm with venues before heading out.