Canadian Multiculturalism Day · 2027
CapitalCultures Day.
One free day in Major's Hill Park: eight communities of Ottawa on one stage, at hands-on tables and in two public conversations.
- When
- Sunday 27 June 2027, 11 am to 6 pm
- Where
- Major's Hill Park, Ottawa
- Entry
- Free, open to everybody, no registration
- Languages
- English and French
Why 27 June.
The Government of Canada designated 27 June as Canadian Multiculturalism Day by Royal Proclamation in 2002. In 2027 it falls on a Sunday, when families are free and the ByWard Market area is full of residents and visitors.
Major's Hill Park sits between the ByWard Market and Parliament, a walk from downtown and on OC Transpo routes. If the park is booked, the day moves to Marion Dewar Plaza at Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West, with the same programme.
Capital Cultures Day comes before Capital Cultures, the free two-day festival in September 2027, and is organized by the Ukrainian Community of Lanark County (UCLC), an Ontario not-for-profit corporation.
What happens on the day.
Paired blocks on one stage
The stage runs in blocks of two communities. Each performs two 20-minute sets, and each block ends with both groups on stage in one song or dance they rehearsed together. A bilingual host introduces every group.
Apply to perform
Tables where you make something
Each community runs a table, and a maker or teacher from it leads two 45-minute workshops. Ukrainian embroidery is one; the other seven communities choose a craft, a game or a language lesson.
Crafts and kitchens
Neighbours' Conversations
Twice in the afternoon, for 45 minutes, a newcomer and a long-time resident from different communities answer the same three questions: what your family brought to Ottawa, what surprised you here, what you would tell someone arriving this year. Then the audience asks.
The Ask-Me table
Hosts from the eight communities answer questions about their traditions, faiths, languages and migration, including the ones people hesitate to ask.
The kids' passport
Children collect a stamp at each community table by learning a word, a game or a craft step there.
The day, start to finish.
11 am · Opening
Algonquin landUCLC invites an Algonquin Anishinaabe Elder or knowledge keeper to welcome the day. Ottawa stands on unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe territory.
All day · Stage and tables
Paired stage blocks, two workshops at each community table, the Ask-Me table and the kids' passport.
1 pm · First conversation
Neighbours' Conversations, first session, in the conversation tent.
Later · Second conversation
The second session, with two more pairs of speakers.
Closing · One piece, eight groups
All eight groups perform one piece of music together, rehearsed in May and June.
6 pm · End of the day
The stage and the tables close.
Eight communities host it.
What a host community does
Runs a table with two workshops, performs two short sets on the shared stage, sends a speaker to a conversation, and rehearses the closing piece with the other seven.
How the eight are chosen
The Ukrainian Canadian community is the first host. The other seven join through an open call and invitations from November 2026 to February 2027, so that the eight include long-established and newly arrived communities and at least two French-speaking ones.
Apply for your community
Short answers.
Is it free?
Yes. Capital Cultures Day is free and open to everybody, without registration.
When and where?
Sunday 27 June 2027, 11 am to 6 pm, in Major's Hill Park, Ottawa. If the park is booked, at Marion Dewar Plaza, Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West.
What if it rains?
Every table and both conversations sit under tents, and the stage has a roof.
How do I get there?
On foot from downtown and the ByWard Market, or by OC Transpo. The park has no free parking.
Is this the Capital Cultures festival?
It is one day in June. Capital Cultures, the two-day festival where each community runs its own pavilion, follows in September 2027.
Can my community take part?
Yes. Seven host places are open. Apply through the community form, in English or French, and a person answers within ten working days.