Palestinian Festival Returns to Ottawa for Three Days of Culture, Dabke and Food
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The Ottawa Palestinian Festival opens Friday, August 21, at the Horticulture Building in Lansdowne Park, launching a three-day celebration of Palestinian heritage that will continue through Sunday, August 23. Admission is free to the public.
The festival will bring together Palestinian music, dabke, traditional food, arts and family programming, along with the Jerusalem Bazaar featuring embroidery, clothing, accessories, gifts and other cultural products.
Friday’s program runs from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. and includes the opening ceremony, dabke performances and lessons, musical performances and a fashion show. Featured performers include Samer Jamal, Nancy Fares, Anouar Moukrim and the Daloona dabke group.
Saturday and Sunday programming runs from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m., with children’s activities, tatreez workshops, multicultural performances, live music and additional dabke performances throughout the weekend.
The 2026 Jerusalem Bazaar features 21 participating vendors, while eight food vendors will serve a range of dishes and desserts, including Palestinian cuisine, knafeh, falafel and fatayer.
First launched in Ottawa in 2014, the festival was created as a space for Palestinian Canadians to share their culture, food, music and folklore while building connections with the wider Canadian community.
