After a roller coaster of a week weather-wise, let’s settle into this weekend and have some fun! We’ve got live music, theatre, lots of great movies, and sports to get you out of the house and about town.

The Great Canadian Theatre Company’s (GCTC) upcoming season is as large as life, according to Artistic Director Sarah Kitz.

Lights will be making a stop on her latest North American tour this Wednesday. From synth-heavy electro-pop to stripped-down acoustic singer-songwriter, she can do it all and, over her career, pretty much has.

Nobody does it better than the National Arts Centre Orchestra. From March 12–14, the National Arts Centre (NAC) brings us Queen of Soul: A Tribute to Aretha Franklin, highlighting the over 60-year career of one of the greatest artists of all time.

For a town with a reputation for being “sleepy” and “boring”, you’d be hard pressed to explain that to anyone who was at Hard Rock Live on what should’ve been a “quiet” Sunday night. Instead, a sold-out crowd in the thousands let loose with a trio of punk bands that shook the building to its foundations.

Winter is returning just in time for the weekend, but there is plenty to enjoy despite the weather. From art openings, to concerts and comedy, this weekend has a little bit of everything. Check out the details below.

The Youth Infringement Festival (YIF) is back in Ottawa from March 11-21. This year marks its 28th year in the city, and producer Anne Hamels says it’s something that provides ample opportunity for young creatives between 16-25 years old.

Downside Up is a month-long photography exhibition at Art House Cafe which features young photographers with Down syndrome.

On a foggy Saturday night in Ottawa, thousands flocked to the Canadian Tire Centre as Journey rolled into town on their Final Frontier Tour. The evening was a time machine powered by powerful vocals, blazing guitar solos and a catalogue of arena-rock anthems that have defined generations of rock. A 60-date run celebrating the band’s five-decade legacy was meant as the final victory lap and farewell, with the Ottawa crowd ready to sing along to every note.

As the spring thaw hit Ottawa this week, a trio of rock bands made their Ottawa debuts and brought in a ton of energy to help shake off the last vestiges of winter in the capital, and truly make the most out of a nice (albeit foggy) Saturday night.