Hello ORLÉANS!
Welcome to the 43rd edition of Orléans Connect.
🎉 Happy New Year 🥳 Orléans!
With the turning of the calendar comes the usual cadre of renewal, resolutions and a looking forward to all the new things in the new year. But here at Orléans Connect, we’re reflecting on 2025, a year that gave birth to this newsletter and has already taught us so much and brought us so much closer to the Orléans community. We’re deeply grateful for your continued support and positive feedback!
We’re looking forward to bringing you all the happenings in Orléans and much more in 2026, but we need your help to do that. With around 52,000 households in Orléans we’re now reaching about 3% of those. Our goal is to reach at least 10% of them by the end of 2026. So… as part of your good deeds for 2026, we’re kindly asking you to share this newsletter with your friends, colleagues, Facebook groups, and other social media. It really helps us grow and continue to bring you Orléans events, community news, business spotlights and more each week.
Here’s what’s happening in Orléans in the next week ⬇️
Here’s our roundup of upcoming events:
❄️ January 1st - Head over to the Orléans Legion Branch 632 for a New Year’s Levee from 11 AM to 3 PM. Everyone is welcome to join for good company and a complimentary glass of moose milk!
📍800 Taylor Creek Dr
🏠 January 2nd - Is your child prepared to take the first steps towards staying home alone? The Home Alone Safety for Kids program helps children gain confidence and skills to stay at home alone successfully. Designed for children ages 9 through 12 years old. Course runs from 9 AM - 4 PM. Register Online. Another session available January 30th.
📍Orléans Holiday Inn Express and Suites
🐰 January 2nd - Zoo Crew is hosting Holiday Animal Family Workshops. These 90-minute workshops (several options available) are cozy, hands-on sessions where families hold and interact with bunnies, guinea pigs and more - all guided by the expert Zoo Crew team. Register Online.
📍5721 Osgoode Main St, Osgoode
🏃🏻♀️❄️ January 3rd - Orléans Parkrun is hosting Special Holidays and Happy New Year Parkrun! FREE timed 5 KM run, jog or walk. All levels welcome! Family and dog-friendly event. New participants encouraged to register. Gather at 8:45 AM.
📍Cairine Wilson Secondary School, 975 Orleans Blvd
🌱 January 3rd - Grand Winter Reopening: Kick Off 2026 at Les Serres Robert Plante Greenhouse. Celebrate 2026 in the warm, lush greenhouses - completely refreshed and restocked for winter! From 9:30 AM - 1 PM enjoy FREE canapés and enjoy the vibe with live jazz by the Ottawa Pocket Jazz Band. Greenhouses and coffee shop open from 9 AM - 4 PM.
📍4228 Navan Rd.
🧘♀️ January 3rd - Kids Yoga for ages 6-12 from 11 AM - 12 PM at Blackburn Community Hall. Ready to feel refreshed before the end of the holidays? Enjoy a fruit juice or smoothie when the yoga ends before heading home. Bring your own yoga mat. Ages 10 or under must be accompanied by an adult.
📍190 Glen Park Dr
🎶 January 3rd - Live Music Saturday at Broadhead Brewery, featuring Chris Gagnon, rocking the acoustic vibes. There will be tunes, brews and BBQ - starts at 6 PM. All are welcome - no cover, no reservations required.
📍1680 Vimont Crt
🧘🏽 Discover the benefits of Tai Chi this winter! If you’re looking for a gentle, whole-body exercise that supports both physical and mental well-being, check out classes with the Canadian Tai Chi Academy! No pre-registration required. Scent-free environemnt. FREE first Tai Chi class! Classes offered in English and French!
🗓️ Day Classes:
Mondays & Fridays 10 AM - 12 PM, Orléans United Church (starting January 5th)
🌙 Evening Classes:
Tuesdays 7 PM - 8:30 PM, Aquaview Community Hall (starting January 6th)
Wednesdays 7 PM - 8:30 PM, Orléans United Church (starting January 7th)
📚 Feeling cooped up in this cold weather? The Ottawa Public Library offers a wide range of drop-in programs, including language learning courses, games, knitting and crochet, writers group, family activities, and homework help. Check out the upcoming listings for our two local branches:
Orléans Branch (1705 Orléans Blvd)
Cumberland Branch (1599 Tenth Line Rd)
🗓️ SAVE THE DATES 🗓️
Rory Taillon is performing live at Stray Dog Brewing Co. on Fri, Jan 16th. 🎟️ Get tickets - save by pre-ordering online!
🎶 Critically acclaimed songwriters Julian Taylor and Logan Staats have joined forces to tour across Canada with special guest Jordan Hart, and they’ll be performing at Shenkman Arts Centre on Jan 21st. 🎟️ Get tickets while you can!
🌧️ Learn more about the City of Ottawa’s Rain Ready Program on Jan 28th from 7 PM - 8:30 PM at Roy G Hobbs Community Centre.
⛷️ Moonlight Ski Night on Feb 1st from 7 PM - 11:30 PM. Enjoy groomed ski trails, warm drinks and a relaxed evening under the full moon. Family-friendly event. Hosted by the Convent Glen Orléans Wood Community Association, with support of Ski Heritage East, Councillor Laura Dudas and Orléans Waxing Haus.
❄️ Fête Frissons is on again on Feb 8th! Presented by Shenkman Arts Centre and the Heart of Orléans BIA. This free event features performances, artmaking, workshops and storytelling!
🎵 Bedouin Soundclash is coming to Shenkman Arts Centre on Mar 6th. Their sound has been described as a combination of reggae, ska and rock - they bring a huge energy to the stage! 🎟️ Get your tickets now!
Do you have an event you want to see featured here? Let us know!
📰 News you should know about…
📚 The Ottawa Public Library prepared a roundup of the Most Requested Books of 2025! If you’re looking to add to your To Be Read List, there are some excellent titles across a range of genres that made the list!
🎥 Check out this feature on the amazing work of the Orléans-Cumberland Community Resource Centre (CityNews). Support their critical work by making a donation today!
🚏 OC Transpo Fare change takes effect January 1st - see the details about the new rates.
⛸️🏒Thanks to the hard work of countless local volunteers, many of our local outdoor skating rinks are open already! Find an outdoor rink near your home with this handy map from the City of Ottawa.🗺️
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT 🔦
This week’s Orléans business spotlight is… 🥁 … Snazzy Seconds Decor on Consignment located at 2405 St. Joseph Blvd.📍
Snazzy Seconds is an amazing decor (and more) consignment store featuring furniture, antiques, jewelry, dishes, throw pillows, linens, kitchenware, pottery, crystal and more! And they happen to bring in hundreds of new items every week. Snazzy Seconds has been an integral part of the Orléans Community for over 30 years and continues to bring quality home goods at low prices to Orléans. Explore highlights from their selection on their Facebook page.
And as always, if you wind up visiting them, make sure to tell them Orléans Connect sent you.
Place d’Orléans, which opened in 1979 and expanded throughout the 1980s had an international influence: its architectural design later inspired the Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield, England. Who knew Orléans architecture has influence on the international stage?
Many thanks to Brittany K. for sending in a photo of Bandit, a new family addition of approximately 8-9 months of age. Bandit is an Old English Bulldog and he loves walking around the neighbourhood meeting all of his 2 and 4-legged neighbours. As you can see he also loves to snooze.
Submit a photo of your Orléans pet(s) by emailing it to: [email protected]
THIS WEEK’S POLL ❓
Did you make some 🎉 2026 New Year's Resolutions? 🗓️
