Where to go out in Ottawa every night of the week
Updated Thursday, September 17
Friday and Saturday sort themselves out. The hard nights are Monday through Wednesday, when most of the city is shut and the places that are open are empty.
Here is one good answer for each night. Check the live score before you go, because a Tuesday can die without warning.
Monday
The quietest night in Ottawa by a distance. Go somewhere that is fine when it is quiet.
The Laff does not need a crowd to be worth sitting in. Cheap and open.
Pinball and a cheap pint. Quiet Monday is the point.
Tuesday
Slightly more open than Monday. Still thin.
Often has a stand up night. Early show, home at a reasonable hour.
Tacos and a raw bar in a dark basement. Works on a night with nothing on.
Wednesday
The city starts waking up. Karaoke night across several rooms.
Karaoke Wednesday. One of the reliably busy midweek rooms.
Usually a session on. Small room, get there early.
Thursday
The real start of the Ottawa weekend, especially while university is in. Thursday in the Market is busier than Friday in a lot of cities.
The student Thursday. Loud from ten.
Live trad most Thursdays. Easy start before the Market fills.
Patio in summer, live music, mixed crowd.
Friday
Everything is open. The only question is which room.
Resident house night downstairs. Doors around ten thirty.
Warehouse night, runs late. For people who came for the music.
Perogies, pinball and a punk bill. Never the same twice.
The Elgin dance floor at full volume.
Saturday
The busiest night. Expect lines after eleven at anything in the Market. Check the score before you queue.
Big room, late close. The last stop for a lot of Saturdays.
Two storeys and room for nearly five hundred.
Upstairs after midnight. No cover, which matters by that point in the night.
Drag revue most Saturdays. Book a table if you want to sit.
Sunday
Better than people expect. A handful of rooms make Sunday their night.
Sunday karaoke. Reliably busy when the rest of the city is done.
Not a bar. Still where a lot of Ottawa weekends actually finish.
Questions people ask
What is the best night to go out in Ottawa?
Thursday if you want it busy without the Saturday lines, especially during term. Saturday is the biggest but expect to queue in the Market after eleven.
Is anything open in Ottawa on a Monday night?
Yes, but much less. The older pubs and dive bars stay open and are fine quiet. Clubs mostly do not open Monday.
What time does it get busy in Ottawa?
Bars fill around ten, clubs around eleven thirty, and lines are worst between eleven and one. Last call is 2am.
More Ottawa guides
Where people in Ottawa actually go out, by neighbourhood, with live crowd reports from people already there tonight.
Which Ottawa bars skew student, which skew late twenties and thirties, and which have a proper mixed crowd. With live crowd reports.
Where to eat in Ottawa, from tasting menus to the 2am shawarma, with live reports on how busy each room is right now.