What they do
Yarmarok (Ukrainian Marketplace)
The free all-day market in the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park: artisans, vendors, community organisations, food and live performances.
UA FEST 2024PartnerNonprofit
Capital Ukrainian Festival
Capital Ukrainian Festival - Ottawa ON · CUF · OCUF · Український фестиваль столиці Канади · Le festival ukrainien de la capitale
Capital Ukrainian Festival · Ottawa Ukrainian festival
Come for the food, stay for the culture.
UA FEST Family
About
The Capital Ukrainian Festival is Ottawa's celebration of Ukrainian arts, culture and community. It was established in 2015, and it describes its own work as performances, workshops, artisan vendors, traditional and contemporary cuisine and community programming, open to people of every background. Its own line for visitors is short: come for the food, stay for the culture.
The 2026 edition ran from 28 to 30 August at Lansdowne Park, in partnership with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress - Ottawa Branch, as part of Ukraine Week in Ottawa. That week, 23 to 30 August, marked the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's independence. “The Capital Ukrainian Festival returns to celebrate Ukrainian culture as a living expression of identity, creativity and community,” said Jane Kolbe, President of the festival, in its own media release.
The three days each had their own shape. Friday opened with a free beginner-friendly Ukrainian dance evening led by the Svitanok Ukrainian Dance Society on the Lansdowne Park Plaza. Saturday brought hands-on cultural workshops at the St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Shrine, 952 Green Valley Crescent, delivered in English at $35 each: Petrykivka decorative painting and beginner pysanky egg painting, both traditions inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Sunday belonged to the Yarmarok, the free all-day Ukrainian marketplace in the Horticulture Building, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The Yarmarok is where the festival meets its public most directly. The 2026 vendor list runs past twenty names and covers embroidery and vyshyvanky, beaded jewellery, floral wreaths, candles, honey, natural cosmetics, soap flowers, Ukrainian books, wooden cutting boards, packaged groceries, gelato, garlic and several kitchens cooking traditional Ukrainian food. The 2026 stage programme listed RUTA Choir, Kolizhanky, the Kozak Sisters, the UKIES Choir, Zhyvytsia, the Malva duo, bandura player Tanya Navolska, fiddler Erin Okrainec and others, and the weekend closed with the concert “A Piece of Gerdan Dipped in ShockolaD” at 1000 Byron Avenue.
The festival keeps its own archive of press going back to its first year, including a 2015 Ottawa Citizen headline about making 16,800 perogies for it. It runs on applications and volunteers: vendor and performer applications for 2026 were open through its own site, volunteers are recruited the same way, and it invites CVs from people who want to work with it. Capital Ukrainian Festival sponsored UA FEST in 2024.
Established 2015
Lansdowne Park, Ottawa
Free Yarmarok marketplace
Capital Ukrainian Festival
What they do
Ukrainian cultural festival programming: live music/entertainment, Ukrainian food and drink, and a Yarmarok (marketplace) of Ukrainian art, crafts and foods.
What they do
Ukrainian cultural workshops
Hands-on sessions in Petrykivka painting and beginner pysanky, delivered in English, $35 + HST each with advance registration.
What they do
Learn Ukrainian Dance
A free beginner-friendly evening on the Lansdowne Park Plaza led by the Svitanok Ukrainian Dance Society.
What they do
Festival concerts
Ticketed evening shows away from the park, such as “A Piece of Gerdan Dipped in ShockolaD” at 1000 Byron Avenue, $45.
What they do
Vendor programme
Two categories for 2026: pop-up tent up to 10x10 at $385 + HST, and food vendors at $770 (10x10) or $1,225 (10x20) + HST.
What they do
Souvenir booklet advertising
The festival's orientation guide and keepsake, sold as ad space to businesses; the 2018 and 2019 editions are published online.
Open to
Artisan and food vendorsPerformersVolunteersSponsors, funders and partnersAdvertisers in the souvenir bookletCVs from people who want to work with the festival
Capital Ukrainian Festival
Photos
Capital Ukrainian Festival
Where to find them
The festival is based in Ottawa and holds its main days at Lansdowne Park in the Glebe, on the Rideau Canal, using the Horticulture Building at 1525 Princess Patricia Way. Its workshops and concerts move elsewhere in the city, to the St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Shrine at 952 Green Valley Crescent and to 1000 Byron Avenue.
Its audience is the National Capital Region and the Ukrainian community across it. Carleton Place is about 50 km from Ottawa by road, so UAFest and the Capital Ukrainian Festival draw on the same Ottawa Valley community.
UAFest participation
Their story and UAFest
15
2015
The festival is established in Ottawa; an Ottawa Citizen story that July counts 16,800 perogies made for it.
19
2019
The fifth annual festival, 19-21 July.
23
2023
August 19-20: Korchma pub night at the Ukrainian Banquet and Convention Hall on Byron Avenue, the Yarmarok at Lansdowne Park's East Court, and the “Doors” art exhibit in the Horticulture Building.
24
2024
Sponsors UA FEST.
26
2026
28-30 August at Lansdowne Park with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress - Ottawa Branch, as part of Ukraine Week in Ottawa.
Capital Ukrainian Festival
Questions & answers
When and where does the Capital Ukrainian Festival happen?
In 2026 it ran 28-30 August. The Yarmarok, its main day, was Sunday 30 August from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park, 1525 Princess Patricia Way, Ottawa, ON K1S 3W7.
Does it cost anything to get in?
The Yarmarok marketplace and the Friday dance evening were free. The Saturday cultural workshops were $35 + HST each with advance registration, and the Sunday evening Gerdan and ShockolaD concert was $45.
How do I become a vendor at the Yarmarok?
Apply through the vendor page on their site. You pay the fee online first, then submit the application, and the festival confirms approval. For 2026 a pop-up tent space up to 10x10 is $385 + HST; food vendors pay $770 for 10x10 or $1,225 for 10x20, plus HST. Questions go to ocufvendors@gmail.com.
Can I perform or volunteer?
Yes. Performer applications for 2026 were open on their Get Involved page, for Ukrainian music, dance, storytelling or another form of cultural expression, and volunteers apply on the same page to welcome visitors and support activities.
How do I get there, and is the site accessible?
Lansdowne Park is served by several OC Transpo routes along Bank Street, with paid underground parking beneath the park and more lots in the Glebe, plus bike racks on site. The Horticulture Building has accessible entrances, washrooms and parking; the festival asks visitors needing accommodation to contact it in advance.
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