What they do
Riverside Park
The Town's riverside park at the west end of John Street — beach, boat launch, splash pad, picnic area, two play structures and the greenspace UAFest is held on.
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Town of Carleton Place
Carleton Place · Corporation of the Town of Carleton Place · Carleton Place Town Hall · Carleton Place Tourism · Ville de Carleton Place · Карлтон-Плейс · Місто Карлтон-Плейс · Carlton Place · Morphy's Falls
Host municipality
A Town of Fests on the Mississippi River, 45 minutes from Ottawa.
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About
Carleton Place is a town in Lanark County, Eastern Ontario. The Town describes itself as roughly a 45-minute drive from downtown Ottawa and 4.5 hours from Toronto, sitting directly on Highway 7, part of the Trans-Canada Highway. Its own population figures give 10,644 residents in 2016 and 12,517 in 2021, with a projection of 20,964 by 2038.
The settlement grew around the falls on the Mississippi River and was first known as Morphy's Falls, after Edmond Morphy, who received settlement rights in September 1819. In 1829 a local merchant, Alexander Morris, chose the name "Carlton Place" after a public square in Glasgow; the post office opened in 1830 spelling it "Carleton Place". The village separated from Beckwith Township in November 1870 and was incorporated as a town in 1890. The Town Hall in use today, at 175 Bridge Street, was built in 1897.
The municipality is run by a Council of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and five Councillors, and delivers the services a small Ontario town needs — public works, water and sewer, fire, building and planning, a library, a pool, an arena and child care. It also runs its own tourism arm at visit.carletonplace.ca, which has published a three-year Destination Development Action Plan.
For a festival, the relevant part of the Town is what it owns and lends. Carleton Place maintains 30 parks and playgrounds, among them Riverside Park at the west end of John Street, running along the Mississippi River, with a boat launch, a beach, a splash pad, a picnic area, two play structures and open greenspace. Its tourism site calls Riverside Park "a gem in the community" and lists Canada Day, regattas, the Dragon Boat Festival and Movies in the Park among the events it hosts. Through the Community Enrichment Program, Council sets aside money each year for community groups and not-for-profits running events and festivals, in cash and in kind — reduced or waived rental of Town facilities, loans of municipal equipment, and staff support for set-up.
The Ukrainian Festival has grown up inside that framework. The first Lanark County Ukrainian Fest, in November 2023, filled the Carleton Place Arena, a Town facility on Neelin Street. The Town's visitor calendar carried the 22 September 2024 festival at Riverside Park, and the Town's own events calendar lists Ukrainian Fest Lanark County on 13 September at Riverside Park, free admission; the day runs noon to 6 p.m.
45 minutes from downtown Ottawa
A town since 1890
30 parks, including Riverside
Organization
What they do
What they do
Carleton Place Arena
75 Neelin Street: two ice surfaces, two program and event halls and a boardroom — the indoor room the first Ukrainian Fest filled in 2023.
What they do
Community Enrichment Program
Council's annual fund for community groups and not-for-profits running programs, events and festivals — cash plus in-kind help: reduced or waived facility rental, loaned equipment, staff support for set-up. Applications close 28 February, with a second intake to 31 August if money remains.
What they do
Municipally significant event designation
The Manager of Recreation and Culture may designate a public event as municipally significant — a step the AGCO requires for a Special Occasion Permit. The Town's criteria include cultural significance and building awareness of diverse cultures; designated events must carry $5,000,000 liability insurance naming the Town as an additional insured.
What they do
Town of Fests
The Town's festival calendar: EarthFest in May at Market Square, Bridge St. SummerFest in July along the heritage downtown, PumpkinFest in October at Carleton Junction and downtown, and WinterFest in November.
What they do
Carleton Place Tourism
The Town's visitor site at visit.carletonplace.ca, which carries the event calendar, the trails, restaurants and shopping guides, and the town's first tourism-specific three-year Destination Development Action Plan.
Open to
Community groups applying to the Community Enrichment ProgramEvent organisers booking Town parks and facilitiesRequests for municipally significant event designationBusinesses looking at the four serviced business parksVisitors, through Carleton Place Tourism
Town of Carleton Place
Photos
Town of Carleton Place
Where to find them
Carleton Place sits in Lanark County, in Eastern Ontario, on the Mississippi River. It is a town of its own — 12,517 residents at the 2021 count, with the Town projecting 20,964 by 2038 — rather than a suburb, and it has close at hand the pieces a visiting festival needs: a hospital, a library, an arena, a pool, four serviced business parks and a heritage main street of shops and restaurants along Bridge Street.
Downtown Ottawa is about a 45-minute drive east. The Town is directly on Highway 7, part of the Trans-Canada Highway, and just off Highway 15, and it describes a four-lane highway running into the City of Ottawa. The 61-kilometre Ottawa Valley Recreation Trail passes through town on its way from Smiths Falls to Mattawa. Toronto is about four and a half hours away. For UAFest that means the festival ground in Riverside Park is within an easy day trip for the Ukrainian communities of Ottawa, Kanata and the Ottawa Valley, while staying in a town small enough to close its main street for a festival.
UAFest participation
Their story and UAFest
19
1819
September — settlement rights issued to Edmond Morphy and his sons; their land becomes the core of the future town
29
1829
The settlement is named "Carlton Place" after a public square in Glasgow; the 1830 post office spells it "Carleton Place"
70
1870
November — incorporated as a village, separate from Beckwith Township
90
1890
Incorporated as a town
97
1897
The Town Hall still in use, at 175 Bridge Street, is built
23
2023
November — the first Lanark County Ukrainian Fest fills the Carleton Place Arena, a Town facility
24
2024
22 September — the Ukrainian Festival moves to Riverside Park and appears on the Town's visitor calendar
26
2026
13 September — the Town's own events calendar lists Ukrainian Fest Lanark County at Riverside Park, free admission; the day runs noon to 6 p.m.
Town of Carleton Place
Questions & answers
Where is Carleton Place, and how far is it from Ottawa?
In Lanark County, Eastern Ontario, directly on Highway 7 — part of the Trans-Canada Highway — and on Highway 15. The Town puts downtown Ottawa about 45 minutes away by car and Toronto about 4.5 hours.
Where in Carleton Place does the Ukrainian Festival take place?
In Riverside Park, at the west end of John Street along the Mississippi River. The Town's own events calendar lists Ukrainian Fest Lanark County there on 13 September, with free admission; the day runs noon to 6 p.m. The park also has a beach, a boat launch, a splash pad, picnic tables and two play structures, and seasonal public washrooms by the beach.
How do I reach the Town Hall?
Town Hall is at 175 Bridge Street, Carleton Place, ON K7C 2V8. Main reception is 613-257-6200 and general email is info@carletonplace.ca. The Town publishes its hours as Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Friday 8:00 a.m. to noon. Public works after-hours emergencies go to 613-257-2253.
Does the Town help community festivals?
Yes, through the Community Enrichment Program. Council decides each year what it will commit, and the support can be money or in-kind: rental of Town facilities reduced or covered, loans of municipal equipment and special-event supplies, and staff help before and after an event. Applications close 28 February, with a second intake to 31 August if funds remain, and are directed to the Recreation and Culture Department. The Town states plainly that no organisation should depend on this money to run its event.
What else is on in Carleton Place through the year?
The Town calls itself a "Town of Fests": EarthFest in May at Market Square, Bridge St. SummerFest in July, which closes half a kilometre of the heritage downtown, PumpkinFest over three days in October at Carleton Junction and downtown, and WinterFest in November. The Farmers Market runs at Market Square on Beckwith Street from May to October, and the 61-kilometre Ottawa Valley Recreation Trail passes through the town.
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