The numbers behind Ottawa's live music scene in 2024
From Ottawa Gigs
Ottawa’s live music scene made the headlines in 2024. The appointment of a nightlife commissioner in June was followed by the announcement of a new Live Nation venue in the market, and the deal to build a new arena at LeBreton flats. But even as these stories were published, many seemed sceptical that Ottawa really had a music scene to speak of.
At Ottawa Gigs, we have the receipts. For the first time, we’re lifting the lid on some of the data we have collected about Ottawa’s live music scene in 2024.
It shows the scale and diversity of what our city has to offer and is the perfect Christmas gift for anyone who says there really isn’t anything to do in Ottawa. It also highlights the enormous contribution that artists, venues, promoters, volunteers and everyone else involved makes to Ottawa’s culture.
This review is just the start. While Ottawa Gigs captures a significant amount of Ottawa’s music scene, there are many live shows which we haven’t been able to collect data for (more information on how our data is collected can be found here). The statistics below will be a conservative estimate of how much live music is on offer in Ottawa! As Ottawa Gigs evolves in 2025, I look forward to providing an even fuller picture of Ottawa's music scene.
But for now, I present Ottawa Gigs in 2024. If you find it insightful, please share it far and wide and consider supporting Ottawa Gigs! Thank you.
Will
Creator, Ottawa Gigs
In 2024, Ottawa Gigs listed over 1,700 shows in Ottawa from over 1300 artists in over 50 venues across more than 30 genres. That’s an average of almost 5 shows a day.
Most people go and see live music on the weekend. If you were searching for a show on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, on average you would have had 33 weekend shows to choose from in 2024.
Whatever time of the year, there is always something to see. While there is some seasonality in December and January, and a summer drop that can be attributed to an increase in festival performances, if you want to see live music in Ottawa, 2024 showed that you’ll be able to find it.
While Rock shows took the crown for the most popular genre, the main takeaway from our data is the diversity of genres available to gig-goers.
There were over 200 Jazz, Folk and Indie shows in Ottawa in 2024, with over 50 opportunities to also see Blues, Metal, Country, Alternative, Pop, and Punk acts.
And these are just the top genres. In 2024, Ottawans also got to see funk, celtic, bluegrass, pop-punk, soul, ska, and much more.
Ottawa’s venues worked incredibly hard in 2024, with over 50 venues listing shows on Ottawa Gigs.
In a close race, the Rainbow Bistro came out on top, hosting 167 shows. The numbers confirm just how vibrant the venue remains, even as it passes its 40th anniversary.
It was followed closely by Live! On Elgin, Red Bird, Irene's and Night Oat, rounding out the top five.
While there is live music to be seen all around Ottawa, activity is overwhelmingly concentrated in the downtown core.
The nightlife commissioner has stated that ‘It's important to have nightlife hubs or programming in every neighbourhood in the city’ and when it comes to live music, it appears there is a lot of opportunity for expansion.
The data shows the impact that even one venue with regular programming can have, with individual venues accounting for the majority of shows in areas beyond downtown, for example Overflow Brewing in Alta Vista and Brass Monkey in Nepean.
