Welcome to Ottawa Contra Dance!

Contra dancing is a joyful, energetic community dance for all ages. We dance to live music – fiddles, guitar, accordions, and more – and talented callers guide us through dance formations. Check out our Schedule page or subscribe to our email newsletter for upcoming dances.

Beginners are very welcome – all dances are taught and no partner or previous experience needed – just bring your smile!

“It was [a] very friendly atmosphere. The instructions were good. The music was fantastic!” “Very welcoming.”

Contra dances take place twice a month on 1st and 3rd Saturday evenings, September through June each season (no dances in July and August).

Doors open at 7 PM
Introductory lesson 7:30-8 PM (highly recommended for new participants)
Dance 8-11 PM
Location: Churchill Recreation Centre, 345 Richmond Road, Ottawa (see our Location page)

Schedule

Octobers 4th, 2025     *** Double Dance! ***
🙂 Also an afternoon dance, 3:30-5:30 PM 🙂
Band: Frost and Fire (from Vermont)
Caller: Luke Donforth
Octobers 18th, 2025
Band: JET (James Stephens, Emily Addison & Tim Cutts)
Caller: June Harman
More upcoming dances…
See Schedule for more upcoming dances. Prices, and more info, is there too.

Masks are optional. Please stay home if you’re sick. Dancers are most welcome to wear a mask if they wish to. See our full list of health measures here.

Hey Fever!

We host our own Dance Weekend, Hey Fever!, Oct 31st to Nov 2nd, 2025. It’s a blast!

Newsletter

To stay informed, if you are not already subscribed to our Newsletter, please sign up for our emails here.