Lansdowne

Lansdowne Park is a world-class attraction that blends modern amenities, courtyards, heritage buildings and green space. Located in the heart of the city, this urban destination hosts events, community programming and recreation activities year-round. 

• 21 - Aberdeen Square
• 22 - Aberdeen Pavilion
• 23 - Horticulture Building
• 24 - Skating Court/Basketball Courts
• 25 - Great Lawn
• 26 - Water Plaza/Uplift
• 27 - Civic Gardens
• 28 - Heirloom Orchard
• 29 - Children’s Play Area/Skate park
•      - Algonquin Teaching Circle 
• 30 - South Court
• 31 - The Hill/Moving surfaces

Aberdeen Pavillion

This Ottawa landmark will be available for special events and community use.

Aberdeen Square

This courtyard, north of Aberdeen Pavilion, is home to the Ottawa Farmers’ Market. The stone pavers in the Aberdeen Square are patterned after typical Algonquin basketry. They are representative of Algonquin food vessels and inspired by the care and respect paid to food in Algonquin culture.

Skating court/Basketball courts

Enjoy ice skating on the outdoor refrigerated rink in the winter months and play basketball on the courts during the warmer months. During some major events at TD Place the bike corral occupies this space and the courts are unavailable.

Algonquin Teaching Circle

The Algonquin Teaching Circle is located between the Children’s Play Area and the Skating Court/Basketball Courts. It is a place where visitors can connect with Algonquin culture. The Teaching Circle is surrounded by the Seven Trees of significance to Algonquins.

Children’s play area

A colourful, dynamic and fully accessible play space featuring a play structure for children.

Civic Garden

The Lansdowne Civic Garden is a demonstration garden with 26 beds featuring different themes. Food harvested from the garden is donated to the Centretown Emergency Food Centre. The Ethno-Botanical beds feature plant species of ceremonial, medicinal or practical use in Algonquin culture.

East Court

Flanked by the Aberdeen Pavilion and the Horticulture Building this space is home to the Summer Arts Series and the expanded Ottawa Farmer’s Market.

Event Square

The courtyard west of Aberdeen Pavilion is the main entrance to the park from the Shops at Lansdowne.

Here you can find the sculpture Cows Fly Home on Sunday by Tim DesClouds, a brass and copper weathervane which reminds of the agricultural history of the Aberdeen Pavilion.

Event Square is also home to a memorial marking the birthplace of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry regiment.

Great Lawn

The Great lawn is an open space for festivals, family picnics, or a game of ultimate.

Heirloom Orchard

Lansdowne Park features more than 800 trees, including an orchard of heirloom apple trees. Apples are harvested annually by Hidden Harvest and donated to local food agencies.

The Hill

Overlooking the great lawn, the Hill features Moving Surfaces, a public art installation by Vancouver-based artist Jill Anholt. Composed from a series of steel shapes that bend and fold, Moving Surfaces' organic, fluid form is reminiscent of the flow of water itself. Light-emitting diodes, integrated into one face of the sculpture, project a dynamic video created from an in-depth study of the textures, patterns and reflections of water movement along the Rideau Canal. The Light-emitting diodes component of the sculpture is also programmable, enabling the curation of future digital installations by other artists, ensuring Moving Surfaces continual transformation over time.

In the most recent evolution of the sculpture artist Andrew O’Malley connects sky and water with his digital painting Northern Window. Northern Window interacts with the lighting of Moving Surfaces by creating sequences of patterns that evolve throughout the day with the movement of the sun and changes in the skies and weather patterns. At a glance the viewer may see the lighting as static, however a sensor on the sculpture records the current sky and updates the sequencing every minute to reflect the changes in light from sunrise to sunset, through clouds and starry skies alike.

Horticulture Building

This heritage building is a revitalized public space for special events, recreation programs and community use.

Skate park

A series of skateboard ramps ideally suited to beginners.

South court

South of Aberdeen Pavilion, this area offers seating and space for outdoor performances and festivals.

Water plaza

Enjoy the soothing sounds of cascading water from Uplift, a public art installation by Vancouver-based artist Jill Anholt, or the 52 dancing water jets that encourage play throughout the summer months.

Uplift is inspired by the site’s legacy of juxtaposition between natural and built structures. Its form draws inspiration from both the rocky ridges and sloping geological formations of the Canadian Shield and the intense human enterprise used to carve through these layers to construct the Rideau Canal. Created from local granite and brushed stainless steel, the sculpture fuses Ottawa's tradition of stone building with contemporary materiality and innovative water engineering.