Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dreamscapes.ca/i/679293
T hen, you're in for some very pleasant surprises in 2016— whether you'd like to pretend you went to school with Captain Kirk, enjoy one of North America's largest pop music festivals or marvel at paintings by one of 18 th - century Europe's most famous female artists. ENTERPRISING DISCOVERIES Let's start with space. Until late September, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum is hosting the world premiere of Star Trek: The Starfleet Academy Experience. Visitors will painlessly learn about concepts in fields such as medicine and engineering while carrying out mock Enterprise duties. Admit it: Haven't you wanted to snap your wrist and bark, "Beam me up, Scotty" ever since you got your first flip phone? SOUNDTRACKS Speaking of nostalgia, headliners at this year's massive RBC Ottawa Bluesfest music festival (July 7 to 17) include Duran Duran, Billy Idol and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. However, there's plenty on the lineup for those who can't remember the Reagan years, including the Lumineers, Sam Hunt and Future. That's just one of the capital's many summer outdoor musical festivals, which range from a neighbourhood shindig called Westfest (June 3 to 5) to the popular TD Ottawa Jazz Festival (June 22 to July 3) and the recently renamed CityFolk event (September 14 to 18). Largely indoors, two major events cater to classical music fans: Music and Beyond, which presents more than 85 concerts by ensembles of all sizes (July 4 to 17), followed almost immediately by Ottawa Chamber- fest, the world's largest chamber music festival (July 21 to August 3). MUSEUMS UNLIMITED Chamber music was the soundtrack of the opulent royal courts of Europe in the 18 th and 19 th centuries, and you can immerse yourself in that world at the Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada (June 10 to September 11). Born in 1755, Vigée Le Brun became Marie Antoinette's official portraitist at age 23. After fleeing France during the revolution, she lived and worked in various European capitals until her death in 1842. To find out what happened to France after the revolution, head to the Canadian Museum of History, where Napoleon and Paris (June 16, 2016, to January 8, 2017) will examine the famous military leader's plans for his capital city. The museum also sheds light on a turning point of Canadian history with Gold Rush! El Dorado in British Columbia (until January 15, 2017). SPRING/SUMMER 2016 DREAMSCAPES 51 OPPOSITE: The Ceremonial Guard Band performs on Parliament Hill. ABOVE: The Canadian Museum of History and Parliament Hill are among the most popular tourist attractions in Ottawa. © Ottawa Tourism