Staying in the city for the long weekend and wondering what to do? We have some options for you.
Fresh new tunes
Expect fresh new pop songs and jazzy R&B from two young local performers this Saturday night at Bar Robo.
Indie pop songsmith Akeem Oh creates textured, upbeat pop tunes designed to lift your spirits. Local singer-songwriter Elle Crites croons about heartbreak and lost love in sultry melodic ballads.
The two musicians formed a mutual admiration after exchanging music online.
“What I like about Elle is that her music makes me feel things,” said Oh, who hails from Maniwaki. “I feel like we both have an honest way of writing and composing music.”
For her part, Crites says she “went in a zone” the first time she heard Oh sing.
“It rarely happens that I get so involved in a song and lost in my feelings.”
Crites, a 17 year-old student in Carleton University’s songwriting program, is making her public debut on Saturday.
Oh will open the show.
Where: Bar Robo, 692 Somerset St W. When: Saturday Aug. 31, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Cost: $10. Tickets are available here.
Fresh new space
Tucked away in a back alley behind a Bridgehead in Hintonburg, a tiny new gallery space is taking shape. Cinqhole — the former home of General Assembly — is set to host a revolving series of art shows and performances.
“It’s a perfect space, like a raw canvas and we can build around that,” said installation artist Florence Morissette.
The grand opening takes place tonight with musical performances and a pop-up multi-disciplinary group exhibition titled A Dizziness of Things I Have Not Said, featuring work by four young artists and friends who met through their day jobs at Wallack’s Art Supplies.
Morissette, Melissa Ng, Erin Besseau and Yuli Sato work in wide variety of art forms, and the short-lived show will include photography, installation and paintings.
Yuli Sato, Erin Besseau, Melissa Ng and Florence Morissette (left to right) are four artists who became friends while working at Wallack’s Art Supplies. (Sandra Abma/CBC)
Besseau will paint a wall mural that will be covered over when the show ends on Saturday at 4 p.m.
“I think something can be really meaningful, even if it is temporary,” said Sato. “That’s a subject we all explore in various medium, so it’s appropriate for us to work in a makeshift space, a DIY space.”
Where: Cinqhole, 5 Fairmont Ave. When: Friday 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. The exhibition will remain open to visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Cost: Admission is free, but you are asked to RSVP here. 
La fois où on voulait se couper les cheveux by installation artist Florence Morissette. ( Florence Morissette) Roll the Dice
Grab your pals or family for a long weekend of friendly competition and music at The Hintonburg Public House.
Whether Scrabble, Monopoly or Pop-O-Matic Trouble is your game, the pub has plenty of board games on hand for willing players to set up and play while a steady stream of local acoustic talent entertains on an open stage.
You’re also welcome to bring along your own game of choice or chance.
The Hintonburg Public House, 1020 Wellington St W. When: Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Open mic stage Saturday 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. 
All set for players at Hintonburg Public House this weekend. (Sandra Abma/CBC)
