04/09/2026
City at Night turns 10 this summer. This is a big milestone for me.
Before anything, I spent five years inside those walls promoting events and learning the room, the people, the energy. I took a risk on the space because I believed in what was already building… the early signs of a rebirth of the electornic movement in Ottawa, the appreciation of the crowd, and the raw talent of the collectives pushing it forward.
We didn’t follow a formula. We didn’t have all the resources. We tested a lot of things. We found our niche by staying close to what felt real.
Late afterhours that turned into mornings.
Festival afterparties that carried something deeper than the headliner.
World-class DJs playing inches away from the crowd.
And at the same time, a platform for local artists and promoters… some of whom started here and built event series that are still going 8+ years later, growing into something even bigger across the city.
It wasn’t always obvious this would work.
There were doubts… from people close to me, from the outside, even at times internally. There were moments where it felt fragile. Being closed for 17 months during the pandemic tested everything.
But we kept going.
What came out of it is more than a venue. It gave me purpose. It shaped my life. It built a community that continues to evolve, night after night.
10 years in, and it still feels like we’re just getting started!
Farid
