Ottawa’s Sparks Street Mall is ripe for reinvention. The five-block pedestrianized street, which is a short walk from Parliament Hill, has earned a reputation as a vibrant commercial corridor and throughway for traversing the top of the downtown core.

"It acts as a connection point," says Kevin McHale, executive director of the Sparks Street BIA. “It attracts people coming out of hotels in the west end of downtown looking to get to Byward Market, the Rideau Centre or the National Arts Centre use Sparks Street.”

But to McHale, Sparks Street is more than a pedestrian route, it’s an oasis—a place where people slow down and spend time in the local businesses, finding a moment of calm in the bustling city. The challenge has always been finding a good reason for people to stick around.

“I want people coming onto the street—from whatever intersection they came in on—to find something they didn't see a few weeks ago, to create that moment for them,” says McHale.

That was the goal behind Sparks Street BIA’s Live from the Booth. The free concert series was a collaboration between the Sparks Street BIA and the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition (OMIC) that featured electronic artists and DJs performing every Saturday throughout the summer of 2024.

To run the live local music project, Sparks Street leveraged funding from My Main Street as part of the Community Activator initiative, providing support for community projects in southern Ontario designed to draw visitors and increase local vibrancy. My Main Street is delivered by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI), and supported by a Government of Canada investment through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).

McHale says the support helped them build “the booth” - an outdoor micro-venue in the pedestrian mall that housed the featured DJ and up to three other musicians. “That type of artistry was really cool,” he says.

Throughout the summer, Live from the Booth hosted about 16 acts. McHale says people would pass through the pedestrian mall on a tour and linger for a couple of hours watching the performances and dancing. “It’s about the atmosphere and energy that it puts onto the street and the positive response from the businesses,” says McHale. “Customers stayed later and longer, and businesses that would've closed at six or seven on Saturday night stayed open later.”

The programming ended in October but McHale says the My Main Street support enabled the BIA to make the booth a permanent fixture on Sparks Street with all the gear necessary to host future events. The initial support is contributing to a longer lasting legacy in the area, helping to attract more foot traffic while supporting to the economic vitality of the community.

“To have the assets that we couldn't have necessarily gotten on our own or bought instead of having to rent, which ends up being a constant and regular expense, means we can hire more talent and support more local artists,” he says.

In addition to creating a space for tourists and locals to see live music and spend more time at Sparks Street businesses, McHale sees the programming as a chance to invest in Ottawa’s music scene. “It’s a sustainable program…we can continue on with it,” he says. “That’s the kind of opportunity that something like My Main Street creates—we’re well on our way to establishing (Sparks Street) as a unique urban park.”

About My Main Street

My Main Street is a $23.25-million Government of Canada investment through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) to support the recovery and revitalization of main streets and local businesses in southern Ontario. The Canadian Urban Institute and the Economic Developers Council of Ontario have partnered to deliver My Main Street through two program streams. Learn more at www.mymainstreet.ca.

About FedDev Ontario

For 13 years, the Government of Canada, through FedDev Ontario, has worked to advance and diversify the southern Ontario economy through funding opportunities and business services that support innovation, growth and job creation in Canada’s most populous region. The Agency has delivered impressive results, which can be seen in southern Ontario businesses that are creating innovative technologies, improving productivity, growing revenues, creating jobs, and in the economic advancement of communities across the region. Learn more about the impacts the Agency is having in southern Ontario by exploring our pivotal projects, our Southern Ontario Spotlight, and FedDev Ontario’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.