The Rideau Canal will be bustling with visitors for the 4th edition of the Rideau Canal Festival Thursday, and organizers say they have new attractions that will turn some heads.

New this year are two Bicycle Chic Fashion Shows, which will blend haute couture and bike wear featured by Richard Robinson, Peter Kunstadt, and Green Tree Eco Boutique Shop.

Head organizer Michel Gauthier said this year’s event will also include a main stage for musical performances to honour the Scottish, British, French Canadian, and Aboriginal people who helped build the canal.

“Everybody enjoys the canal,” said Gauthier. “We go skating on it, we go cycling. So this is a time to celebrate it and to celebrate the nations that built it.

“It’s exciting because it’s celebrating a symbol of Ottawa,” he added.

Visit rideaucanalfestival.ca for more information.